So what do I mean? Well, generally when you are involved in a road traffic accident, you get inundated with offers from every angle from people and companies wanting to take your claim on. The biggest example is your own insurers, who will do anything to get you to “claim with them”. So why is this, and why do so many people fall for it; and what are the consequences… ?
Well, did you know that your insurers in the majority of cases will look to profit from your claim for absolutely no work!? It’s no joke; if I was in an accident, I’d know full well why my insurers would be calling me offering to allocate me a solicitor for my claim for injury!
So what do they do?
Well, in the vast majority of cases your insurers will sell on the details of your claim to a third party solicitor. The problem here is that the firm that will get the claim is the highest bidding one; the company willing to spend more money just to have your claim for compensation. The issue is that a solicitor who has paid out so much for your claim has far far far less resources to spend on actually making the best out of your claim! It’s called Legal Expense Insurance; and it is quite simply a sham!
Why? Because if it’s the highest bidding firm that gets your case, they will have paid through the nose to have the claim – sometimes up to £800, which is pretty much the base running cost for a claim!!! That means they have spent their entire budget on your claim before it has already begun! The second issue is you get allocated a solicitor; how do you know they are any good? How do you know they will have your best interests at heart when you haven’t even chosen them?
So what’s the big deal with all of it? Well, we at The Injury Lawyers get calls day in and day out from people who have gone down the road of letting their insurers sell their claims on to third party solicitors; and I can assure you that the vast majority of them are not happy! The reason is that their solicitors, having already paid out such a staggering amount to have the claim, offer a far less quality of service, and will often under settle cases quickly so they can get their costs back and make their profits. It’s a shocking problem.
And it’s understandable for the victim of an accident to unquestionably trust that their insurers will be acting in their best interests; I mean, they’re your insurers right? Surely they are interested in making sure you are well looked after? Well, the truth is, in the majority of cases they are not!
So the consequences primarily are a far worse service; your claim is often not a priority and your solicitor will not spend as much time and effort (and therefore resources) in trying to move your claim forward. They will also not have the resources to fight hard to make sure you get the maximum compensation you are entitled to; leaving you open to under settle your case.
So what should you do? We strongly suggest that you look around and get an independent expert firm of specialist personal injury lawyers to represent you for your case. Shop around and see who offers you the best advice. The choice is absolutely yours; no one can take that away from you!
And if you have already gone down the route with your insurers, then don’t hesitate to contact us at The Injury Lawyers for advice and assistance; it may not be too late to get your claim back on track!