It is important to know what to look for in a Florida auto insurance agent. The person that you deal with for any financial decision needs to be someone you feel comfortable with. Before you can confidently make the right choice for your car coverage, you have to make sure you know what to look for in a Florida car insurance agent.
Some people give it no thought and whoever picks up the phone at the company that was randomly selected from the Yellow Pages is the agent they choose.
However, to ensure having a good working relationship with your agent, you should do more than that. Knowing what to look for in a FL auto insurance agent is an important component in making the right choice.
What To Look For In A Florida Auto Insurance Agent: Willingness
You want to be sure that the agent is someone who will take the time to talk with you and answer your questions thoroughly when you call. Everyone comes at insurance from a different background, many people with a good understanding of it and many others with practically no knowledge of it. Because of this a good agent will always be ready and willing to explain any aspect of the policy that you have questions about, both before you buy and after.
What To Look For In A Florida Auto Insurance Agent: Honesty
Having an honest agent is a very important thing to look for. If you have an agent helping you to fill out an application and he encourages you to lie or gloss over something, it is a good indicator that he is a dishonest person. If he encourages dishonesty in one part of the insurance process, why would you expect him to be telling the truth about anything else? Advice from an agent who is dishonest could leave you in a vulnerable position without coverage.
What To Look For In A Florida Auto Insurance Agent: Knowledge
Knowledge is a very important part of all FL auto insurance agents jobs. If you ask questions of your agent and he or she cannot answer them, it should make raise red flags for you. Needing help to answer a truly obscure question is not a big concern, but if the agent can not provide the following information, you should probably look for another one.
- Basic information on what each part of the policy covers
- What the minimum requirements are according to the state of Florida
- Why you should carry non-required types of coverage
- What kind of impact accidents and traffic tickets have on your premiums
Most companies thoroughly train and test their staff before allowing them to handle customer service one on one. If your agent does not know his or her domain, it speaks badly for the company as well.
What To Look For In A Florida Auto Insurance Agent: Reputation
When you are looking to select an agent, the first thing to do is to try and find out all you can. Ask around to family, friends and co-workers to see if someone has had a good experience with a Florida auto insurance agent and would recommend him or her. Referrals usually have the highest rate of success in being a good match between agent and customer. You can also check with the state department of professional regulation to see if there have been complaints about the agent’s professional conduct.
What To Look For In A Florida Auto Insurance Agent: Strong Company
Probably the most important factor to consider when choosing your Florida auto insurance agent is the worth of the company he or she represents. The best case scenario is if you can work with an independent Florida auto insurance agent; independent meaning that the agent can work with many different insurance companies.
The agent can be knowledgeable, willing to help, honest and have a great reputation, but if the company he works for is not stable, then you definitely need to keep shopping. You can check with the state insurance department to make sure that the company does indeed offer auto insurance in the state.
An even better idea is to check insurance ratings companies like A.M. Best, Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s to learn more about a company’s stability. They rate insurance companies based on their financial strength, assets and ability to meet the obligations they currently have and those to come in the future. A good rating should make you feel comfortable in your choice. A poor rating should encourage you to look elsewhere, because they may not be around or able to help should you need them.
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