Why should I buy insurance from an agent rather than directly from the insurance company?
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There is one more reason to use an agent to apply for a policy. When an agent points you to the most affordable life insurance for your health and age, your agent will not make any income from that advice unless you apply through him/her. Obviously, agents cannot make a living just giving out free advice. And again, it costs no more for you to apply through the agent - in fact, it could save you a lot of time, money, and frustration to let your agent guide you through the application process.
Thank you for asking - that was a great question.
Agents who work for a specific carrier are known as "captive agents" and must apply through that carrier before they can look at other companies (and usually they can only look at other carriers if they were declined by the first company).
There's no extra cost to using an independent agent versus calling the carrier directly and you get all of the added services at no charge (instead of getting a random customer service representative to try to answer your questions. Through an agent, you can speak with the same person for all your questions and get any input that you need.
Applying through an agent can save you tons of time, aggravation, and frustration through the application process - and of course, they can save you a lot of money by determining for you which insurance company may offer the coverage at the lowest possible cost.
Often times when you try to ask 10 different people for help, you can have too much information thrown at you and the process can become confusing. When you're looking for coverage, stick with an agent who you feel is knowledgeable, experienced, and will help you determine how much coverage is suitable to your needs and which carrier will offer it at the lowest possible cost based on your medical history.
I hope the information is helpful - please feel free to contact me for help with your coverage and if you have any other questions. Thanks very much.
I think it is fair to say also that people don't have a high opinion of insurance to begin with, so agents aren't seemingly much better. So why not just choose a policy from an on-line company or name brand company?
Here's what I'd say to you. I have always done business as much by my feel for the person as by their product. If my server doesn't care about me or my meal, I don't go back to the restaurant, or I only order carryout from them. If a bagger at the grocery store just throws my groceries haphazardly into the bags, I'll look for a different line every time. I want to know that the person I'm dealing with cares about me, and my business. I also want to know that I have some flexibility - if they're the only bagger or server, I won't go back to those places.
An independent agent can offer more options than a name brand office agent would. The name brand can only offer that companies policies, and prices. If their policy is the best one, and I feel the agent truly cares about me and my needs, I'll buy from them. Chances are though, I've met with at least one other independent agent (one not tied to a single brand name - I myself work with several) to shop prices and coverage before deciding. Again, how they presented themselves to me as they worked for my business was as much a consideration for me as the policy details. If I didn't feel like they cared about anything but the sale, I'd leave, and thank them for their time. When the time comes that I need help (and it inevitably does) I want someone who cares and jumps to help, not someone who has to hunt to figure out who I am.
i guess for me, I want a relationship with my business people, (and my clients) not just a transaction. I hope that helps you, and I thank you for asking!