With so many insurance companies doing business online, and offering bigger discounts for buying online, how do you know what is right for you? The first thing to consider is your level of technical ability. If you are tech-savvy, you will be better able to understand at least the mechanics of purchasing insurance online, but without insurance knowledge, it can be easy to under insure yourself. I can’t tell you how many people have come to me, either to complain or to purchase a policy, after finding out that they didn’t have a coverage they thought they did.
Now, I don’t say it is impossible to get the right coverage online, I am simply saying that you have to take the responsibility for those coverages yourself. If you don’t know enough about what coverages you need, you really should talk to an agent to get your policy, or at least before you purchase online. The mistakes you make here can come back to haunt you, if you aren’t careful. The reality is that unless you have been trained, or at least had it explained to you, insurance is Greek to most people. If you are going to be your own agent, make sure you educate yourself, so you can protect yourself.
I am not telling you that you shouldn’t buy your insurance online, and in fact, some of the companies we write for also sell policies online. I’m just saying that you need to understand what you are buying. Educate yourself on the coverages, and understand that you will be the only one who can argue your case with the insurance company.
When you make the choice to bypass the agent, the discount you are receiving is due to no agent. What that means to you is that you can’t call me when you have a problem. You can’t step into my office, sit down in front of me, and ask for an explanation of your policy, or more importantly, what caused it to be more than you bargained for. Which brings me to another issue. You may not know what things are important to put into the quote to make sure you get a correct rate the first time, which is why many times, something you didn’t realize needed to be entered, comes back to haunt you in a month when the first bill arrives.
Buying insurance online, or through an agent…it’s up to you, but be sure that you understand what you are getting into. You the consumer must take responsibility for your decision. As the old saying goes, “Let the buyer beware.”t thing to consider is your level of technical ability. If you are tech-savvy, you will be better able to understand at least the mechanics of purchasing insurance online, but without insurance knowledge, it can be easy to under insure yourself. I can’t tell you how many people have come to me, either to complain or to purchase a policy, after finding out that they didn’t have a coverage they thought they did.
Now, I don’t say it is impossible to get the right coverage online, I am simply saying that you have to take the responsibility for those coverages yourself. If you don’t know enough about what coverages you need, you really should talk to an agent to get your policy, or at least before you purchase online. The mistakes you make here can come back to haunt you, if you aren’t careful. The reality is that unless you have been trained, or at least had it explained to you, insurance is Greek to most people. If you are going to be your own agent, make sure you educate yourself, so you can protect yourself.
I am not telling you that you shouldn’t buy your insurance online, and in fact, some of the companies we write for also sell policies online. I’m just saying that you need to understand what you are buying. Educate yourself on the coverages, and understand that you will be the only one who can argue your case with the insurance company.
When you make the choice to bypass the agent, the discount you are receiving is due to no agent. What that means to you is that you can’t call me when you have a problem. You can’t step into my office, sit down in front of me, and ask for an explanation of your policy, or more importantly, what caused it to be more than you bargained for. Which brings me to another issue. You may not know what things are important to put into the quote to make sure you get a correct rate the first time, which is why many times, something you didn’t realize needed to be entered, comes back to haunt you in a month when the first bill arrives.
Buying insurance online, or through an agent…it’s up to you, but be sure that you understand what you are getting into. You the consumer must take responsibility for your decision. As the old saying goes, “Let the buyer beware.”