FILE: delaydefenddeny.com / Delay
Delay: the slow walk
Every month a claim sits, bills pile up and people get desperate. That's the point.
Common delay tactics
- Not returning calls or emails
- Asking for the same records again
- Switching adjusters, so you start over
- "Still investigating" with no end date
- Waiting until you're close to a legal deadline
"We're waiting on one more record before we can evaluate."
How to push back
- Put everything in writing. Calls are easy to forget. Letters and emails create a record.
- Give deadlines. Clear, reasonable deadlines for a response.
- Use the right tool at the right time. In Georgia, a properly drafted time-limited settlement demand gives the insurer a set time to accept a settlement within its policy limits.
- File suit when it makes sense. A lawsuit puts the case on a court's schedule, not the insurer's.
Watch your own deadline. In Georgia, the general deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit is two years from the crash. Waiting on the insurer doesn't stop that clock.
Getting the runaround?
Free case review with Talal Perez Ghosheh. English or Spanish.