A claim that goes wrong usually slows rather than breaks. It loses its reference, waits on a document nobody requested, or passes from one desk to another without an owner. This guide sets out the signs of a file that has stopped moving and what to do while there is still time to act. It does not promise that any claim will be paid.
Signs the file has stalled
- No written reference after the first contact
- No written acknowledgement that the claim was received
- The same request for information repeated after you already sent it
- Silence beyond the response period the contract itself states, if it states one
- An item sitting at a shop while no one has authorised the next step
Ask for each step in writing
When a call does not settle a point, ask the seller to confirm in writing the status, the next step, and who holds the file. Ask for the reason behind any decision that holds up the work, and ask which clause of the contract the seller relies on. A written answer gives you something to point to later, which is the purpose of this step.
Use the escalation route in the contract
Most contracts name a route for complaints or disputes, sometimes with a separate contact. Find that route in the form before you need it. If it does not move the file, check whether the seller appears on the state roster for the state where the contract was sold. A roster entry records registration only. It is not a quality rating and it does not show that a claim will be paid.
Take the matter to the regulator
If the seller does not answer, or the route in the form is closed, the regulator named on the state page is the next place to ask. The Georgia page is one example of how each state page names its regulator and the statute or program it administers. Where this edition has not read a state, its page says so. The regulator's own process, not this guide, decides what happens next.