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Insurance Adjusters Admit to Being Fined for Saying Yes

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Many of us remember the “Just Say No” Campaign in an effort to fight the war on drugs. Green shirts were promoted among children with the popular saying to try and thwart our small minds from saying “Yes” to experimental drugs.  In the name of public policy a governmental agency created a slogan, provided t-shirts to poor children and pushed their agenda through the public education system keeping many from being able to enjoy the high of quality street drugs.

Apparently this “Just Say No” campaign was not just one for the war on drugs but was also accepted by major insurance companies such as Progressive, GEICO, Liberty Mutual, Safeco, GAINSCO, and Sentry. Just recently, guilt ridden insurance adjusters have come forward admitting that anytime they would say the word “Yes” on the phone with a claimant, they would be fined $500.00. Adversely, the more times they said the word “No” the more opportunities they would have for a professional advancement.

Many of you have probably encountered this type of interaction after being involved in a motor vehicle collision or having an insurance claim against one of these companies when all the adjuster on the other end of the phone would say is “No”.  A recent transcript was released in the article detailing this incident and illustrated how the slogan worked to make billions after taxes for these companies:  (Person Injured- PI) & ( Adjuster Saying Slogan – ASS)

PI: I was just injured by one your insureds when they slammed into the back of us while drunk and driving with a suspended license.

ASS: No, you didn’t. Not possible. No way that could happen.

PI: Hello? I’m sorry what did you say?

ASS: No.

PI: No, what?

ASS: No. No means no. No, no, no.

PI: We seem to have a disconnect here. I have an accident report showing what I just told you and video on my phone showing your insured stumbling out of the car with two cases of beer and trying to make a run for it. He didn’t get far before he fell face first into a ditch and just started drinking again.

ASS: Sir, we do not provide insurance to people that drink and do bad things. If we do, we say they didnt do it, we then deny the claim, delay it, and defend it in court just to prove to you we mean no.

If you have an experienced this kind of interaction with the above companies, please give us a call as we are looking for class members to fight against this injustice. It may be the first day of April, aka April Fools Day, but we are still here to help you and believe this is real.

 

OTHER ARTICLES WRITTEN FOR THIS SPECIAL DAY

Trey Mills Retiring at 36

Allstate Makes Me an Offer I Can’t Refuse

South Carolina Litigation Firms Admit They Only Litigate for Insurance Companies

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And Now You Do What They Told Ya…

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“Why Did You Take That Case? It’s Not Worth Your Time!”

A question recently posed to me by an insurance defense attorney that thinks certain cases should be beneath legal assistance because there is no real margin for a positive financial return. It reminded me of the real reason I became a lawyer and constantly reminds me of the every day people that need lawyers not solely focused on the bottom line. I realize this is a hard task because we are still running a business that has to pay overhead expenses, support ourselves and our families, and pay those law school loans! On top of that in South Carolina you are “assigned” cases that you are going to be spending time and money on for free anyway, which could easily fill that small philanthropic,or charitable void, in your cynical, cold heart.

Rise up, my cynical counterparts and cohorts in the business of assisting those in need when the tyrannical insurance company rears its ugly head. We must unite and bring forth our swords swiftly to sever its head before it begins to breathe fire and destroy all that is pure and just in a world bombarded with:

  • low balling adjusters reading from a computer screen;
  • experienced insurance adjusters being pushed to retire for college graduates that can read;
  • denials based purely on money saving tactics;
  • Allstate Insurance Company practices focused on trying to squeeze out the desire for attorneys to help;
  • property damage claims (See: South Carolina Property Arbitration:Your Weapon Against Insurance Adjusters) ;
  • minor property damage claims; and
  • anything quasi legal that comes out of the mouth of an adjuster.

How about grab that bravado that made you a plaintiff’s attorney and start saying, “F&*^ You, I want do what you tell me!” You can make the time for half a dozen of those cases a year. I know you “Million Dollar Advocates” can spare some time to feel reinvigorated and you young associates that do research all day can feel like real trial lawyers by taking on a Magistrate Court case or Property Arbitration. By pushing back on what the dragon is trying to force feed us we can eventually slay the large reptile and save the townspeople.

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Don’t Listen to Insurance Adjusters or Friends When It Comes to Legal Advice

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You have just been involved in a traumatic incident of some kind and now your world is turned upside down. You never planned on being:

  • injured;
  • unable to work;
  • permanently disfigured;
  • without an avenue for medical treatment;
  • no knowledge on how to get out of the hole someone, something, or some event has put you into; or
  • what steps to take to get back before your world stopped.

The next thing you do is communicate with family, friends, and/or co-workers. They know someone, read something, saw it on the Internet, watched “Judge Judy”,  or have a “friend” themselves that has been through the exact same thing and this is what you …….STOP THE MADNESS!

It’s great to have loved ones and I am sure they want nothing but the best for you but I don’t claim to know everything about everything. I hire real estate agents to move property and tax advisers (Patterson Tax Service) to do my taxes even though I have had Real Estate and Tax classes in law school (which means I know enough to be dangerous to myself, or absolutely nothing).

My common saying is, “You don’t listen to the devil on how to get to Heaven, so why listen to an insurance adjuster on how to settle a claim against them?”  They are going to lie, or mislead you. You don’t go to your opponent in the middle of the game and ask them how to beat them do you? NO! Stop listening to what an adjuster says about your claim. Talk to an attorney. You at least have recourse against an attorney if they give you incorrect legal advice. (You could have recourse against an adjuster but it is hard to prove).

Likewise, stop listening to your friends give you “arm chair” legal direction on your case. Go talk to a lawyer. It is free to consult with a lawyer on most civil cases and no fee is received by the lawyer unless a settlement is negotiated or trial verdict rendered. Tell me who else you know works 100% on performance pay? Defense attorneys and insurance adjusters work hourly or salary and may get some kind of bonus based on performance but I would imagine 75% of their income will come to them regardless of how well they perform.

I work 100% on performance and get close to 70% of my business from word of mouth based on clients, friends, family members, colleagues, and other professionals that are familiar with our firm’s performance. Seek out the help you need from the right professionals rather than receiving the wrong information. You may not hear what you like but at least it will be an honest, experienced, and informed response looking out for YOUR BEST INTEREST.