Due to the current economic climate all companies are attempting to make savings where ever possible.  As a result, some of the major insurers are now attempting to settle personal injury claims directly.  This is a delicate issue as obviously the insurance companies have their own best interests at heart and are only doing this to save themselves money.  Some insurance companies even try and cold call people that are wanting to claim whiplash as a result of a car accident.  We even know of an insurer that sends a sales person to the claimant’s door with a cheque book!  In most cases the offers that are made are far less than what is fair and reasonable.  Once you have legal representation the insurers are not allowed to contact you directly as this is extremely bad practice.  But in these uncertain times the rules are unfortunately being bent and companies are attempting to save themselves money at the victim’s expense.  If an insurance company contacts you to offer you money for your compensation claim, direct them to your legal representatives immediately.   By settling directly not only will you receive a lower level of compensation but this is one of the only occasions in which you could be liable for legal costs.  So beware, the lucrative offer from the insurers may not always be as it seems!  The other pitfall is once an offer has been accepted you have no control over how quickly you will receive your cheque.  Remember your legal representatives will always have your best interests at heart, once you waive your right to legal representation then you have no protection what so ever.  You have been warned!

This entry was posted on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 5:19 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.