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Originally Posted by Michael 61
Have to disagree with some of your post - I worked for a carrier, who’s sales agents were employees of the same company. If a sales rep misrepresented the policy to a customer (and can be verified) - then that became a “Claims Coverage Question” and had to be investigated. And often times, we had to respond to complaints made directly to the Department of Insurance by the insured. At times, we would have to afford coverage where it didn’t exist because of an error made by a sales rep, and we would then subrogate against them, through their “errors and omissions” insurance coverage. (This is west coast by the way, unfamiliar with Florida Dept of Insurance).
All good carriers train their sales force, you state “ why should they bother to train agents to know what the policy covers?” That’s a pretty cavalier statement. I personally would not purchase an insurance policy from someone who doesn’t understand the product they are selling you. As I stated previously, there are many agents who don’t know the policy they are selling, but there are some “really good” agents out there that fully understand and can explain the policy (usually sales reps who are former claims adjusters) - why wouldn’t you choose the most knowledgeable insurance professional for something this important? If that is not something you value, then you can ignore my entire post.
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I agree that you should definitely seek out a knowledgeable insurance salesperson. But, I think the term "agent" is a misnomer. I once bought an Allstate auto policy from an agent who took my check, cashed it, and gave me a written insurance binder that stated that I had purchased a policy. But, 3 days later, after I had cancelled my old policy, the agent called me to say that the company had cancelled the new policy because he, the agent, had made a mistake on the application. Obviously, he was not a legal agent for the company. Try to get an insurance agent to answer a question, in writing, about a specific item that is covered in the policy. They won't because they don't represent the company, like a real agent would.