Trust them or not, it is always good to verify. People often come into the office with wrong information that was provided by their assigned insurance adjuster. Sometimes it’s the insurance agent, but I am not surprised that they seem to know very little about the product they sell. The information from the adjuster is especially troubling because it’s adjusters who I know have been doing this long enough that seem to be doing it intentionally. I always wonder whether they make a value judgment on the person and decide, “Well I don’t think they deserve it, so why tell them everything?”
The most common “mistakes” seen are:
– Not telling the person about medical mileage in no fault. A person in Minnesota has the right to get mileage when they get care under the no fault act.
– Not telling people about replacement services. A person in Minnesota has the right to get up to $200 per week to cover what they can’t do because of their injuries under the no fault act.
– That despite having a scar, surgery, or a broken bone that they won’t meet a threshold. Clearly legal advice.
– That their case is worth a certain amount, which unless the injury is way beyond the policy limits or doesn’t meet a threshold, is impossible to say within weeks of a collision. Again, it’s legal advice.
– That the collision is partly or mostly their fault. Ding, ding , ding legal advice, which often depends on the belief that everyone is at least a little bit at fault. Not true under any law in Minnesota.
– You can’t bring a claim against a family member. It is a lie.
All of these examples make me wonder about how many people never get to an experienced lawyer and instead accept the bad advice as the final word. They are grown ups, so I guess it is up to them, however trained adjusters who take advantage of these people should be ashamed of themselves. I would like to know if they get bonuses for closing those files?
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