car insurance. every month you pay a premiumto protect your vehicle, the second biggest investment you’re likely to make, in caseof a loss caused by an accident. if that accident happens, your insurance companyis required by law to make you, their policyholder, whole again. unfortunately, they don’t alwaysact in your best interests. in fact, many insurance companies engage ina well-documented strategy designed to minimize the amount they pay for justified claims.it’s called “delay, deny, defend.†- insurance companies first seek to delaypayment of justified claims. they used to come out to look at your vehicle within twodays of an accident. now it can take two weeks or more, especially when you take your carto a shop that isn’t on their direct repair
program, and therefore hasn’t entered acontractual agreement to repair your car cheaply. - during that time, they’re looking forevery opportunity to deny your claim, or scare you into the lowest possible settlement.- then, if they’re unsuccessful in denying the claim, or getting you to settle for pennieson the dollar, they underpay the cost of repair, forcing you to either pay out of pocket orseek legal counsel and defend your claim in court.why would an insurance company adopt such an aggressive policy against its own customers?because it works. the big insurance companies are seeing record profits.think about it. if an insurance company can save a thousand dollars on a million claims,well… you can buy a lot of super bowl commercials
with that kind of money.and despite what they’re telling you in their multi-million dollar ad campaigns, theydon’t have your best interests in mind. it’s all about the bottom line, about keepingyour insurance premiums in their pockets. so, if you’re in an accident, take whatyour insurance company tells you with a grain of salt. understand that they’re using astrategy designed to intimidate you into accepting a settlement on their terms. and, most importantly,understand that it’s your legal right to get a repair and a settlement that restoresyou to pre-loss condition.