Should I Call an Insurance Agent or Shop for Insurance Online?

Should I Call an Insurance Agent or Shop for Insurance Online?

It wasn’t too long ago when your only option for buying any type of insurance was to call an insurance agent and ask for a quote or make an appointment to discuss your insurance needs. Today with the availability of the internet, you can also shop for insurance online without ever having to speak to an insurance agent to get your quote. There are pros and cons to each method of shopping for insurance.

Calling an Insurance Agent Directly

When you call an insurance agent directly for a quote, you might not always receive the best quote available. This depends on whether the agent is an independent broker/agent or one that is an exclusive agent for an insurance company.

An exclusive agent writes policies for a single insurance company. They usually are very familiar with their company’s insurance products. If you need to make a claim, the agent can act as your representative with the insurers. But you might not get the best quote when calling or meeting with an exclusive agent because they only provide quotes for the products their company sells.

When you work with an independent agent, you will be able to receive several quotes from the various companies the agent works with. The agent usually does not receive incentives to steer you to a particular company and can give you objective advice on which policy would be best for you. However, some agencies charge an administrative or service fee on top of your insurance premiums.  So be certain to double check the quote for any questionable items.

Shopping for Insurance Online

When you shop for insurance online, you can have multiple quotes in minutes instead of having to call multiple agents and waiting for quotes. You will see higher priced and lower priced quotes and what you will be covered for.  While you may save time when you shop for insurance online, you might not always be getting the best deal. You might not fully understand what coverage you are buying if you do not read the fine print.  Therefore you may end up purchasing a policy that may look great with reference to price, but ultimately lacks the coverage you need.

It’s also common for insurance buyers to be suspicious about purchasing insurance online because of all the personal information that they need to enter into websites. Depending on what site you use, you could also receive a deluge of phone calls from multiple insurers within minutes of entering your information, and this could continue for months.

So, what is the answer when you need to shop for insurance, whether it’s auto or homeowners insurance? The answer is a new way to shop online for insurance that respects your privacy and only sends your information to the insurance agent that you choose to work with after viewing their quote. And that is what you can expect from Chrinco.com.

We’re building amazing technology that will simplify insurance shopping.  Want to learn more – Click Here and let us know!

Want more tips like this?  Join the Chrinco.com community and follow us as we not only provide insurance tips to consumers but also are developing a new way to shop for insurance.  Join the journey that we believe will change an industry.  Chrinco.com – Insurance Simplified.

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