In 2020, the Florida Department of Highway Safety reported more than 14,000 car accidents in Pinellas County. Clearly, Clearwater and the surrounding areas are dangerous places to drive automobiles.
Allstate is a well-known auto insurance company in Florida and throughout the nation. They offer home and auto insurance packages, holding over 113 million policies.
Allstate was first launched in 1930 by the chairman of Sears Roebuck & Co. Although it is one of the largest home and auto insurers in the United States, it is rated as the worst for customer services. Currently, the company has the highest number of complaints in all states it serves.
The Root of the Problem
Back in the 1980s, Allstate hired a consulting company to give them advice on improving profits. This company recommended that Allstate should reduce the amount of money it was paying out for insurance claims, even if they had to lie to do so.
Allstate took that advice to heart and began an aggressive policy designed to purposely deceive its customers.
One of the steps they took was to have insurance agents and adjusters lie to the customers. Their teams began to offer policyholders extremely low settlements, and if the policyholder refused the offer, the company would fight them in court.
Yet another tactic was to delay or ignore claims as long as possible with the expectation that customers would get frustrated and simply give up.
Allstate Agents May Lie to Policyholders
Allstate agents and adjusters were ordered to lie to policyholders when claims were made as a way to reject a payout to the customer.
For example, some of the customers who lost their homes due to wildfires in California were told that the fire was caused by arson and thus was not covered by homeowners’ insurance policies.
Allstate Agents Sue Their Customers
When customers pursue legitimate claims against the company’s policyholders, claims adjusters habitually try to offer a very low settlement or policy payout. If the customer refuses Allstate's lowball offer, the company may refuse to negotiate unless they are taken to court.
The company knows that when they threaten a legal battle, it can intimidate customers. More often than not, the person making the claim declines to pursue the litigation, thus letting the company win by default.
Allstate Victims Need Legal Support
If you’ve been in a car accident and the person at fault is an Allstate customer, you will likely have to deal with these and other shady tactics. Because car accidents can cause many kinds of injuries, you may be faced with a mountain of bills and expenses that you should not be liable for.
Examples of common injuries caused in car accidents include:
- Brain injuries
- Spinal injuries
- Neck and shoulder injuries
- Broken bones
- Nerve damage
- Whiplash
- Internal organ damage
The last thing you need to do is try to negotiate with a dishonest company. Your time and energy should be focused on getting the medical care you need.
While Allstate may offer a quick settlement with a low payout, it’s important to remember that car accidents create more problems than just added bills and expenses.
After a car accident, you could miss work, require extensive therapy, suffer from emotional trauma, or face long-term repercussions, like chronic pain.
If you try to deal with the Allstate insurance company on your own, you may never be able to collect these types of damages. That’s why it’s a good idea to consult with a legal professional after a car accident.
Contact the Clearwater Car Accident Law Firm of Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today
For more information, please contact the legal team of Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers for a free initial consultation with a car accident lawyer in Clearwater. We have convenient locations in Florida: St. Petersburg, Safety Harbor, Clearwater, New Port Richey, and Tampa.
We serve throughout Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, Pasco County, and its surrounding areas:
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - Clearwater Office
1811 N. Belcher Road, Suite I-1
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 787-2500
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - Congress Ave Office
2360 Congress Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33763
(727) 591-5610
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - Tampa Office
6601 Memorial Hwy Suite 202
Tampa, FL 33615
(813) 686-7588
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - New Port Richey Office
2515 Seven Springs Blvd.
New Port Richey, FL, 34655
(727) 815-8442
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - St. Petersburg Law Office
840 Beach Dr NE Suite 202
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 787-2500
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - Safety Harbor Law Office
202 9th Ave S Suite A-2
Safety Harbor, FL 34695
(727) 787-2500
John C. Austin
Partner and Trial Attorney
John C. Austin spent twelve years defending insurance companies, first at a Florida defense firm and then in-house at State Farm, before turning that experience toward injured clients. He holds the CPCU designation, earned by fewer than 4% of the insurance industry. A St. Petersburg native and University of Florida law graduate, he has handled thousands of personal injury claims and tried cases to verdict as first chair.
Author's Bio
