Did you file a claim with an auto insurance company and you’re wondering how to get the insurance adjuster to call you back? Check out this video to learn what you can do.

My name is Barry Zlotowicz and I’m a personal injury lawyer. I’ve gotten a lot of comments on this channel from people who wonder what to do when the insurance adjuster won’t call back.

0:00 Introduction
1:10 Insurance adjusters are handling hundreds of cases at a time
1:40 Set your expectations for what dealing with the insurance company will be like
2:18 Insurance companies respond quicker to personal injury attorneys
2:45 Possible bad faith claims
3:27 Go above your insurance adjuster’s head
3:55 Document everything you do with an insurance company
4:30 File a complaint with state department of insurance
5:15 Filing a lawsuit is the ultimate leverage you have on your side

First, this is not a shock. Being difficult is one of the ways insurance companies act to try and delay or diminish the value of your claim. And an insurance adjuster who will not return calls is just an example of that – especially from sub standard insurance companies.

Or it may just be that your insurance adjuster is overworked. These people are handling hundreds of claims at a time. Take a look at the pile of paper you have building up regarding your claim – now multiply that times 2 or 3 hundred.

But we’re not here to make excuses for these folks. We’re here to try and figure out how do you get the insurance adjuster to call.

First, I would say, set your expectations. They’re not normally going to get back to you immediately. You really need to give these people 24 hours to get back to any inquiry.

But if the problem is worse than that, you have a few options. First, you can hire a lawyer to represent you. An insurance company is likely going to respond to legal representation quicker than they’ll respond to someone handling the claim on their own. Why? A lawyer knows what to do to create liability on the insurance company’s part for their refusal to respond.

If you want to reach out to me to talk about this option email me at [email protected].

Now I’m talking about a bad faith claim but we’re not going to talk about that any further in this video because chances are your bad faith claim is not going to prevail.

Second, you can go above your claim adjuster’s head. This is a tactic I’ve found very successful. Call the operator and find out who the manager for your adjuster is and contact them directly. That will very likely get your adjuster to respond much quicker.

One thing you should definitely start doing is instead of leaving voicemails, you should start sending faxes or emails to document the struggles you’re having with the adjuster. That way you’re creating a paper trail to support you later on should your really have a serious issue with the company. ---- by the way, always remember when you reach out by voicemail, email or fax to add your claim number to all communications.

Another thing you could do is file a complaint with your state government’s department of insurance or whatever they call it. I’ve never found that to be very effective and it takes them forever to respond but its another option.

Finally, in reality with the insurance company, they have all the leverage. The only leverage you have is the final option you have and that is to file a lawsuit.

Why? Yes there are rules about how long an insurance has to respond but in reality, the only timeline that has serious repercussions is the time an insurance adjuster has to respond to a lawsuit being filed.

With a lawsuit, they have no choice but to respond. So filing is the one thing we have on our side to get them to act.

Now if you only have property damage, you’re not going to file a lawyer to get involved in your case and you’ll most likely have to file suit on your own. First, check if you can file a small claims case. I’m in IL and here if your claim is worth less than $10,000 that’s where you file suit. And small claims court is really made for people to represent themselves. You can do it.

Now, if you have injuries, I’m biased, but I always recommend getting a lawyer to represent you – especially if you need to file a lawsuit. But especially if the insurance adjuster will not return calls….. And especially if you want to maximize your personal injury settlement.

Thanks for checking out this short video on dealing with insurance adjusters, if you haven’t yet please subscribe to our channel and if you have any questions or comments, put them in the comments section or email me at [email protected].

Disclaimer: This video is for entertainment and informational purposes only. It is not intended as legal advice and the accuracy thereof is not warranted or guaranteed. This information is prone to errors and omissions. Use this information at your own risk. Watching this video does not create an attorney-client relationship.