So, what’s the big deal? Why should you always consult a Yuba City Insurance broker like Oakview Insurance Services?
There are many reasons you should consult a Yuba City insurance broker when making your insurance decisions. In the blog below we outline the reasons and realities of the insurance marketplace.
If I’ve seen it once, I’ve seen it a million times…” people switching to company X, save on average $656 a year.” So, how is that possible you might ask, how can everyone save me money? The truth is they can’t, but shopping your insurance can, and that’s what insurance brokers specialize in.
First, let me ask you a simple question: if a Farmers, Allstate, State Farm, Geico, USAA, or AAA agent only has 1 product (1 brand or company), are they ever going to tell you they don’t have the “best” product? The simple answer is no, they are salespeople, they want the sale, and in some cases, corners are cut to “make the sale.” Unfortunately, we see this too often in our office, when performing insurance reviews for new clients.
Captives (agents captive to one carrier, like the ones mentioned above) are incentivized by their employers to close new business (big brother is always watching and he wants more). So not only do their livelihoods depend on it, their job security requires it. But do they have your best interest in heart? How would they know if they only have one product? I liken it to the concept of the car dealer. Let’s say your out shopping for a truck and you stop at the Ford Dealer. Does the salesman ever say he doesn’t have the right Ford truck for you? No, and they will do everything in their power to keep you from looking at the competition (Chevy, GMC, Ram, etc).
Captive agents report to district and area managers, and they have quotas to fill. Frankly, that’s why you see a large amount of turnover in the captive space. And at the end of the day, the carrier (Farmers, Allstate, State Farm, etc.) doesn’t care about turnover (they have a turn and burn mentality). If one agent doesn’t work out, they just bring in a new one (has your agent changed lately?).
Here are a few additional things to think about:
Life Insurance: has your captive agent ever hit you up for life insurance? How many times? Does it seem endless? Here’s a little secret, they make a ton of money off it, and they are heavily incentivized to meet certain monthly life insurance quotas. You will never be pressured to buy any insurance product from us. We are here if you need us, but you won’t be bombarded by emails, flyers, texts, etc. It’s simply not who we are.
TV Commercials: We all know commercials aren’t cheap. If you had a choice, I’d bet you’d rather receive a reduction in your monthly bill, than seeing endless commercials right? How many USAA, Geico, Allstate, Farmers, and State Farm commercials have you seen lately? I know, too many!
Finally, has your monthly payment ever gone up? I’m sure it has, but what could your captive agent do about it? Nothing right? Sure they could lower coverage, or maybe adjust a deductible, but they can’t move you to another company, because they don’t have those options. That’s why a broker makes sense.
But don’t just take it from me, here is financial expert Dave Ramsey talking about why you should always use a Yuba City insurance broker, like Oakview Insurance for your car insurance.
So what makes Oakview Insurance different, and why should you work with a Yuba City Insurance Broker.
We always start by evaluating your current coverage, we look for any coverage gaps, and make recommendations accordingly. If your coverage is adequate and your premiums are inline, we will likely recommend you stay where you are. That service is free. Wouldn’t you like to know if you’re overpaying for inferior coverage?
We will never hard sell you, we are insurance advisors. The choice is yours, but we will always be there for you.
We work with over 30 companies, this allows us to shop your insurance for the best combination of coverage and price. As a broker, we are always looking for new companies that may be entering the state to provide our clients with the absolute best insurance solutions.
If we don’t have a better option for you, we will always advise you to stay where you are. We don’t have sales quotas, and we don’t report to district and area managers. Sure, our carriers have certain goals they want us to achieve, but we consistently exceed them.
If your rate goes up, we have the flexibility to re-shop your policy(s). Maybe a new carrier makes more sense. We are always working for you, evaluating coverage and pricing yearly.
You will always get a live agent, someone assigned to your account. Never an 800# or call center.
Quotes and reviews are always free with no obligation. We would rather see you properly covered than write a policy.
Before starting Oakview, I was a Farmers Insurance agent. As a captive agent, I had the same challenges outlined above, and it drove me crazy. So in 2010, I made the decision that I was never going to work for an insurance company again, I was only going to work for my clients.
Final Thoughts:
All of the before mentioned carriers are great companies (they wouldn’t be in business if they weren’t). We actually partner with many of them, stepping in to cover insurance risks they can’t write or don’t fit their appetite. At the end of the day, we just believe we have a better model… in fact, we know we have a better model (and to this point many captive companies are now looking to the independent broker channel to write their business).