How to File a Complaint Against an Insurance Company
If you’re unhappy with your insurance company, then you may wish to file a complaint. Each state has strict rules governing how insurance companies operate. If your insurer has broken these rules, then your insurance company could face serious consequences.
There are multiple ways to file a complaint against an insurance company and resolve your dispute. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about filing a complaint against your insurance company.
Why File a Complaint Against an Insurance Company?
Every year, thousands of policyholders across the United States file complaints against insurance companies.
Some of the reasons to file a complaint against an insurance company include:
- Your insurer is dragging its feet, taking too long with your claim, or refusing to respond to calls or emails in a timely way.
- The insurance company denied your claim without a valid reason.
- The insurance company is offering a disappointingly low settlement and is refusing to budge or justify the settlement offer.
- The insurance company or an adjuster treated you improperly during the claim process.
- An insurance agent or adjuster actively took steps to sabotage your claim.
If your insurer did any of the actions above, then your insurer could be violating many laws in your state. Insurers acting in bad faith could face consequences.
These situations may sound extreme, but they occur to policyholders in the United States every day. When you file a complaint against your insurance company, you’re holding your insurer accountable for its actions while helping to protect other policyholders.
Each state has an insurance commission to regulate insurance companies. This commission collects complaints, reviews incidents, and takes appropriate action against licensed insurers in the state.
Steps to Take Before Filing an Insurance Complaint
There are many legitimate reasons to file a complaint against your insurer.
However, it’s important to take certain steps before filing a complaint. These steps can help resolve your insurance dispute while still keeping your insurer accountable.
Before contacting your state’s insurance commissioner for an insurance complaint, we recommend speaking with:
- Your claims adjuster and/or their manager
- The insurance broker or agent and/or their manager
- A public adjuster
First, speak to people of authority at your insurance company. Ideally, you’ll communicate via email, making it easy to keep a detailed record of your attempts and any responses you have received – or have not received. Insurance companies may deny they’ve received communication or spoken with anyone about your concerns.
In many cases, there are people at your insurance company who can resolve your issue. Explain the issue clearly in an attempt to resolve it:
- Start by contacting customer-facing employees, like your claims adjuster (the adjuster assigned to your claim) or your insurance agent or broker.
- Next, speak to the manager of the adjuster, broker, or agent. If customer-facing employees aren’t helpful, then a supervisor or manager could be.
You and the insurance company adjuster may not get along well, for whatever reason, but in some cases your insurance company might assign a new adjuster to your claim. Maybe the adjuster was in a bad mood when inspecting your property. Maybe a different adjuster has a different opinion on your claim. Be sure to also read tips for dealing with an insurance adjuster here.
Second, consider scheduling a free consultation with a public adjuster. A public adjuster is a licensed insurance industry professional dedicated to representing your side of your claim – not your insurer’s side. The public adjuster can help you explore options, attempt to resolve the issue, maximize your payout, and help file a complaint – all while keeping your best interests in mind.
Third, if none of the options above are successful, take things to the next level by contacting your state’s insurance commissioner and department of insurance. Each state has an insurance commissioner responsible for managing complaints and taking appropriate action.
What is a State Insurance Commissioner?
As a policyholder, you have a right to file a complaint to your state’s insurance commissioner.
Each state has its own insurance commissioner. The insurance commissioner is a public official who regulates the insurance industry in each state.
If there is a problem in the insurance industry, or if a policyholder has a complaint, then the commissioner can investigate the issue and take steps to resolve it.
The insurance commissioner’s ultimate goal is simple: to enforce the state’s insurance laws. Each state has its own set of laws governing the insurance industry. Some states have specific time limits governing how long insurers can take to respond to a claim. Many states require insurers to pay your claim in a “reasonable” length of time.
If your insurance company has violated insurance laws in your state, then your state’s insurance commissioner will want to hear about it.
How Does a State Insurance Commissioner Help with Complaints?
State insurance commissioners receive thousands of complaints per year.
The most common types of insurance industry complaints include:
- Disputes between policyholders and the insurance company
- Complaints over how an insurance claim was handled, denied, or resolved
- Complaints about the way an insurance product or service was advertised
- Other perceived violations made by insurance companies against policyholders
Your state’s insurance commissioner investigates your issue, then determines if the insurance company violated state insurance laws. If the insurance company is found to have violated state insurance laws, the insurance commissioner can influence the insurance company to pay a claim or take other actions to resolve a policyholder’s complaint.
How to Contact Your State Insurance Commissioner & File an Insurance Complaint
Each state has its own Department of Insurance and its own process for filing an insurance complaint. Almost every state has a system in place for filing a complaint online.
If you are ready to file a complaint against your insurance company, select your state from the dropdown below.
If you have questions, need help, or are unsure about filing a complaint for an insurance claim, contact a Public Adjuster for help.
What You Need When Filing a Complaint Against An Insurance Company
To file a complaint, you need certain things – like evidence of wrongdoing. You can’t accuse your insurer of wrongdoing if you don’t have any proof.
When filing a complaint, your state’s department of insurance will ask to see any documented evidence of wrongdoing.
Some of the evidence you could provide to justify your complaint include:
- Records of phone conversations with the insurance company
- Printouts of emails or text messages with your adjuster or agent
- Photographs or videos of damaged items and property
- The names of any brokers or adjusters you spoke with at the insurance company
- Any additional visual or documented evidence proving wrongful actions by your insurance company
- The name of the insurance company and your policy number
The more documentation you have, the more seriously your complaint will be taken. If there’s significant evidence your insurer did something wrong, then your state’s department of insurance will have no choice but to intervene.
What Happens Next with Filing Insurance Complaints?
After filling a complaint with your state’s insurance commissioner, a series of steps may occur:
- The commissioner’s office may contact you for additional clarification on the issue.
- You may be asked to provide additional evidence justifying your complaint.
- The commissioner’s office may contact the insurer to hear their side of the story.
Your insurance company is obligated to respond to the insurance commissioner’s request within a fixed length of time – typically 14 to 21 days. If you have accused your insurer of denying your claim without justification, for example, then your insurer may need to provide this justification to the commissioner.
The insurance commissioner considers all of this evidence, then takes action:
- If your complaint is deemed legitimate, the case may be taken over by a state-designated person. That person works with you and your insurance company to resolve the issue.
- If the complaint is not deemed legitimate, then your complaint may be dropped. If the insurer had a valid reason to deny or reduce your claim, for example then your complaint may not move forward.
Consider Hiring a Public Adjuster to Quickly Resolve Insurance Claim Complaints
In many cases, a public adjuster can resolve your insurance claim issue more effectively than your state’s department of insurance.
Even if your state’s department of insurance assigns a person to resolve your claim, that person cannot represent you in your claim or provide legal counsel.
That’s why many policyholders choose to hire their own attorney or public adjuster – especially if it’s a high-value insurance claim with a lot of money at stake (public adjusters typically work on claims with disputed amounts over $10,000).
Public adjusters are licensed insurance professionals dedicated to maximizing the value of your insurance claim. They represent your best interests – not your insurer’s best interests – working on your behalf to secure the optimal outcome.
Your insurance company has its own adjuster. That adjuster is a salaried employee of the insurance company. Their goal is to resolve the claim quickly while minimizing their employer’s financial obligations.
Ultimately, hiring a public adjuster shows your insurance company you mean business. In many cases, simply hiring a public adjuster can help resolve your dispute: it shows your insurer you’re willing to fight back instead of simply accepting their low settlement offer.
Final Word on Insurance Complaints
If your insurer has treated you unfairly, then you have the right to file a complaint to your state’s department of insurance.
Insurers must abide by state insurance laws. If they fail to abide by these laws, they can face consequences. Filing a complaint with your state’s insurance commissioner helps to hold insurers accountable – and it can help achieve an optimal outcome for your dispute.
Check contact information below to file an insurance complaint in your state online.
Or, contact ClaimsMate for a no-cost consultation with a public adjuster. A public adjuster can help resolve tricky insurance problems to ensure an optimal outcome in your favor.
Alabama
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Stephanie is a property insurance claim expert with over 20 years of experience working as an insurance adjuster, expert witness, appraiser and umpire. She is passionate about sharing her expertise, knowledge, tips and training to help both property owners and Public Adjusters in their pursuit of effectively managing claims and recovering the claim settlement they deserve after a loss.
