The bad habits and practices of insurance companies are quickly becoming public knowledge. From not offering customers the deal they were promised to refusing to cover them entirely, it’s now clear that providers aren’t always your friend. What can you do to make sure you’re not stung by some of the most common problems, from price hikes to denials to inadequate coverage?
Picture sourced by bssmadeit
Do your homework
As a result of smaller insurance providers closing their doors, the larger companies in the market have a lot more free reign to suffer the brunt of displeased customers. All too often, customers are too late in discovering that they’ve partnered with a policy provider that’s not likely to give them the fair treatment that they deserve. Besides reading customer reviews online from trusted, third-party websites, you can also get a record of complaints about your potential insurance providers. If they have a high rate of denials, delays, and other issues, then it might be better off to avoid them altogether.
Picture sourced by rawpixel
Don’t settle for less
Not receiving enough compensation as the result of a settlement is another common problem when dealing with insurance providers. However, you don’t have to simply sit down and take whatever the company is willing to offer you. As you can see at ValuePenguin.com, there is plenty of room for negotiation. For instance, with an auto insurance company, you can negotiate by finding proof of your auto’s value if you believe that your insurance company is lowballing it. You can get estimates off the internet, as well as having your mechanic weigh in on it.
Picture sourced by 12019
Taking the fight to them
Being denied a settlement entirely is a much more serious offense than getting a sub-par settlement. If that happens, then your best option might be to get some legal help to show that you have been denied in bad faith. You can read at LongTermDisabilityLawyer.com how you can improve your chances of a successful case against them. If you win, you will not only get the full coverage as promised by the insurance provider, but you might also get back any additional costs you have accrued as a result of that initial denial.
Picture sourced by Free-Photos
Don’t stay silent
If you believe that you haven’t been treated fairly by your insurance provider, then the worst thing you can do is stay silent about it. Even if you have no other recourse, you can make it known to others just what kind of company that they are. You can file a complaint officially with the Department of Insurance, as well as leaving online reviews about what kind of treatment you received. This way, at least you can help other customers avoid getting into the same situation and suffering the same troubles as you.
Though your insurance is supposed to be a financial safety net that you’ve spent time investing in so you can avoid unexpected costs, they don’t always prove to be the help that you needed. Insurance customers need to be aware of the risks.
