Florida Insurance Agent Feedback
Citizens Insurance Doesn't Treat Insurance Agents Well Either.
I have just read a couple of the comments regarding agents and the commissions they recieve per policy.
Unfortunately, most people are unaware of the amount of work that goes into processing a Citizens Insurance policy. Citizens requires agents to do considerable more work within a limited amount of time per policy. The majority of other insurance carriers are more realistic with their required information and time constraints.
In addition, it is difficult to obtain a consistent answer from the Customer Service Dept at Citizens From experience, I have called and asked the same question on differnet occassions and have yet to obtain a consistent answer. This in itself is extremely frustrating when researching possible discounts for our customers.
In response to the amount made on the commissions. Most people are unaware that the total premium paid is not what an agent s commision is based. An example of this would be a homeowners quote with a total premium of $1191.00. Of the total premium, only 10% of $857.00 is commissionable.
As an agent my primary goal is assist the policyholder in purchasing the best policy for their specific needs. Due to the fact that my policyholders have different concerns in regards to companies, coverages and premiums, I personally do my best to educate them in all aspects of the policy so they may make an informed decision about the coverages they are purchasing.
We are a newer Agency starting out. We became disgusted with how some
primary agents treated their policyholders. We are two licensed agents with
a combined history of approximately 20 years in the insurance industry. We
have a combined history of sales and adjusting that sets us apart from other
agencies.
We found that there are agents out there that are primarily concerned with
solely the commission. We however, believe it is our obligation to inform
the consumer about what their options are and what exactly it is they are
purchasing. There are several different types of policies available that
vary greatly in how the coverage is applied. This could be detrimental to a
policyholder that has a particular type of claim.
We are not afraid to spend the time needed to explain various policies
and/or coverage's to anyone, policyholder or not. If we are aware of
another agent that has access to a market that is not available to us but
better for the customer, we will recommend it to our customer. Ultimately,
we are committed to working hard, honestly and in the interest of our
customers.
We have seen too many people devasted by claims because their agent was not
well educated in the type of policy and or the coverage amounts needed. We
do have standards to the extent that we will not sell a product to a
potential client if we know it will not be in their best interest.
We look forward to helping others. Thank you for the opportunity.
Jennifer Deas
OceanCrest Insurance Agency
1311 US Highway 41
Inverness, FL 34450
Phone: 352-344-3449
Rodney Taylor of
Charlotte Insurance Agency
Until people (policy holders) and organizations (insurance companies and agents) have the courage and the tenacity to really dig in and find out what and why we are in this terrible position, it WILL continue. Too many politicians and even insurance agents lack the knowledge of the difference between micro and macro-economics. This is not about Florida. This is not about anything other then pleasing Wall Street, bottom line. If stocks don’t perform, then the carriers will find other areas too appease the investors. To wit, look at the numerous ads for auto insurance. Too often I hear from angry policy holders, “what did they do with the money they made all those years we did not have storms?” My thought is, “if they paid your claims fairly, (which most did) it’s no more you business then me asking you how much and what you did with the money you have made over your lifetime?” I do not imply that I defend the carriers. However, when the customers have always wanted only price for years, now they cry wolf.
One must remember the principle of insurance that of spreading risk. We live in paradise, and must/should pay the price to do so. The carrier’s mistake was poor management of capacity and ignoring rapid growth in the state. Shame on them. My opinion is that we will never see the property market with national carrier involvement as it was prior to 2004 & 2005.
The politicians will do and say anything to keep their jobs. None of them, as of yet, have showed the courage, guts, and intelligence to find out a real, if there is one, answer to this situation. In my humble opinion the only way to fix this is federally backed coverage, just as flood is now. It violates my personal thoughts as I mentioned previously about spreading risk. However, there comes a time when collectively, as a society we must assume a national/global understanding of economics.
Rodney Taylor, CIC, CRM
President
Charlotte Insurance Agency, Inc. est. 1901
PH 941.625.0717
FX 941.627.0676
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