does the insurance agent you buy from make a difference in claims

[salilsurendran]

Hello,
I have two quotes for my condo + car insurance. One is from State Farm and the agent selling the insurance is highly rated on Yelp but is a little about $50 more expensive than the other quote which is from AllState. I don't really know much about the agent from AllState and can't find any reviews on him. The State Farm agent I can say with high confidence is pretty passionate and hardworking about their business. I was wondering when it come to claims does this make a difference. After all the claims is going to be handled by a different department. I am most interested in ensuring that when it comes to claims I get good service and a legitimate claim is not rejected.

[cooliemae]

Speaking for myself, the only time I've contacted my agent since getting our policy (auto/renters) was to increase the coverage on our renters and add our new car. However, I could have called the main Allstate number just as easy. As for accidents (several deer now) we've simply filed the claim online, someone called and scheduled a time for an adjuster to come out and that was that.

I think it's the company as a whole you should look at and whether you have preferences on businesses you would use to fix your car and whether they have a good relationship with the insurance company you're looking at.

[snarkfinance]

Hello,
I have two quotes for my condo + car insurance. One is from State Farm and the agent selling the insurance is highly rated on Yelp but is a little about $50 more expensive than the other quote which is from AllState. I don't really know much about the agent from AllState and can't find any reviews on him. The State Farm agent I can say with high confidence is pretty passionate and hardworking about their business. I was wondering when it come to claims does this make a difference. After all the claims is going to be handled by a different department. I am most interested in ensuring that when it comes to claims I get good service and a legitimate claim is not rejected.

I would spend more time researching the claims handling quality of the insurance provider than the agent. As you mentioned, when or if a claim occurs, you will be dealing with the company directly rather than the agent. The agent will be more useful if you plan on changing anything to your policy. You expecting to make a claim? 50-50 chance you have a kid who just passed his or her licensing exam.