A personal injury can be one of the most devastating, difficult situations that a person can face. In addition to the stresses of overcoming your injury, there is the added stress of trying to get a proper payout from an insurance company. Because insurance companies want to limit your settlement to as low amount as possible, negotiating with them can often be a fraught process that might end up being more taxing than your injury itself. If you’ve been hurt in a car accident, keep reading to learn some quick tips for negotiating with an insurance company so that you get the right settlement.
Come Up with a Baseline Before the First Meeting
One of the most important things you can have before entering into negotiations with an insurance company is a baseline amount that you will agree to settle for. This amount will be your absolute rock bottom price that you will not agree to go under. When you go in knowing your boundaries for negotiation, you’ll be much more confident in asking for what you want and more likely to get it. Hopefully, you’ll receive a higher settlement than your baseline, but you’ll know that you’ll get the exact amount that you need to fully recover from your personal injury.
Never Take the First Offer
A classic negotiating technique that the insurance company is sure to employ is proposing you an extremely low offer in the hopes that you’ll take it without question. Make sure that when you’re negotiating with an insurance company to never take the first offer. In the same way you have a baseline for what you’re willing to take, the insurance company will have a baseline for what they’re willing to give, and their first offer is sure to be well under what their baseline is. By turning down the first offer, you’re signaling that you’re not willing to settle for less than you deserve, making it likely that the insurance company will go up from their initial offering.
Force the Adjuster to Explain a Low Offer
After you’ve sent the insurance company a demand letter, you will receive an offer from an insurance adjuster. If their offer seems suspiciously low, make them explain how they’ve arrived at this particular number. Should the adjuster be unable to adequately explain the reasoning behind the offer, it is likely that it was made artificially low as a negotiating tactic. Without a good explanation for a low offer, do not be afraid to stay at the amount you requested in your demand letter. Stay strong until the adjuster can give a reasonable price that comes with a coherent explanation.
Capitalize on the Emotional Factor
Many people when entering into negotiations with an insurance company feel it is untoward somehow to let emotions bleed into the process. However, you are at a disadvantage when you’re negotiating on your own, which means you should use everything at your disposal, including emotions. Although it can be hard to quantify emotional damage after you’ve been hurt in a car accident, letting your adjuster know the emotional toll you’ve suffered is still an effective tool in helping to sway them to your side so that you’ll get the settlement that you deserve. Displaying the psychological effects of your accident is a great tool throughout your negotiations.
Get Everything in Writing
One of the keys in any successful negotiation is to get everything in writing so that you have physical proof of your claim. After the adjuster has offered you a settlement to your liking that you have accepted, send them a certified letter confirming the settlement—making sure to keep a copy for yourself. Not only will this letter be valuable for your records, but it will also help your case should the insurance company try to back out of the agreement at a later time.
Hire an Attorney to Fight for You If You’ve Been Hurt in a Car Accident
Negotiating with an insurance company is a task that should not be taken likely. Because insurance company lawyers are much more experienced in the negotiation process than you are yourself, they will try and take advantage of your naiveté. After you’ve been hurt in a car accident, you need to hire the Disparti Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers to fight for you. Contact us today to find out how we can expertly handle your case and help you get the settlement that you deserve.
