If you are unhappy or have a complaint with how you were treated by your insurance company or adjuster it’s important to let the Texas Department of Insurance know. Many people do not realize that they can file an official complaint with the Texas Department of Insurance (“TDI”) for various bad acts or mistreatment by the insurance company or its adjusters or other personnel. The process is actually quite simple.
TDI can assess various types of issues and complaints related to matters including:
- Late or slow payment of claims.
- Policy cancellations and nonrenewals.
- Improper claim denials.
- Poor customer service.
- Misrepresentation about what a policy covers.
- Discriminatory practices.
- False or misleading advertisements.
- Suspected insurance fraud.
Although TDI cannot advocate for your rights, or pursue legal action on your behalf, like an attorney can do, TDI can investigate the complaint and potentially punish the wrongdoer.
The TDI website explains the very simple process for filing a complaint. To submit your complaint, be prepared to provide the information about your claim, your contact information, insurance policy number, and a description of your problem, and what you believe would be a fair resolution of your complaint.
There is a simple form to fill out and submit that requests all necessary information.
To be clear, TDI will not generally be able to pay you money related to your claim or damages, but they can investigate and punish the person or company who failed to follow the law. As part of TDI’s investigation they will tell the insurance company about the complaint and ask for a detailed response and evaluate whether the company handled the claim and/or issue as required under both the policy and Texas laws.
Many people don’t realize the importance of filing complaints with TDI, in addition to seeking assistance from a qualified attorney or public adjuster. Frequently, if people fail to complain to TDI about the issues they experience, TDI may not be aware that insurance companies or adjusters are behaving badly. As such, it is always best to file a complaint with TDI to let them know of any issues you encountered.