Dealing With Insurance Adjusters

An insurance adjuster is the person empowered by an insurance company to investigate your claim, when you file one, and to determine how much you are entitled to receive. Not only do adjusters have to determine whether you have coverage for your claim, but they also have to work to make sure that the repair or replacement costs are reasonable. Finally, they have to communicate to you - clearly - the settlement offer and how the offer was calculated.

I find that most adjusters do a good job of knowing their coverages and knowing how to control costs. When they fall short, it's most often in one or more of the following areas:

    * Communicating: Some adjusters don't explain how they arrive at the settlement, which is especially important if it's less than what you had expected. Sometimes adjusters don't tell policy holders what to do if
    * repair shops or contractors won't honor the adjuster's estimate, or if there's additional damage that the adjuster missed.
    * Getting an agreed price on an auto repair: Some adjusters just mail a repair estimate and a check, putting you in the awkward position of having to find a body shop to do the work for that price.
    * Being reachable: Sometimes getting in contact with the adjuster is almost impossible, and you aren't given an alternative way to reach someone familiar with the claim, such as the adjuster's supervisor.

The number-one complaint I get from customers is the amount of phone tag they have to play to reach adjusters. You can eliminate most of that frustration by getting the following information the first time you contact the adjuster:

    * Claim number
    * Date of the accident
    * Adjuster's name and phone number(s)
    * Name and phone number(s) of the adjuster's supervisor

Don't hesitate to call the adjuster's supervisor if you need to reach someone right away or if you're having a problem with the adjuster.

Here are some things you can do to make your claim go more smoothly:

    * Request the direct-dial phone numbers for the adjuster and the adjustor's supervisor when the adjuster first contacts you.
    * Never accept payment for any auto repairs without the adjuster and your body shop agreeing to a price.
    * If you can't reach the adjuster, or you aren't unhappy with her for any reason, call her supervisor.
    * If you don't think the adjuster is doing a good job, call the supervisor or even the claims manager and request that she reassign your file to another adjuster. You don't have to accept poor performance.
    * If you have an agent, don't hesitate to ask for help with any kind of problem that you're having, especially if you feel the settlement offer is too low. A good agent has the skills to negotiate, on your behalf, to improve an unfair settlement offer.