You may have paid your homeowner's insurance on time, but you suffered a house fire and now you need your insurance company to come through for you. They may be asking you to provide them with the same information over and over again and taking their time to call you back. If this sounds familiar, then your insurance company may be acting in bad faith by trying to delay your claim.
Sadly there are double standards in the insurance industry. Insurance companies want your premiums and payments on time, but they tend not to act in the same manner when you need them. In fact, insurance companies have been known to delay business and residential insurance damage claims as a routine procedure.
In addition, when policyholders inflate their losses, they are prosecuted for fraud. However, insurance companies can deny, delay or lowball a claim without suffering any consequences. When insurance companies short their policyholders out of money that is rightfully theirs, they should be held accountable.
Insurance Companies' Motivations
Insurance companies behave in this manner, causing you to wait for your payment and holding up the money, so that they are earning interest on it, and you are not. The sad part is that they know they have the upper hand and can decide when or if you and your claim will get paid.
Even if your home was destroyed in a Texas fire, you may still be waiting over a year for payments to come in from your insurance company. Although an adjuster may act like they care and are doing everything they can, don't be fooled. They do not have your best interest in mind.
They may question the cause of the house fire, tell you that your damage exceeds your policy, or offer you less than what your residential fire claim is worth. However, your insurance company has a legal duty to treat you - their customer - fairly. They should not be offering you less than what your claim is worth; however, this happens every day across America even though it is considered bad faith.
If an insurance company is knowingly offering you less than what your claims is worth, they are violating the law. You may have rights to pursue additional damages or at least collect your full claim value. Please call a qualified Texas insurance claim attorney who has experience in insurance litigation matters. You can reach the Voss Law Firm at 888-614-7730 to schedule a free legal consultation with a skilled insurance litigation lawyer who will answer your questions and let you know if you have a case to pursue.