How Not to Get Dumped by Your Insurance Agent
Did you know your local independent insurance agent of broker can kick you to the curb if they are so inclined? Why in the world would they want to get rid of someone who generates income for them?
Here are the top five reasons why your insurance agent or broker may tell you to take a hike.
1. Being abusive to the agent and staff
I get it. You are contacting your insurance agent or broker only when there is an issue. You need to add a new car, or you have a claim. Rarely do you just pick up the phone or shoot over an email that says, “Hey, thanks for being there, buddy!”
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The Kiplinger Building Wealth program handpicks financial advisers and business owners from around the world to share retirement, estate planning and tax strategies to preserve and grow your wealth. These experts, who never pay for inclusion on the site, include professional wealth managers, fiduciary financial planners, CPAs and lawyers. Most of them have certifications including CFP®, ChFC®, IAR, AIF®, CDFA® and more, and their stellar records can be checked through the SEC or FINRA.
However, that doesn’t give you a reason to be a jerk. You’re talking with people, other human beings, with feelings, families and lives of their own. Yes, you are the customer, and the customer is always right, but that is not to the exclusion of all decency.
Pro tip: Remember this the next time you’re interacting with your insurance professional — you’re talking to a person. Imagine you are face-to-face, not behind the protection of your keyboard or cellphone.
2. Asking the same questions over and over
Sometimes you have a question about your insurance policy, or a claim, or a billing issue, or any number of things. Totally legit, totally OK, and that’s what your agent or broker is there to assist you with.
When it gets to be a problem is if you can’t, or won’t, remember what you’ve been told. It can go something like this:
- Monday. You ask your agent if you can let your neighbor drive your car for an emergency. You get the answer.
- Thursday. You call your agent again to find out if you let your neighbor borrow your car, will your policy cover them? Answer given.
- Following Tuesday. You email your agent to say your neighbor took your car to the market. Is that OK? Answer given.
There is nothing wrong with asking the question, but if you’re asking the same question over and over and over … Well, you can see how that may drive your licensed insurance professional bonkers.
Pro tip: If you have a bad memory, take notes.
3. Not paying your bills
Your insurance policy costs money, not unlike pretty much everything you buy in this world. And if you don’t pay the premium, then, big surprise, the insurance policy will be canceled.
If you have a credit card with a balance, all is good as long as you make the payments. But if you stop paying, the card issuer will cancel the card, and you’ll be sent to collections. Not good stuff.
When your insurance policy is canceled, there is this thing called Murphy’s Law that says that the moment you have a lapse in your insurance coverage, you will have a loss and need your insurance.
This puts you in a precarious situation and your insurance professional is stuck having to deliver the news to you that you don’t have insurance because you didn’t pay the bill. Not a conversation anyone wants to have.
Pro tip: If you can’t remember to pay the bill, consider using automatic payment plans, such as auto-debiting from your checking account or even charging a credit card (get those rewards points!).
4. Leaving unfounded or angry online reviews
Picture this: You’re upset that your auto insurance premium increased. Mind you, this has literally nothing to do with your insurance agent or broker — they don’t set the rates.
You’re ticked off and go online and leave a review on Yelp or Google that skewers your agent or broker specialist for charging you too much when the car accident you had was not your fault.
You make Yelp happy with a detailed recounting of your situation and smash that one-star button. Ha!
Later, when you call your agent with a billing question, you’re surprised that the person you burned isn’t super friendly with you?
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Pro tip: Don’t complain about your insurance agent or broker online. If you have a problem, reach out to them to talk it over or find a new agent.
5. Being in the 20% of the 80/20 rule
The 80/20 rule is well known in the business world. It posits that 80% of your time is taken up by 20% of your clients. That means that when the phone rings at your agent’s office, 80% of the time it is someone who calls a lot. Over. And over. And over.
I can’t explain why this happens. However, I can attest to the fact that the phenomenon is real. Some people call their insurance agents and brokers, and some just don’t.
If you find yourself knowing your agent or broker’s phone number or email by heart, you may be in that 80%. And your agent or broker does not love that about you.
Insurance agents and brokers are running businesses. Like all businesses, there are finite resources. If you’re using up the lion’s share of those resources, you leave other customers, and the business owner, at a disadvantage. It leads to an overall bad experience for everyone.
By all means, utilize your insurance guru — that’s why you chose to purchase through a person, not a machine or online.
Pro tip: Remember that there are others like you who have chosen the same insurance agent or broker and deserve the attention we all want.
Want to learn more about insurance? Visit KarlSusman.com.
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This article was written by and presents the views of our contributing adviser, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. You can check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA.
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