California law states that all drivers and car owners must “establish financial responsibility” by buying auto liability insurance. As a law-abiding citizen, you pay your premiums diligently every month. In return, you trust that your insurer will compensate you accordingly when the need arises.
If your insurer fails in this regard, you may need the services of a bad faith insurance attorney.
As a law practice that has handled hundreds of personal injury and car accident claims in Los Angeles, we’ve become aware of the poor practices of insurance providers who act in bad faith — namely, avoiding to fulfill their obligations to their paying customers.
Practices of Bad Faith Insurers
How do you know that an insurance provider is acting in bad faith? Below are examples of their tactics:
- Denying compensation and citing vague or complex clauses in the contract to justify their decision.
- Denying compensation without explanation.
- Refusing to provide the full compensation that clients are entitled to receive based on their policy coverage.
- Misrepresenting the contract’s language to justify why the company is denying a claim.
- Asking for an unreasonable amount and scope of documentation about the accident or injuries.
- Citing laws that are outdated or do not apply to a client’s claim.
- Delaying investigations or failing to thoroughly investigate a claim.
- Lack of communication; failing to get in touch with the relevant parties in a claim.
- Delaying payments for awarded compensation.
Signs of a Bad Faith Insurance Provider
If you’re already in business with bad faith insurers, all that’s left to do is identify any bad faith practices being exercised against you and pursue a resolution you believe is best for you.
If you’re still in the process of searching for an insurance provider, here are red flags to be mindful of:
- Abysmal customer ratings – Client feedback on online forums and social media can give you an idea of an insurer’s shortcomings. Unhappy clients are rarely silent, especially in the age of social media.
- A track record for low settlement offers – Some would argue that low ratings do not automatically implicate an insurance company of bad faith practices, so another indicator would be if the company has a reputation for lowballing settlements.
- Vague contracts with unnecessarily complex wording – Have a trusted and experienced attorney review your insurance contract before signing it. If the document uses too many vague terms that leave a lot of room for misinterpretation, they might be used against you when you file a claim.
- Aggressive sales tactics – Agents who pressure you to sign on an insurance policy as quickly as possible are only looking to increase their commissions and aren’t too concerned whether the policy you’re buying is best for you. If you bite, you could be signing on to a policy with minimal coverage, a vague contract, and probable bad faith disputes.
Claim the Compensation You Deserve with Haffner Law
If you recently got involved in an accident and feel like your insurance company is dragging its feet in compensating you, consult Haffner Law’s bad faith insurance attorneys as quickly as possible.
Our L.A.-based lawyers have successfully won bad faith insurance claims for many clients in California. You can rest assured that we will do our utmost to do the same for you.
Contact Haffner Law at 213-514-5681 or submit an inquiry on our website.
(This is an attorney advertisement by Joshua Haffner)
