The Important Role of The Claims Adjuster

Anyone that has filed a claim with an insurance company directs each of their questions or information to the insurance adjuster. What makes that member of the insurer’s staff so important?

Adjusters seek an answer to these questions:

Does the claimant’s policy cover the claimed loss? An adjuster must study both tie direct losses and any associated expenses. For instance, a smashed headlight would be a direct loss. If the owner of the damaged vehicle needed to rent a car, then that would be an associated expense. What is the claim worth? What will the insurance company need to pay the claimant?

An adjuster normally serves as a claimant’s only contact with the insurance company.

The adjuster only knows what the claimant and the claimant’s lawyer tell him or her. Adjusters do not offer compensation for unreported injuries or damages.

The adjuster’s multiple tasks:

Inspect the damaged property; take photographs, when necessary. A smart adjuster looks for any evidence that casts doubt on the claim made by the policy holder. For instance, it could be that the claimant/policy holder has said that the other driver caused a particular collision. Still, if the adjuster’s inspection reveals a dent in the side of the other driver’s vehicle, then that would suggest that the policy holder caused the accident. Personal Injury Lawyer in Kitchener is of the view that the adjusters interview all those involved in a specific incident.

The insurer awaits the adjuster’s news that he or she has obtained the police report or the incident report. That can offer a clue to those that should be held responsible for the accidental occurrence. After completing all of the tasks listed above, the adjuster’s time gets devoted to the task of drafting a report on the damage caused by the reported accident. That report gets passed on to the insurer. In that way, the insurer gains an understanding for the amount of money that the claimant has chosen to request.

Only after sharing the damage report with the insurer does the adjuster begin to negotiate with the claimant/victim. The victim must resist the temptation to take the adjuster’s first offer. That is usually a very low number. Realize that the insurer wants all adjusters to keep pursuing a possible settlement. Insurers do not like it when adjusters delay responding to a given claimant. For that reason, a smart claimant/victim can use that fact to an advantage.

Some adjusters use delaying tactics in hopes of forcing a victim/claimant to accept a low offer. Yet claimants have the right to tell an insurer about the utilization of such tactics. In that way, that adjuster’s trick can prove incapable of shaping the victim’s decision.

Hence, the adjuster must proceed with the negotiations. Fortunately, the claimant then has an advantage over the impatient negotiator (the adjuster). Consequently, the 2 disputing parties are more apt to agree on a figure that provides the victim with a fair compensation.