You’re injured, out of work, and you need help sooner rather than later. But now that you’ve gotten the ball rolling on your injury claim, you can’t get ahold of the adjuster in charge of your case.
As deadlines loom and your financial needs become more and more complicated, do you know what to do when the adjuster won’t return your calls after a Houston car accident? In this article we’ll look at the top reasons why insurance adjusters stop answering calls, and what you can do about it if it happens to you.
For any further guidance or information on recovering compensation after a car accident, please contact our law office for a complimentary case evaluation.
Why Do Insurance Adjusters Stop Answering Phone Calls?
Not receiving a call back from an insurance adjuster can feel like a personal slight against you. However, you might be surprised to learn that the most common reason for adjusters not returning phone calls has very little to do with personal feelings or preferences.
So what’s the real reason the insurance adjuster isn’t getting back to you? It might be that they simply don’t have time.
Big insurance companies are built on a for-profit model. With a focus on cutting costs and protecting their bottom lines, insurers are well known for their tricks and tactics used to deny compensation for car accident injuries, slip and fall accidents, medical bills, and more. This approach extends to their hiring practices. In other words, insurance companies often don’t hire enough adjusters.
Many insurance adjusters are given far too many cases to handle at one time. Without adequate support, resources, and hours in the day, an adjuster might not have enough time to return your phone call.
However, this does not make it right. If an insurance adjuster is not calling you back, it means that you aren’t receiving updates on the status of your claim, learning new or relevant information, or getting the opportunity to confirm important details.
Moreover, there are situations in which refusing to return your phone calls is a tactic to lower how much compensation they have to pay out. When an injury victim is dealing with a desperate situation in which they need financial help and they need it now, finally receiving a call from an adjuster can leave them primed to agree to a much lower settlement than they are otherwise entitled to.
3 Steps To Take When an Insurance Adjuster Stops Returning Your Calls
If for any reason an insurance adjuster has stopped returning your phone calls, we recommend that you take the following steps:
Make Frequent Calls
When you’re dealing with the insurance company, get rid of any worries about being too needy, aggravating, or bothersome. When your calls aren’t being answered or returned, don’t accept being ignored.
Keep calling as regularly and frequently as possible. Leave messages and, if you have the agent’s email address, send daily follow-up emails.
By remaining persistent in your efforts, you are more likely to be noticed by the adjuster. This means you are more likely to be pushed to the top of their to-do list.
Speak With a Supervisor
So your frequent calls aren’t working and you haven’t received a single email in response. If your repeated efforts to contact the adjuster are still going unanswered, you can (and should) elevate matters to someone above them.
By calling and speaking with their supervisor, you can get your matter in front of someone with greater authority and expertise within the company. When you speak with them, be polite but firm. Tell the supervisor your concerns about how the adjuster is handling your claim, including that they haven’t been returning your phone calls, emails, or messages.
Don’t end the conversation before you’ve asked how the supervisor intends to handle the problem and when you can expect to hear from the adjuster.
As with all conversations with the insurance company, be sure to make a note of the date, name and position of the person you spoke with, what you discussed, and the resolution. This helps you create a verifiable track record of everything the insurance company has said to you, which you and your lawyer can rely on for evidence when building the strongest possible case.
Have Your Lawyer Contact the Insurer on Your Behalf
You’ve got enough on your plate. Whether you have multiple medical appointments every week or are simply trying to let your body and mind rest, life after a car accident shouldn’t involve dealing with the insurance company’s nonsense for hours, days, or weeks on end.
If you’re working with a lawyer, let them know what’s going on and ask that they contact them on your behalf. In most cases, lawyers are able to secure call backs in a much timelier manner. This is because once a lawyer gets involved, the insurance company knows you mean business.
The Insurance Company Isn’t Your Friend—Find Someone Who Will Fight for You
Every motorist in the state of Texas is required to maintain certain auto insurance minimums. We rely on this coverage to help pay our medical bills, take care of property damage, and even cover our lost wages in the event of a serious accident.
But what happens when the insurance company refuses to play fair? What do you do when the insurer offers you far less than you are owed, or the adjuster won’t return your calls after a Houston car accident?
Navigating the complex world of dealing with insurance companies and negotiating full and fair settlements is not easy without the right guidance and backing. At The Mejia Law Firm, we are proud to serve as experienced, knowledgeable, and compassionate legal guides to our clients.
We provide completely free case evaluations to accident victims in Houston, Harris County, and the surrounding area. If the insurance company is giving you the run around or won’t answer your calls, get in touch with a Houston car accident lawyer from our law firm. We’ll see what options you have in your case.