Merritt Personal Lines Manual: Advice for Negotiating Insurance Claims Introduction

If your client is unhappy with a claims experience, his or her first call doesn't have to be to a lawyer. In fact, it probably shouldn't be -- there are easier, faster and cheaper ways to get satisfaction. In this chapter, we'll consider advice and tips that an insurance professional can give to a client to help make a claim more effectively.

A caveat: Most of this advice in the chapter will work best for independent agents. If you are -- or work for -- a captive agent or agency under contract to a specific carrier or group, you may be discouraged or prohibited from offering some of this advice. (On the other hand, state laws and consumer protection guidelines may encourage or require that you do offer this kind of support.) Check with your agency agreement before taking any of these steps.