Negotiating with insurance adjusters in Houston after an accident or injury piles on frustration and stress when you’re already dealing with enough. In fact, sometimes adjusters are counting on this. But with some basic preparation and strategies for negotiating, you can be better equipped to get the best possible outcome. First, it’s important to know who you’re dealing with and what their goal is.
What is the Insurance Adjuster’s Role?
Know, first and foremost, that an insurance adjuster has been trained to protect their company’s best interest and pay out as little as possible. At the end of the day, the adjuster is tasked with protecting the insurance company’s bottom line. They do not work for you. Your interests do not fall in line with their interests.
Protecting Your Rights and Interests
One of the biggest mistakes to avoid is providing any sort of recorded statement. You may feel obligated to while speaking with an insurance adjuster, but this could lead to you unknowingly saying something against your interest. This is the same for signing any releases—if the adjuster can get you to wrap up the negotiations before they even start, they’ve successfully held you to the lowest possible offer.
How to Prepare for Effective Negotiations
Before speaking to the adjuster on your case, be sure you get organized. Prepare yourself by gathering everything you have concerning the claim. This includes:
- police reports
- photographs
- medical records
- any other documents you have that support your claim.
After gathering all the information, calculate your losses and damages to establish a minimum amount you are willing to accept.
Negotiation Strategies for Fair Settlements
An initial lowball offer with a time limit is a common scare tactic. Don’t fall for it. Adjusters are trained negotiators, but these tips can help you hold your own:
- Establish a Strong Opening Position
Knowing the adjuster will likely present a very low offer, it will be helpful to have a reasonable number in mind. You can do this by calculating damages and losses. Present this number and have the documentation to back it up, this will increase the strength of your argument and show the adjuster you are ready to negotiate, not simply take the first offer they give.
- Respond to Lowball Offers and Delay Tactics
In addition to a lowball offer, adjusters often try to delay the negotiations as another attempt to keep your payout to a minimum. Don’t be intimidated by this. Be prepared to respond with the reasons their offer is unacceptable. Include your facts and evidence to support your argument and continue to contact the adjuster if they have gone silent.
- Ask Questions
An adjuster may count on you being untrained in negotiation. Don’t let them intimidate you, if you don’t understand how they got to a number or what something they said means, ask! There may be something they take into account that you didn’t think of before and you can use that to come up with a more accurate number.
When Should I Get a Lawyer Involved?
Negotiations can be stressful and daunting and while you can absolutely attempt to negotiate on your own, the assistance of legal counsel can save you stress and time while ensuring you get the maximum amount of compensation possible. Just like an adjuster is trained in negotiation, so are our attorneys at Hernandez Sunosky LLP. Whether you’ve started the negotiation process and feel overwhelmed or want to avoid the headache altogether, contact us today. Our team of attorneys in Houston can help throughout the process and will work to get you the most compensation available.