The Value of the Independent Auto Insurance Agents – Part 2
Have you called an independent insurance agent yet? No? Here are more reasons why you should.
An independent insurance agent helps consumers avoid wasting valuable time going from site to site to get competitive quotes – the agent will do that for them. In addition, consumers can be confident that all quotes are “apples to apples” comparisons, as they will all be based on the set of requirements that they develop with the agent.
Without the guidance of an independent insurance agent, customers have to decide for themselves whether a quote is complete and accurate. They will not get the benefit of professional advice about the competitive landscape or about other insurance options. Insurance rules vary from state to state and pricing, available discounts, and services may be different for each insurer – it’s important to know the differences.
An independent insurance agent has a broader perspective on the insurance marketplace in a local area. He or she can provide helpful insights about a policy, from discounts that apply to a given situation, to unique service programs that can save time or money, to extra savings by bundling more than one type of insurance (auto and home, for example) with a single company. Independent insurance agents not only help with shopping but also provide valuable advice to help make a more informed decision.
Additionally, most independent insurance agents provide services that online companies don’t, such as complimentary paperwork and fee processing with your state Department of Motor Vehicles. They also provide an annual coverage review and personal assistance in the event of an accident or claim. An independent insurance agent can advocate for the consumer in ways that an insurance company cannot, such as facilitating settlement of a claim or acting on the consumer’s behalf to resolve a problem with a insurer.
So, before shopping for insurance, consider the alternatives. Shopping online seems simple, but an experienced independent insurance agent can ultimately save time and money by helping to make sure that customers are well protected, that they receive all the discounts available to them, and that they get the best value for all of their insurance needs.
In our agency a lot of our in-bound traffic is from internet shoppers. It’s amazing how much people don’t know, and the new on-line entrants to this marketplace exploit that.
We recently wrote the auto insurance for someone for whom we only handled home insurance as new customers last year. The reason? They had a claim, and were amazed to find out that even though they weren’t at fault, they had to pay their $1000 deductible. Why? Because they hadn’t known to ask for “waiver of deductible”, a $13 add-on that we include by default, and their on-line carrier excludes by default.
Many on-line quotes strip away everything but the bare basics, because absent any analysis, why not take the quote that’s $13 less? Beware…if you don’t know to ask, you won’t get some of these little benefits that most consumers have been able to take for granted.
There’s another piece to this puzzle that affects auto insurance buyers who also have a home (including condo or apartment)…account credits.
Insurance companies have long known that customers who buy more than one kind of insurance (example, home and auto)stay with that one company for years. And statistically, loyal customers have fewer claims. This fact is priced into loyalty credits for long time customers, and account credits for new and existing customers. Account credits for home insurance are generally higher as a percentage (15 – 20%) than auto insurance (3-5%), but adding both together yields significant savings in almost every case.
Don’t view your auto insurance in a vacuum. Agents understand both these kinds of insurance and can find good solutions that tie together neatly and cleanly. By shopping both home and auto with multiple carriers, agents can generally find the optimal combination quickly and efficiently, because we do it all day long.