When disaster strikes, it usually does so unexpectedly. As a homeowner, the one thing you think you can count on is the insurance that is supposed to help you cover the cost of repairs. You expect that by having insurance, you will have nothing to worry about when the time comes for you to make a claim.
Why You Might Need a Lawyer
You might think that the ethical way for an insurance company to operate is for them to pay out in a timely manner when you make an insurance claim. You would be right, but the fact is that insurance companies are more often pragmatic than ethical. This is not necessarily something that makes them bad, but rather, makes them careful. As much as they exist to serve and help you when you truly need it, they are also financial firms that have to keep track of the money they disburse. They may over correct when it comes to separating questionable claims from the legitimate ones, and mean well…but honest folks suffer as a result.
Play the Power Game
It seems counter intuitive, but an insurance company might very well prefer to deal with an insurance lawyer rather than with you, personally. If you go to the trouble of hiring an attorney, they know you’re serious. It seems strange, but you threatening them with legal action could help them trust you. How do they know your claim has a basis in truth? Their reluctance to help pay for your repairs won’t necessarily magically disappear if you hire a lawyer, but it will help grease the wheels of the claims process. If you embrace the role of a victim who needs an insurance lawyer in Tampa FL, their image of you changes.
Get What You Deserve
As an individual, you probably don’t know the ins and outs of corporate bureaucracy, and the insurance companies know that. If you’re not careful, you could get much less money than you were counting on, with insurance agents shrugging their shoulders as if to say there was nothing they could do. However, an insurance lawyer knows well the lengths to which an insurance firm will go in order to avoid disbursing the maximum payment you’re conceivably due. Such an attorney can call out the company on its practices and bureaucracy, and explain to you in plain English the reason for any delays.
As a policy holder making a claim, you need insider knowledge of the insurance industry if you have any hope of getting the full amount you seek. You could do research on your own, and then go to an insurance company, but then walk away empty-handed. It is better for you to hire an insurance lawyer who cannot only explain things to you, but fight on your behalf when you need them to.
