Home › Blog › Insurance Companies’ 4 Tricks (and How to Beat Them)
Adjusters aren’t villains; they’re employees with a job to minimize payouts, and they’re very good at it. The tactics are predictable, which means each one has a counter. Here are the four you’ll most likely meet.
The play: a quick check before you've finished treating or benchmarked the claim, while repair bills make any money look helpful. The counter: don't accept anything before maximum medical improvement, and get a free attorney benchmark. A signed release is permanent.
The play: the other driver's adjuster asks for a "quick" recorded statement, then mines it for "I'm fine," fault concessions, and bad guesses. The counter: you generally don't have to give the other insurer one. Decline politely, give the report number, and keep injury talk to "still being evaluated."
The play: any gap between the crash and care — or a missed follow-up — is used to claim you weren't really hurt. The counter: see a doctor within 72 hours, follow the treatment plan, and report every symptom. Consistent records close the door on this.
The play: slow responses, repeated document requests, and silence — betting you'll get frustrated and take less, or drift toward your filing deadline. The counter: keep a written log of every contact, submit one organized demand rather than dribbles, and know your state's lawsuit deadline. If a claim stalls, the Insurance Information Institute notes you can escalate to a supervisor or your state insurance department.