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Why is that insurance adjuster being so nice to me? This may be the easiest question we have ever answered here at the InjuryBoard. Maybe the insurer wants to take care of you. Maybe they want you to fully recover for all of your damages. Maybe they have your best interests at heart, even if it cost their insurance company more. Maybe not.

Despite what my fellow InjuryBoard blog pack members have been writing, it often seems like the insurance company is looking out for you. Otherwise, why would so many people spend so much time dealing with the adjusters themselves? Why wouldn’t people take advantage of free consultations with experienced lawyers like Devon Glass, Wayne Parsons, Steve Lombardi , Pierce Egerton, Rick Shapiro and myself, Mike Bryant, that have dealt with so many of these cases? People must believe that the insurance companies are really working for them. Are they right?

Wait. Stop. Think. Do you really think a multi-billion dollar insurance company has your best interest at heart? Insurance companies’ profits depend on taking in more in premiums and investments than goes out in payments. The insurance company only benefits if they pay out less.

Maybe they’re trained to be nice to keep you from going to a lawyer because they know that will cost them a lot. Maybe it’s that the adjusters really know what to say:

– Are they giving legal advice?

– Are they trained to convince people that they really are getting good deals?

– Are they just plain old lying to people?

It’s illegal in most states for the insurer to tell you not to go to a lawyer. But it’s not illegal to be nice, to pretend they have your best interests at heart.

Many insurers even have a whole different set of adjusters that deal with people who don’t have lawyers. ‘Unwrapped Units’ are trained to deal with these folks, using special training to try to keep people happy. If they get smart and hire a lawyer, their case gets switched to a ‘wrapped unit’.

It’s amazing how many times we look at these offers and they are woefully inadequate. Occasionally, we see fair offers and we tell people that. We’ve even had cases where we help them make sure that the health insurance subrogation interests are dealt with and that all of the coverages have been found. If it’s a good deal, or even close to a good deal, we tell them.

The reality is that you can hire someone that is on your side and who works for you or you can hope they don’t rip you off too much. You can guess what the value of your case is or hire a lawyer that has done this before and knows how to present a case.

Now I do understand that the case is always yours. So if you want to settle and think it’s a good deal, go for it. But, it reminds me of the last time I tried plumbing. Took me two days to put in a garbage disposal. Week later, a real plumber came in and got it fixed in about 30 minutes.

At least if you are going to play lawyer for you or your family, spend a little time reading these:

I was in an automobile accident. What should I do? Ten Tips For Hawaii Drivers, Wayne Parsons on September 14, 2009 – 3:59 AM EST

What would a caveman bring to meet with the lawyer?, Steve Lombardi , September 15, 2009 11:00 AM

Solving Legal Problems, Being a Client, Back to the Basics, Steve Lombardi , September 15, 2009 8:48 AM

Car Accident Injury Client: What Makes the Case Good or Bad? (The Collision & Medical Care) , Rick Shapiro September 16, 2009 9:38 AM

Being a Client: More Tips To Help Improve Your Case If You’ve Been In An Car Accident , Devon Glass , September 17, 2009 8:39 AM

Presumed Guilty: How to Avoid Having Insult Added to Injury When You’ve Been Hurt in a Car Crash, Pierce Egerton , September 18, 2009 4:28 PM

What To Do After An Accident When The Adjuster Is There First, Mike Bryant, September 19, 2009 6:26 PM

What Questions Is The Lawyer Going To Ask Me At The Initial Interview For My Injury Or Death Case?, Wayne Parsons , 20 September 2009 12:01

What makes a case good or bad?, Steve Lombardi, 21 September 2009 12:57 PM

What To Do After An Accident When The Adjuster Has A Tape Recorder, Mike Bryant , September 23, 2009 10:01 PM

Do I have a good or a bad case?, Devon Glass, September 24, 2009

What are interrogatories and how do I answer them?, Steve Lombardi, September 29, 2009

Interrogatories: A Written Deposition , Devon Glass, September 30, 2009

How Do You Value Your Case? Mike Bryant October 03, 2009 9:29 AM

Demystifying Injury Litigation for Clients: What Are Interrogatories?, Rick Shapiro ,October 3, 2009

Do only dishonest people refuse to give a recorded statement? Steve Lombardi | October 06, 2009 10:47 AM

Demystifying Injury Litigation: What Is a Deposition and How Do I Get Ready for It? Rick Shapiro | October 21, 2009 10:34 AM

How Does An Injured Person Describe Their Injury To Doctors, Lawyers and Their Family?(2); Wayne Parsons | October 22, 2009 3:45 AM

What’s the big deal with my deposition? Devon Glass, October 22, 2009


Why Does Discovery Need To Be Truthful?, Mike Bryant, October 23, 2009 11:28 PM

How do I know what my case is worth?, Steve Lombardi , October 24, 2009 10:06 AM

4 Comments

  1. Gravatar for Joe Crumley
    Joe Crumley

    You're so right, Mike. I watched those remodelers in our office this week.

    Do-it-yourself to save money seldom makes sense, for all my projects or for legal work!

  2. Gravatar for Mike Bryant
    Mike Bryant

    Another good point, you and I could have done it, maybe in the next year or two.

  3. Wayne Parsons

    In Hawaii it is very common for an insurance adjuster to tell an injured person that they should not hire an attorney. Of course it isn't in writing and the insurance person will deny it later. The injured person isn't thinking that the are talking to someone willing to break the law to save the insurance company a few bucks.

  4. Gravatar for Mike Bryant
    Mike Bryant

    It would be interesting to find out what they really are thinking. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.

Comments for this article are closed.