Oh…..if only Amazon ran insurance companies, maybe you could have an adjuster at your door within 3 to 5 days — maybe even next day service with Amazon Prime! But alas, when it comes to insurance claims – especially storm claims – most of us are left waiting. I mean really waiting. No, I mean like five months after the storm and still silence from the insurance company. One clever client of mine got so frustrated with her hurricane insurance that she marched down to their office to complain. She never made it past the customer-proof, Fort Knox-style reception area. The next week she returned asking to make a payment on her policy . . . open sesame! Tenacity works, but policyholders should know that they have better options than give up or call Kathy Bates from “Misery.”
Here are some good tips from the insurance lawyer:
1. Insurance Companies Have up to 90 Days to Pay the Claim – After that, they can be on the hook for interest penalties, legal fees and court costs – even on small claims. Insurers won’t tell you this, but a good insurance lawyer will know it and use it to make your insurance company move.
2. What If They Didn’t Pay Enough to Do the Repairs? – Sometimes, instead of ignoring a claim, an insurer will underpay a claim or pay in dribs and drabs causing significant delay in repairs. Again you have options. Even if the insurance has made a payment, you can still challenge an underpayment that you have accepted. Florida also has powerful laws, called Bad Faith laws, that provide penalties against insurers who handle a claim in bad faith – including unreasonable delays.
3. When Is It Too Late to Make a Claim or Challenge a Payment? – The short answer is that typically you have at least three years to make a hurricane insurance claim – though it can sometimes extend to as much as five years from the event. It’s key that you notify the insurer as soon as you learn of the damage.
Remember, until Amazon and the tech giants take over the insurance world with 100mbs service, the rest of us will just have to fight out our claims.
Russel Lazega is an attorney and author of two of Florida’s most widely- distributed legal textbooks on Florida Insurance Law. He also represents storm victims and consumers at war with their insurance companies and is based in North Miami, Dania Beach, Orlando and Tampa, Florida. Questions? Contact: Russ@fladvocates.com.
