Did Your Insurance Agent Do Their Job?
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010In this day of electronic business transactions, how can you be assured that what you asked for, and then paid for over the phone or WEB has been completed. Let’s look at the insurance business for example.
Purchasing insurance over the internet or via the telephone is very common today, especially if you need high risk insurance, SR22 or some other coverage that is not readily available at the local insurance agency. Insurance agencies that handle special types of insurance are usually not right around the corner. They are on the internet or you reach them via the telephone because they cannot have offices in every state, but choose to be readily available to every state through the internet.
Even when you purchase your car insurance policy over the internet or on the telephone, you’ll eventually have to sign the documents to show that you accept the terms of the policy underwriting and the terms of payment. In turn the agency has to agree to send your paperwork to the underwriting company for processing and issuance of the policy. How can you be sure that has been taken care of? Insurance companies are required to send you the official policy documents within 10 to 14 business days. If you have not received your documents, immediately inquire about them either with the agent who sold the policy to you or call the Underwriting Department of the company that you were written with. In the case of SR22 filings, you can call the DMV to see if the SR22 form has been filed. You can also get a copy of the Declaration Page of your insurance policy directly from the agency and it will show that the SR22 was filed.
How about payments? Have they been sent in by the agent as required? The best way to assure that your payments are going to the insurance company to pay for your monthly premium is to send or call the payment in to the insurance company directly. Do not send payments to the agent except for the initial down-payment. Once the down-payment has been used to activate your policy, all other payments should be sent directly to the insurance company. This will assure you that the money is being applied to your policy and not being misappropriated, or lost by the agent.
Most agencies are honest, hard-working and look out for your best interests. Ask questions about the agency when you are talking with them and get a feel for how long they’ve been in business, and how many customers they have. You can always ask for copies of current insurance documents, and your payment history in order to feel good about the agent you are working with.
—
Serenity Insurance is an insurance broker and we write policies for several different companies. The companies that we write for are all A or A+ rated insurance companies and have been in business for over 50 years. We shop around for you in order to get you the best price for the coverage you want. Serenity has been in business as an insurance agency for over 17 years specializing in SR22 and low cost insurance. While the first payment is made with Serenity to get your policy activated, all subsequent payments go directly to the company who underwrites your policy so you are assured that your policy is in force as long as payments are made. Serenity can provide you with a copy of your SR-22 immediately, and with the all the insurance policy documents, including ID cards at the conclusion of the policy activation.
Have you had a DUI, DWI or other driving offense that required SR22 and/or non-owner car insurance? Serenity Insurance can help – we offer car insurance in 47 states. Call us toll free today at 1-800-774-0520 or use our car insurance quote form.
