These apps may be convenient — but may ultimately hurt your case.
Apps have become a part of daily life. They’re a convenient way to check in on friends, catch up on news, and even have your groceries delivered right to your door. And now insurance companies are getting in on the act, with a slate of new apps (short for “applications”) that allow you to file your claim, exchange accident information, take pictures of the accident scene and damaged vehicles, record statements and even upload claim information directly to your insurance company. The goal of these apps is supposedly to help you get your claim money faster…but is helping you really the bottom line for insurance companies?
Insurance companies are businesses, and they are in business to make money. While these apps may be more convenient for you, insurance companies would not offer them if they didn’t save them money. They accomplish that goal that in two main ways. First, when customers use the app, it saves the insurance company money because they do not have to send an appraiser to the scene of the accident. Instead, you are doing the work for them — taking pictures and video, calling the appraiser, and even video chatting. This can save an insurance company thousands of dollars in personnel costs.
That may not seem so bad. But the second way that insurance companies save money with these apps impacts you more directly — because it affects your claim amount. When you submit recorded statements or talk to an appraiser or an adjuster on a recorded line, you are locking yourself into a version of what happened in the accident. If you are doing this immediately after the accident occurred, you may be shaken up, and not have a clear memory of what just happened. The insurance company representative has experience doing this type of work, and is calm — he or she has not just been in an accident. His or her job is to try to minimize your claim, not to get you the most money possible. The adjuster will ask you questions designed to reduce the amount of your claim. Even if your accident was minor, you will likely be stressed and in an emotional state — and may not answer accurately as a result. But because you are using the app, your answers are being recorded, and now you are stuck with these statements.
As a general rule, people who have been injured in a car accident should not speak to an insurance company before consulting with an experienced personal injury attorney. With the benefit of a consultation with a skilled lawyer, you may be able to receive a substantially higher recovery for your accident. That is why it is so important that you do not use your insurance company’s app — even if you do not think that you are hurt, or if you think that the accident was relatively minor. A free consultation with a seasoned personal injury attorney can help you get the best possible outcome for your case, which is worth far more than a quick resolution through an app.
If you have been hurt in a car accident, the skilled personal injury attorneys of PLBH can help. Contact us today at (800) 435-7542 or info@plblaw.com to schedule a free initial consultation. In many cases, we work on a contingency fee basis, which means that we will not charge a fee unless we recover money for you.