Does the Insurance Agent You Buy from Make a Difference in Claims

[salilsurendran]

Hello,
I have two quotes for my condo + car insurance. One is from State Farm and the agent selling the insurance is highly rated on Yelp but is a little about $50 more expensive than the other quote which is from AllState. I don't really know much about the agent from AllState and can't find any reviews on him. The State Farm agent I can say with high confidence is pretty passionate and hardworking about their business. I was wondering when it come to claims does this make a difference. After all the claims is going to be handled by a different department. I am most interested in ensuring that when it comes to claims I get good service and a legitimate claim is not rejected.

 

[garvak]

Hello,
I have two quotes for my condo + car insurance. One is from State Farm and the agent selling the insurance is highly rated on Yelp but is a little about $50 more expensive than the other quote which is from AllState. I don't really know much about the agent from AllState and can't find any reviews on him. The State Farm agent I can say with high confidence is pretty passionate and hardworking about their business. I was wondering when it come to claims does this make a difference. After all the claims is going to be handled by a different department. I am most interested in ensuring that when it comes to claims I get good service and a legitimate claim is not rejected.

Having a agent that handles claims himself is a great asset to you as a client. That means you are not sent to a website and told to figure it out.

Both those companies you mentioned are captive. Meaning, the agent can only sell from their product line (only state farm, allstate products). A independent agent can access many other product lines for the best price and coverage. I would suggest contacting a independent agent, and ask if he handles claims himself and request a quote.

 

[Josh]

One thing I'd add is that I've had much better experience with Allstate than State Farm. With State Farm the local office usually handles the claim and in my interactions with them I've seen that be more of a pain than any other company I'm aware of where all I do is work with folks that handle claims; it makes the process go much more smoothly. That said, $600/year is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[djs]

I don't think he meant $50 a month, just a total of $50.

Local agents tend not to handle claims themselves if they are in metropolitan areas, but its a good question to ask. Usually the larger companies all have a 24/7 call center to handle claims.

Agents are your advocate when it comes to filing a claim and getting it handled. I've talked many of my clients through the claims process, explaining what will happen, why it will happen, why they ask strange questions, etc. I also will deal with the claims group when a claim seems 'stuck' for some reason.

You want a company that handles claims very well (both Allstate and State Farm are good in this area, overall). You want an agent that will work with you and get you setup properly.

Don't sweat the $50 (assuming that is per policy period), make sure it covers what you need.

Dan

 

[Josh]

Local agents tend not to handle claims themselves if they are in metropolitan areas, but its a good question to ask. Usually the larger companies all have a 24/7 call center to handle claims.

State Farm is different. I had someone t-bone me and the call center was more than happy to give me the number of the local agent because that office was handling the claim. It was SUPER annoying.

 

[VolAgent]

State Farm is different. I had someone t-bone me and the call center was more than happy to give me the number of the local agent because that office was handling the claim. It was SUPER annoying.

Interesting. State Farm always sent it off to a regional claim center in my experience.

Just how far back in the woods were you when this happened?

 

[Josh]

Interesting. State Farm always sent it off to a regional claim center in my experience.

Just how far back in the woods were you when this happened?

Syracuse, NY. It's ecomonically depressed and has high taxes, horrible laws, etc, but it's a relatively good sized metro area.

 

[djs]

Personally, I would never have a policy were the agent paid the claims. There are some advantages, but what happens if your house is on fire on a Saturday night and you can't get hold of the agent?

Near me, State Farm has claims centers. Not sure how long they have worked this way, but its been a while.

Dan

 

[Tahoe Ray]

Syracuse, NY. It's ecomonically depressed and has high taxes, horrible laws, etc, but it's a relatively good sized metro area.

Don't forget that it gets approximately 0 days of sunshine annually as well....

 

[Sales71]

From my experience with Allstate they are much better on auto claims than home claims.
Allstate you call the agent with the claim and he can start it for you and then you will get a claim adjuster to handle the rest for you. I am sure state farm does the same thing.

If it was my choice I would call a Local independent agent and have them give you a quote from 3-4 companies to compare from.

Good Luck