Joseph S. Kashi Insurance Law Blog on Lawyers.com

Insurance Claim Delay: Your Best Defense Is A Good Offense!

Thursday, July 23, 2009 by Joseph S. Kashi

At the Law Offices of Sperry, Shapiro & Kashi, P.A., we see many cases in which insurance companies do not handle claims as promptly as they should. This is known as "claim delay." A famous football coach once said, "The best defense is a good offense." Today, many insurance companies are taking this advice by trying to "turn the table" on their insureds. When insurance companies fail to handle Boca Raton bad faith insurance claim as promptly as they should, those companies increasingly try to shift responsibility by blaming the delay on the insureds’ lack of cooperation. If this happens, an Activity Log and confirming letters could be invaluable in proving you behaved properly.

This brings to mind another type of letter you might need to send - the "follow-up letter."

If the insurance company promised to do something by a certain date, mark it on your calendar.
If the insurance company does not keep its promise, send a follow-up letter politely reminding them of what they were supposed to do and asking them to do it.

Your mother’s advice when you were a child to "mind your manners," should be heeded. Even if the insurance company did not promise to take action by a certain time, if you think they are taking too long to
do something, sending a follow-up letter is a good idea.

Following these suggestions does not assure your success. Nothing can, but doing the right things can increase your chances of success. It also can help a lawyer to represent you more effectively, if you hire a lawyer.

By the way, do not throw out your records when your case is over. If you ever make another insurance claim, your insurance company may be interested in earlier claims that you have made and your records may help you answer the insurance company’s questions.

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This synopsis was prepared by Joseph S. Kashi of Sperry, Shapiro & Kashi, P.A., 1776 North Pine Island Road, Suite 324, Plantation, FL 33322 (954) 423-6553; (954) 423-6833 Facsimile. The firm concentrates principally on insurance coverage disputes and bad faith litigation. The firm website may be found at: http://www.florida-insurance-lawyers.com/.

Posted at 14:23 PM

Topic: Insurance