Been with SF for decades (since I was a teenager). Had one SF agent for much of that time. He retired, account was transferred to a different SF agent. Didn't like that one (location was not convenient, he asked DW to come in for a policy review or somesuch that basically turned into a life insurance/annuity sales pitch).
Switched ~4-5 years ago to a new SF agent close to me, been satisfied - good service, nice to have a convenient office to drop into, especially with a lot of recent activity (kids maturing into drivers' licenses then moving on/out).
Got notice current SF agent retiring (office closing, I think), and we are being transferred to another (far-ish away), pending determining who SF puts us with long term. Don't like.
1) Even in this digital age, it's nice having insurance agent physically ~close/convenient. There appear to be multiple choices, much closer, than who SF seemingly assigns us to.
2) Not really sure, other than proximity, how to assess one SF agent versus another, barring making the switch. Want good service, no hassles about life insurance, etc. May just drop in to the closest office and ask for a quick chat.
3) I *think* the mechanics of switching SF agents, within the SF family, are simple - let the old and/or new one know who you want to switch to and that's basically it, right?
4) Of course, this also opens the door more to cross-shopping non-SF insurance. I've done cross shops before, and found cheaper insurers, but haven't pulled the trigger. Combination of factors including a bit of laziness, a bit of concern about how difficult to switch, ensuring apples-to-apples comparisons in price quotes, etc. And finally, that switching from SF to insurer X today to save a few hundred bucks - that would disappear in 2-5 years as insurance rates bounce around, new customer discounts wear off, etc. IIUC, SF is essentially a non-profit "mutual", sorta like Vanguard (differences under the hood, I presume), and this approach seems simple to me. That said, I could be persuaded to consider alternatives.
Switched ~4-5 years ago to a new SF agent close to me, been satisfied - good service, nice to have a convenient office to drop into, especially with a lot of recent activity (kids maturing into drivers' licenses then moving on/out).
Got notice current SF agent retiring (office closing, I think), and we are being transferred to another (far-ish away), pending determining who SF puts us with long term. Don't like.
1) Even in this digital age, it's nice having insurance agent physically ~close/convenient. There appear to be multiple choices, much closer, than who SF seemingly assigns us to.
2) Not really sure, other than proximity, how to assess one SF agent versus another, barring making the switch. Want good service, no hassles about life insurance, etc. May just drop in to the closest office and ask for a quick chat.
3) I *think* the mechanics of switching SF agents, within the SF family, are simple - let the old and/or new one know who you want to switch to and that's basically it, right?
4) Of course, this also opens the door more to cross-shopping non-SF insurance. I've done cross shops before, and found cheaper insurers, but haven't pulled the trigger. Combination of factors including a bit of laziness, a bit of concern about how difficult to switch, ensuring apples-to-apples comparisons in price quotes, etc. And finally, that switching from SF to insurer X today to save a few hundred bucks - that would disappear in 2-5 years as insurance rates bounce around, new customer discounts wear off, etc. IIUC, SF is essentially a non-profit "mutual", sorta like Vanguard (differences under the hood, I presume), and this approach seems simple to me. That said, I could be persuaded to consider alternatives.
Statistics: Posted by psteinx — Tue Mar 26, 2024 10:30 am — Replies 5 — Views 362