[mama2riley]

Just wondering if anyone knows how you go about switching agents for insurance?

We have never personally met our agent but have dealt with him a couple times on the phone now since the hit and run, and now trying to register our car in the state. Every time we've spoken with him he has been very short with us on the phone and was pretty much scolding us for not registering our car sooner (when its not our fault someone hit our parked car and its been in the shop and then we're waiting for paperwork to be sent from ohio that we need to register...). Seems like a jerk.

So to switch agents do we just call another local agent and explain that we are not happy with our current agent and would like to switch to their office? Do we have to notify our agent that we are finding someone else to work with?

[mama2riley]

Does anyone know the way to go about this?

[QueenAngie]

We have State Farm insurance.

The names have been changed.

Our longtime agent "Al" went to our church, but mainly we dealt with the office secretary "Bee", who was wonderful. We had the agent "Al" for prob 20 years. We had a problem, we called the secretary "Bee". She was great and knew everything top to bottom for us and our needs. In fact, one time I called and agent, "Al" answered the telephone. He told us, "just a minute "Bee" will be right with you." *giggles*

Well, the agent "Al" retired, but the new agent "bad boy" who bought out the office, promised us that the office secretary "Bee" would stay and continue her work.

Well......months pass by and suddenly, I needed to call and check on a few things. Our favorite office secretary "Bee", who'd handled our business for 20 years was gone. "A parting of ways," we were told. I did not care beans about the new agent "Bad boy". He had an attitude.

Needless to say, we changed to a local agent "Kathy" closeby our home. In fact, the office secretary "Dana" in the new office lives two doors down from us. One of the other staff members "Ellie" in the office is the Mom of DS#2's friend, another neighborlady.

I verbally notified both agents "Bad boy" and "Kathy", and sent it in writing to both also.

The new agent "Bad boy"that fired our favorite office secretary "Bee", started to get stinky about the change. So much that our DS#2 was not going to be able to get insurance coverage to get his driver's license......until the change over to agent "Kathy."

Over the telephone, I explained to agent "Kathy" that I'd be writing a letter to the head office about "bad boy's" behavior and not changing over in a quick fashion, thus delaying our son's obtaining his driver's license.

Not certain what agent "Kathy" did, but the next day she had all the computer files, and our 'old paper files' in her office from the "Bad boy" agent.

I believe you have to do this in writing.

Let us know how it goes.

[QueenAngie]

We changed the agents 1 1/2 years ago.

[poliscmjr]

The problem with agents is that you can walk into any office and they can handle any questions you have plus enter your payment and things like that. BUT the commison will always go back to the agent you did not like. I would suggest finding another agent that handles the insurance company you have, and request in writing to have your policy changed to the new agent. This is a very common thing that is done with commercial policies and there should be no problem with doing this with a personal policy.

[PamalaLauren]

If you want to keep the insurance company then it may be a bit harder to get a new agent in the same company.

All I know as a insurance agent myself, is that you can call any agency and they will deal with you.

[raganlyn]

We recently changed auto insurances and my DH just called around to get the best rates and when we found one we signed on with them and then called our old policy holder and cancelled. It was a pretty easy process. I just recommend getting the new one before cancelling the old just in case there is a delay in getting the new one. Having your insurance lapse is the worst thing that could happen. Good luck.

[HappyMomAnna]

I have just started a blog series about Shopping and Switching insurance agents and companies.

It is true that if you would like to switch within the Same Company and Same State the NEW Agent will usually have to pay the old agent commissions for a period of time usually a year or so....

Companies do this so that Insurance Agents within the same company don't try and steal each others customers...

Usually however you can switch agents... And you would want to put it in writing.

If you are looking to change companies completely that's not difficult....