At some point, the victim of an accident could face the challenge of negotiating with the insurance company. What strategy should he or she pursue?
First, have a figure in mind
That figure should represent the lowest offer that you would consider. Once an accident victim has agreed to consider an offer, then the opposing parties can settle their dispute. Smart claimants study the extent of their losses, before placing in their mind the minimum, acceptable amount for any offer. In addition, no claimant should feel obligated to stick with the minimum that he or she had chosen, before the start of negotiations.
If, at the start of negotiations, the adjuster’s initial bid was to come close to the number that the claimant had in his or her mind, then that same claimant would need to increase the size of that particular number. On the other hand, if the adjuster were to point out some weakness in the claimant’s argument, then a reverse action would seem proper. That would mean a reduction in the size of the minimum, acceptable amount, as per personal injury lawyer in Spruce Grove.
Never accept the adjuster’s first offer
A claimant should give any response to such an offer that does not signal an immediate willingness to agree to the proposed figure. Some adjusters make a habit of proposing what personal injury lawyers refer to as a low-ball offer. The same lawyers encourage any clients that receive such offers to respond by requesting justification of the low figure that the adjuster has put forward as a bid. A well-worded response might include reference to the extent of the accident-related damage.
After the adjuster has reviewed the claimant’s response to the bid, then the same claimant should call the recipient of that response (the adjuster). At that point, the caller should be ready to weigh the strength of the adjuster’s comments, and, thus, form a counteroffer.
Never reduce the amount of money demanded more than once, before receiving a reply.
In other words, after stating the counteroffer, the claimant should not suggest an even lower number. Instead, the claimant’s patience could get tested, as he or she agreed to await the presentation of yet one more, in a potential series of offers.
A possible scenario
Sometimes the adjuster’s reply might include mention of a certain issue. Some issues should send a signal to thoughtful and observant claimants. Depending on any claimant’s earlier actions, that signal might trigger a search for a good personal injury lawyer.
Specific issues could give rise to problems, in the absence of a lawyer’s guidance. Those would be issues concerning the severity of the reported injury, the identity of the liable party or the possible emergence of future damages.