Insuring Their Own Pockets

Some insurance agents don’t seem to understand when a client isn’t totally depending upon insurance for protection. They behave as if they are doing the client a favor instead of realizing without clients they won’t be in business. Agents operating with this mindset can’t comprehend a client’s point of view that insurance is a necessary expense coming out of the monthly household budget, which also includes groceries, utilities, clothing and fuel among other line items.

When driving a vehicle more than 10 years-old and exceeding 100,000 miles on the odometer the client isn’t interested in the latest perks or full coverage, which costs more over a 12 month period than the vehicle is worth.

In this scenario, the most efficient service an agent can provide is to help the client save as much as possible on insurance premiums by utilizing available discounts — this does not mean disregarding requests on how to proceed when another motorist backs into a client’s vehicle driven by their spouse in a parking lot on a weekend when the agent’s office is closed. Then, the next week after never returning phone calls nor responding to the inquiry, the agent mails out a letter informing the client they are receiving a discount for having an accident-free record.

This is a poor business practice reflective of a selfserving bad attitude and demonstrates a reluctance to provide basic service.

Consumers should refuse to do business with agents, who conduct their service in this manner, especially when the agent continues to raise the premium every six months without ever processing a single claim and the client can obtain a monthly rate that is 50-percent lower.

When an agent has been given ample opportunity to continue to earn their client’s business, yet has shown nothing short of contempt for the interests of their client they are finished as a service provider and become simply a taker.

When operating a business becomes all about how much money an agent can possibly make at the expense of a client, the time is ripe to do two things: find a reputable agent and report the poor practices to the Better Business Bureau.