The Agent Gurus Network is a nonprofit organization based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Insurance agents provide an invaluable service to consumers from coast to coast. In recent years a trend has begun wherein a few select insurance companies have advocated the notion that you as a consumer can receive a better value by purchasing insurance directly from a company without the assistance of a local insurance agent. We believe this is a mistake for several reasons.
First, there is no guarantee that a company who sells directly to the public will offer a better price or a better value than what you will find when using a local insurance agent or agency. See an actual rate comparison between companies who sell directly to the public and companies who use agents Click Here
In addition a key component to a sound insurance plan is advice that you receive from a knowledgeable insurance professional. It is our belief that when price is the only factor taken into consideration when you choose your insurance provider, something vital is missing from your overall insurance plan.
Please take one moment to examine the following case study:
Tragedy averted…
Due to some good old fashioned advice from a local insurance agency who gives advice, and not just a price. ™
Hello, my name is Tom Helmers and this is my wife Diane.
On June 21st 2007 my world turned upside down when my wife called me frantically to tell me that our home was on fire. She and my son had gotten out safely but in a complete panic I raced home, calling my insurance agent to let him know about the fire.
As I pulled up to my neighborhood the streets were crowded with firemen doing their best to minimize the damage to our home. But it looked bad, very bad. After the initial shock wore off reality set in, we were homeless.
The home was completely gutted by the fire which was caused by a faulty propane tank on my gas grill. The next day, an insurance company claims adjuster from Grange Mutual met with me and provided some emergency funds so that we would have a place to stay and clothes to buy since all we had at that point were the clothes on our backs.
Our home was completely destroyed by the fire and even the foundation itself could not be salvaged.
Despite losing everything there was one silver lining to this tragedy.
A few months prior to the fire, I was encouraged to call a local agent at Pathway Insurance for an insurance quote and policy review. The agent with Pathway Insurance discovered a large coverage gap on my homeowner’s policy. It seemed that my previous insurance agent did not insure my home properly and did not explain to me the importance of having coverage based on the current reconstruction cost of my home.
Like most people I assumed that the coverage my previous agent recommended was enough to protect me. But I was wrong. When the agent at Pathway Insurance explained to me that I would be financially devastated if my home was destroyed, I thought at first he was just saying that to get my business. Sometimes sales people will tell you anything to sell you something, but this agent explained to me in detail how a homeowner’s policy works and the penalties you will pay if the coverage falls below a certain threshold.
After this detailed explanation from him, I immediately started a new policy with the proper coverage because I did not want to be underinsured, and lucky for me I did it a few months before my home burned down right to the ground!
Exactly one year to the day I’m happy to say that we moved back into our rebuilt home. It was a very challenging and frustrating experience to have our lives literally turned upside down, but the only reason why I was in a position to have my home rebuilt is because I listened to good advice from a local insurance agent who gave me more than a price, he gave me sound advice on my coverage options.™
As told by Tom and Diane Helmers.