Many people want to know how much they can claim for. Some people will be approached by insurers to settle their claims directly without a solicitor. They will tell you to “cut out the middleman” and settle quicker with them. They may even tell you that they will give you a little extra since they won’t be paying legal fees.
But here is a serious warning for you – DON’T BE FOOLED AND DON’T GET MUGGED!
Lawyers Get You MORE
The Law Society recently ran a campaign called “Don’t Get Mugged” which confirmed that people who claim with a solicitor can get up to 2-3 times more than if they deal direct with an insurer. So we thought we’d have a quick look at a small spread of a few recently settled cases to so how much more The Injury Lawyers can get for you.
Of the very small spread of cases we looked at, we found the average difference between the first offer and the final settlement we fought for the client was a staggering 53% difference! Some of the figures were even crazier – in one of those cases the first offer was just over £5,500 – and we settled their claim for an impressive £60,000! That’s more than a 90% increase!
There was a similar example where the other side tried to make a pre-medical offer, which is an offer to settle before getting medical evidence which is used to value a claim. The offer was made just before Christmas, which is a common tactic the insurers use.
We ended up getting medical evidence as the client followed our advice and their final settlement figure was £10,000 – 10 times more than the first offer the other side made.
Don’t Be Fooled
You may think you are being clever by dealing direct and accepting a quick settlement amount, but the dangers are evident in the research that has been done. You are probably under settling your claim if you deal direct. So if you settle your claim direct for say £2,500 – we may well have got you £5,000 if you’d have claimed with us!
At the end of the day, it’s your claim so it’s up to you. If you want less money, than that’s your prerogative. I settled my whiplash claim for £6,500 which I solely put down to the hard work of my lawyer.
As Christmas approaches the insurers will be making more pre-medical offers to tempt people to settle early so they can save themselves some money. Don’t get caught out! Call us now on 0800 634 75 75 today.
