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I want to spend a few minutes clearing up a common misconception. Many people seem to think that their car insurance company is going to "take care of everything" after their car accident. That is not what auto insurance companies do. They don't "take care of everything." They only take care of what matters to them. For example, many clients think their car insurance company is going to arrange for health care after an accident. They think the insurance adjuster is going to contact a doctor or give the client a list of doctors to pick from. You can keep waiting by the phone for that to happen, but you will be waiting by the phone forever.
The insurance company's job is not to arrange for doctors to care for you after a car accident. For example, if you have collision coverage on your policy, your insurance company will probably fix your car. If you make a claim of the other party's insurance company, they might also fix your car. Neither one, however, is going to obtain medical care for you. The problem with this misconception is that many people continue to wait by the phone and, as such, they failed to get any health care after an accident. They keep waiting for the insurance adjuster to call them. I'm not sure where this misconception came from, but that's not what auto insurance companies do. Even if you were seriously injured, they are not going to arrange for your health care. All they might do is perhaps fix your car and maybe pay some medical bills you present to them. Remember, the insurance company's job is to protect the insurance company, and not to protect you as many of the commercials seem to imply. That's not to say that insurance adjusters are heartless people or that insurance companies don't care about their customers. Most adjusters (notice I said "most") certainly do have hearts and certainly do care. But they are only going to do what the insurance contract calls for. They are not your health care providers or general caretakers after an accident. Obtaining prompt and proactive medical care after your car wreck is your job - not theirs. Don't make that mistake. I once had a client who had the same insurance company for 23 years. When he was involved in a serious car accident, the responsible party did not have enough insurance. Therefore, after exhausting the amount of insurance available from the responsible party, we turned to his "underinsured motorist" coverage for additional recovery. His insurance company nickeled and dimed us to death. He couldn’t believe how poorly his insurance company treated him. He was especially upset after how many years he demonstrated loyalty to this insurance company.
People sometimes assume the insurance company will reciprocate and demonstrate the same loyalty to their clients. The truth is, while some may do so, most insurance companies are not interested in that at all. In fact, some experts believe that insurance companies will charge you more if you are loyal to them, because they figure you are not likely to shop around. So while you think they might reward you for being loyal, the opposite is true. There are some insurance companies and some insurance professionals who will indeed take client loyalty into account. However, I have found that insurance companies are increasingly deaf to loyalty. It doesn’t really matter to them anymore. All they care about is their bottom line. Therefore, it makes sense to shop your policy every couple of years. The auto insurance market is very competitive, and you may find that by shopping around, you might be able to save yourself a great deal of money. Just make sure you shop with stable companies that have a good reputation. Talk to an insurance broker who is not captive to a single company. There are also many free online tools that you can use to get competitive rates. Remember, insurance companies are increasingly using your loyalty against you by raising your premiums and not treating you fairly even though you’ve been loyal to them for years. |
Attorney Robert MansourRobert Mansour is an attorney in Santa Clarita, California who has been practicing law since 1993. After working for 13 years for the insurance companies, he now counsels victims of personal injury. Click here to learn more about Robert Mansour. Categories
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