Dallas Insurance Dispute Lawyer

Serving Dallas and North Texas

The Big Lies Told By Insurance Companies

Insurance companies are in business to make money. All too often, the insurance industry's commercials talking about how nice they are and how you are "in good hands" become an ugly joke when people make a claim. Some insurance companies will do almost anything to avoid paying what they owe. Here are some of the more common lies and tricks:

"You don't need a lawyer." The last thing insurance companies want is for you to talk to a good lawyer. Good lawyers know what your claim is worth and they know how to get every dime for you. You don't-and the insurance companies know you don't. Would you sell your car or your house without finding out what it was worth? Of course not-because you would be ripped off. Your insurance claim is no different. This is a big, fat, lie. You may choose not to hire Polewski & Associates to help you, but please, for the sake of yourself and your family, get legal help.
If you remember nothing else, remember this: the other driver's insurance company is NOT on your side! They don't want you to get a lawyer to handle your car wreck claim because invariably they have to pay more-sometimes 100 times more-when they are dealing with a knowledgeable professional than they do when they are dealing with someone that doesn't know the value of their car wreck claim. Knowledge is money in car accident claims.
"Our doctors don't think you need treatment". This is another of the insurance industry's huge lies. It works like this: they make a deal with a doctor or a nurse in Iowa or Montana or wherever-or sometimes just a nurse who is on their payroll, and in exchange for payments of tens of thousands of dollars a year, that person "reviews" medical records and determines that you don't need the treatments that your doctors say you do. Mind you, this insurance company hack won't ever meet you, doesn't know anything about you, and often is too cowardly even to identify himself. His only job is to save the insurance company money by giving them an excuse to deny payment for the treatment your doctors say you need. You don't have to take this. The law says that you are entitled to necessary medical treatment, and if the insurance company is denying payment, you should call a lawyer.
"You have to use our contractors or repair companies". Your insurance policy entitles you to competent repair services at a reasonable price. Many insurance companies-particularly property insurers and auto insurers-don't want to pay a reasonable price and don't care if the work is quality work, and have made deals with substandard contractors who do a shoddy job for less money. When you make a claim, they send out these shoddy contractors and act like you have to use them. If you fall for this game, you get stuck with a bad repair job and the insurance company gets to pay half the actual cost of a decent repair. Don't fall for it: have your own contractor review the damage and provide you a list of what needs to be done and an estimate of what it costs.
"Your damage is not covered". Insurance companies have been caught-hundreds of times-sending out their own "pet" inspectors who almost always find that the insurance company owes nothing, or that the company owes much less than the total cost of repair of your damage. These inspectors (many of whom do nothing but these inspections for insurance companies) always find that the cause of your property damage is not something covered under your insurance policy. Don't fall for this old trick, either: hire your own inspector and listen to what he has to say.
"We just need a little longer to evaluate your claim". Insurance companies know what the statute of limitations is to file suit on your claim-and you don't. Often they will delay past the statute of limitations date, leaving you unable to sue in court. Then they will deny your claim, knowing that it is too late for you to do anything about it.
"We don't pay for replacement value". Some policies only provide coverage up to the depreciated value of what was damaged. Many provide coverage for the replacement value-which can be a huge difference. Many insurance companies lie about how much coverage you have, betting that you won't check your policy or can't understand it. This is an old, old insurance company dodge. Don't fall for it.
"We repaired your car, but we won't pay for the decrease in value caused by the accident". Everyone knows that a car that has been in a serious accident will never be the same and isn't worth as much as the same car that has never been in an accident. Insurance companies know that too-they just pretend like they don't, and pretend that you aren't entitled to damages for the decrease in the value of your car. You don't have to let them get away with this trick, either.

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If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in an accident and the insurance company is refusing to give you proper compensation, contact Polewski & Associates today.