Call 513-662-7000 we offer a very powerful service called the Claims Advocacy Program. ™

Most people probably want to avoid claims.  It can be time-consuming and frustrating.

What’s more sometimes claims are denied by insurance companies, the claim settlement could be delayed, or we receive far less than what we believe we are owed. Statistically more than 300,000 documented complaints are filed against insurance companies each year.

In the state of Ohio a total of 1304 complaints were filed against insurance companies on automobile insurance claims in Ohio. 874 complaints were filed against homeowners insurance companies in Ohio.  The top three reasons why someone would file an insurance complaint in Ohio:

• #1 Claim Settlement Delays (#3 for Homeowners Insurance Complaints in Ohio)
• #2 Claim Denials (#1 for Homeowners Insurance Complaints in Ohio)
• #3 Unsatisfactory Settlement Offer (#2 for Homeowners Insurance Complaints in Ohio)

What Is the Pathway Claims Advocacy Program™ And How Does It Benefit You As a Policyholder of Pathway Insurance?

First of all what is a claim advocate? It’s simply someone that stands up for your rights as a policyholder.  We might think that our individual insurance agent would stand up for our rights as a policyholder; it would seem that this would be part of their job description, is this truth or fiction? 

The real truth is that many insurance agents will not lift a finger to help their clients with insurance claims in Ohio if there were a dispute.  Some may not be permitted by their insurance company that they sell policies for, some have no clue how to help their policyholders if there’s a dispute, and others simply have no desire to help their customers resolve claims disputes.  If your insurance agent in Ohio will involve themselves in claims resolution for their clients, you have an insurance agent that is worth their weight in gold!

In our next issue we will show you how the Pathway Claims Advocacy Program™ works in real life.

Do You Want an Insurance Agent in Cincinnati That Stands up for Your Rights as a Policyholder?

Call 513-662-7000, or begin an online insurance quotes in Cincinnati by clicking here.

*There are some limitations to what we can offer with thePathwayClaims Advocacy Program. ™ For instance, we cannot provide legal advice as we are not licensed attorneys. We cannot overrule or overturn insurance company final claims decisions, especially on claim denials whereas the policyholder has engaged in some type of prohibited activity, or they did not purchase the appropriate coverage, or failed to add endorsements necessary to cover an incident that would normally be excluded from coverage. Please call 513-662-7000 for more details or questions about this service.  Additionally if you have already secured the services of an attorney we cannot provide any assistance to you.

What specific steps can you take to make sure that doesn’t happen to you?

Logically we purchase insurance to pay for the “What If” scenario.  What if my house burns down?  What if I cause an accident? But the most important question we need ask is: What if my claim is not settled to my satisfaction?  What steps can I take?

Unfortunately insurance claims are not always settled to a policy holder’s satisfaction.  In the state of Ohio there were 1,583 complaints filed against insurance companies last year with the department of insurance.  Over 30% of those complaints filed were due to claim settlement delays. 23% was due to dissatisfaction with the settlement offer and 20% was because a claim was denied.

How could your insurance agent or company that sells insurance directly to the public be responsible partially for dissatisfaction in the claim settlement process?

In the following articles we’ll consider the top three reasons why Ohioans’ felt the need to file official complaints against their insurance company and what role your insurance agent should play in the claims process.

Let’s discuss the number one reason for consumer complaints against insurance companies in Ohio:

Settlement delays

A claim settlement delay complaint specifically implies that the amount of time that it takes to settle the claim has taken much longer than necessary from the customer’s perspective and they felt enough frustration to the point of filing an official complaint with the Ohio Department of Insurance.

First of all there are a number of legitimate reasons why a claim may be delayed. As a 20 year + veteran of the insurance industry working here in the greater Cincinnati area I have probably seen it all.  In my opinion and through observation I will tell you that some claims indeed are delayed unnecessarily and almost 50% of the time in my experience it is the claims adjustor handing your claim who has dropped the ball.

Because the claims adjustor drops the ball in getting the claim settled quickly we might assume that insurance companies have some hidden agenda to delay claims, but that is far from the case.  Insurance companies have been penalized substantially in the past for such occurrences and do whatever it takes to avoid a bad faith lawsuit.

What role does your insurance agent play in claims settlement if it appears that your claim is taking too long?  Well quite frankly a very important one as your agent is in the best position to make inquiries in your behalf directly with the claims department, including upper level claims managers that you may not be able to contact directly yourself.  

In my experience claims adjustors seem to increase their pace very quickly to settle your claim when a good agent put’s a “fire” under the claim adjustor’s backside.  Read this true life experience on how a bad claims adjustor turned a mole hill into a mountain of a mess and how our agency fixed the problem within 10 minutes or less.

If you have a claim and it seems the process is taking longer than necessary contact your agent first to see if they can help you.

Here is the bad news…some agents have no clue or experience on how to maneuver through the claims process and those who do may not be inclined to help you.  Why???  It takes in some cases much time and effort to assist policyholders with claims. Some local insurance agents that I associate with here in Cincinnati have complained to me personally “that’s why the insurance company has a claims department.” – But I argue if the claims adjustor is dropping the ball where do policyholders turn to?

If you have a good agent, your agent will help you.  If you have a bad agent they won’t lift a finger. 

If you are not a current client of our agency, click here to learn what specific steps our agency takes to help you settle claims and why this service is worth its weight in Gold if you ever have difficulty in getting your claim resolved.

Why not give our agency a chance to care for your insurance needs?  We are positive that you will not be disappointed.  Please feel free to contact me directly by calling 513-662-7000 or sending a quick email to jack@pathwayinsurance.net