Is the Adjuster My Friend?

Lucas Foust:

Hi, this is Lucas Foust from Foust Law Office. And I'm here to answer a question that I get fairly frequently about insurance adjusters. This is from people who have been in a car crash. They'll ask me this question. "The insurance adjuster seems like a pretty nice person. Are they going to treat me fairly?" And the answer to that question is, I don't know. Chances are they won't. As a matter of fact, insurance adjusters, people who work for insurance companies, are trained to befriend you. I'll say that again. Insurance adjusters are trained to befriend you and try to build a friend relationship with you. Insurance adjusters like Allstate Insurance Company provide scripts to their insurance adjusters to read to you. They have a checklist to show how they should comfort you. They may be acting like they're your friend, but they're not.

Lucas Foust:

Whether you hire an attorney or try to settle the case yourself, it's critical, in my opinion, that you understand, although the insurance adjuster might be a really nice person away from his or her job, they're not your friend when they contact you. It's an adversarial system and the other party's insurance company is not your friend.

Lucas Foust:

To answer this question in more detail and answer others, I strongly encourage you to download a copy of our book, Abandoned on the Road, A Guide to Insurance Law in Montana, and understand at Foust Law Office we believe that an informed client is a better client.