Insurance companies are well-versed in how to profit from their investors. While they provide benefits that can significantly help their clients, they will offer the bare minimum in coverage whenever possible. In many cases, insurance companies try to avoid liability for a claimant’s losses entirely through strategies such as delays or wrongful claim denials. Sometimes, an insurance company will ignore your claim and not return your phone calls as a ploy to save money. If an insurance company is ignoring you, be proactive about pursuing coverage.
Follow Up
Ignored phone calls are not always intentional. In many situations, an insurance company has reassigned the case to a new adjuster. The insurance company might also have out-of-date contact information. Follow up with the insurance company after a few weeks of not hearing back. Leave a voicemail explaining that you filed a claim or sent a demand letter and are still waiting for a response. Include your latest contact number and address. A reminder could be all the insurance company needs to return your call.
Recognize Insurance Bad Faith
If an insurance company is still not returning your call, this might be a bad faith tactic. Insurance bad faith means the company is not handling your claim fairly or reasonably. It is not handling your claim honestly or with a good faith attempt at upholding its end of the contract. Instead, the insurer is intentionally trying to convince you to settle for as little as possible so it can increase its profits. The insurance carrier knows the longer it waits to resolve your claim, the more money it can make in interest.
An insurance company ignoring you does not mean you filed your claim incorrectly or do not have coverage. It is not the same as a claim rejection. It is a tactic many insurance companies use to try to unfairly reduce the value of a claim. Insurance companies often do not have deadlines or pressure to resolve your claim. Meanwhile, the wasted time could lead to mounting medical bills and damage repair costs on your end. The insurance company knows this and may intentionally use communication delays to increase the pressure on you. If frequent delays or missed connections continue, it could be bad faith.
Do Not Give Into Pressure
Holding out on a claim could pressure a client enough to force them to settle for the very first offer. An insurance claims adjuster may remain intentionally unresponsive to your phone calls to make you feel more desperate for compensation to pay your bills. While an insurance company’s silence may frustrate you, try to remain calm and collected. Stay amicable during correspondence with the claims adjuster. Realize that settling an insurance claim takes time, with or without insurance company bad faith. Do not allow the wait to ultimately hurt you by convincing you to jump on a fast settlement.
Hire an Insurance Dispute Lawyer
You have options if an insurance company is ignoring you. For example, you may be able to seek benefits from your insurance carrier instead. Claim subrogation could yield results faster. Then, your insurer can take up a claim with the other carrier for reimbursement. You may also be able to hold the insurance company accountable by filing a bad faith claim in Hillsborough County. A bad faith claim could lead to reimbursement for your original losses as well as additional money in interest for the insurance company’s wrongdoing.
Use a Tampa insurance claim attorney to assist you with your reaction to an insurer ignoring you. An attorney can reach out to the insurance company on your behalf to elicit a response. Most insurance claims adjusters take phone calls from lawyers more seriously than calls from claimants. Your lawyer can negotiate with the insurance company for maximum compensation. In some cases, a lawyer may be able to file a bad faith claim in pursuit of damages. An insurance attorney can help you protect your rights from the start of your claim.
Has Your Home Insurance Company Denied or Undervalued Your Property Damage Claim in Florida?
If your insurance company is dragging its feet regarding your property damage claim you should speak with an experienced insurance claim lawyer as soon as possible. Please contact us online or call our Tampa, Florida law office directly at 800.451.6786 to schedule your free consultation. We help Florida residents just like you fight the big insurance companies who fail to abide by their own policies. Remember, we work on a contingent basis, meaning you don't pay us anything until we win your case.
