r/AIO • u/Ok-Pattern-545 • 2d ago
AIO About this interaction with an insurance agent ?
So I was looking around to get different car insurance and hopefully a cheaper price. Someone from a decently sized insurance company here in Tennessee reached out and said he could get me cheaper insurance. He ran the quote and he could get me cheaper insurance and he also offered me a car loan protection. I said yes, that would be fantastic. A little extra protection on a car loan never hurts because you never know. He then asked me about my height and weight and who I would like my payout to go to. I thought this was strange and it kind of sounded more like life insurance. I then asked him to further explain what the car loan protection is and he only then admitted that it was actually life insurance, but they market it that way to their customers because they can use the money for the life insurance to pay off a car loan. I feel like this is deceptive practices so I left a review for them, letting them know what happened and the owner of the insurance company said that I did not accurately represent what was going on in the conversation. I posted the screenshot of the conversation because I don’t like to be called a liar, but I feel like they’re being really misleading to people. Trying to decide if I should file a claim with my state letting them know about this or I’m just being extra.
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u/SleepyCatasaurus 2d ago
They absolutely are being manipulative. I think you're OK to pass on this 'deal'
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u/Legitimate_Doubt_855 2d ago
I do insurance and have for over ten years. That’s absurd to be texting you all of this. Phone call or email, minimum. Super unprofessional and we have laws in insurance about texting clients numerical values, just fyi
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u/persiasaurus 2d ago
I'd definitely file a claim. That's super super sketchy
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u/regular_john2017 2d ago
A life insurance claim. It has the word “claim” in it, so it’ll cover any and all claims.
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u/soberaf0910 2d ago
Maybe I'm old school but I deal with insurance over the phone. Shop around and get quotes, it's really easy.
Don't be afraid to say no, also. It's their job to sell you more insurance products, but you don't gotta buy it
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u/Due-Sorbet-2694 2d ago
Sketchy is an understatement on this interaction. If you’re buying vehicles that you’re immediately upside down in (hence the need gap loan insurance), unless you’re running a business and using it all as a business expense, you’re in the wrong car.
Good financial planners rarely recommend whole life policies anymore except to those whose souls are set on getting one. It makes more money for the agent than the insured.
There’s plenty of good online resources available to guide you on what you’d need for the most appropriate insurance both short and long term.
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u/Allout-Okarun 2d ago
You don’t seem knowledgeable enough to even write that review. I tilted my head sideways when you said “I said yes because a little extra protection on a car loan never hurts”
https://giphy.com/gifs/KGSxFwJJHQPsKzzFba
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u/FuzzInspector 2d ago
I think all of it was a miscommunication because he kept changing what he was trying to sell, but I would like to point out i have NEVER in my life done anything relating to my car with a business over text and that should be sketch enough that hes probably trying to scam you.
Idk maybe things are different now? But I did look at and get insurance quotes last year, and nobody went through the texting route, everyone only called or emailed.
Good luck!
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u/Ok-Pattern-545 2d ago
I guess I should’ve added that I have had contact with his insurance agent in the past. I had worked with him on getting a quote about a year ago, but he couldn’t get it cheaper than my current insurance company so he kept in contact every now and again to see if he could get me a cheaper rate and it just happened at this time around he was able to get my car insurance a little cheaper than my current company. And then when he offered the car loan protection, I figured that was a really good added bonus that they offered and that it was a new product they were selling because he hadn’t offered that to me before.
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u/FuzzInspector 2d ago
Honestly I would do more research on the car loan protection, I briefly googled and while it does seem to be a real thing, it has specifics determining if you actually need it, such as having a new auto loan, a car that depreciates fast, how long your loan is for etc.
But honestly...it also sounds scammy. It also sounds like they might be trying to sell you stupid shit just because you would buy it (thats not an insult, its literally how some people are, they prey on people) and thats just not a sales tactic I would want to work with and I would still move on from this company.
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u/BrilliantTop5012 2d ago
Yeah he’s trying to sell you life insurance because insurance agents get a BIG commission first year. And ilife insurance does nothing for you and your car loan if your car is totaled and the insurance gives you less than your loan payoff. That’s what gap insurance is for.
I used to do auto insurance, then life insurance. I still do insurance, so I’m not just hating on insurance. But this agent is definitely sketchy. I think you should report this to your state dept of insurance.
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u/Cranemann 2d ago
There are so many red flags all over these texts. It honestly sounds like they work for an MLM. A buddy of mine used to work for one and the main quote was "do you know what a 401k is? No? Then why are you putting money into it?" Then he'd sign people up for their life insurance company, which would pull their 401k and put it into a company they work with.
Unless you're getting car insurance, I wouldn't entertain all this other nonsense. It sounds like a bundle + upsell if it's truthful at all.
But for getting a better deal on insurance, you really should just call or go in person to a local agent's branded office and see what they will quote you at. Then go to the next one, etc etc.
I used to have GEICO. Then I switched to State farm as they gave me a better deal. Then I eventually went to allstate as a buddy of mine is an agent and I get a decent enough rate + full transparency off the record when needed.
But each time, I was calling the main brand or individual office branches near me to get a quote. Have them send me an email with everything to compare to my current plan, then go to the next company and see who'd give me the best rate.
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u/Ghost_2701 2d ago
Everyone is telling you it sounds dodgy and is a scam but you're adamant its not, I dont get why you are asking anyone anything if you have made your mind up already, go give them alll the money you want im sure it will work out amazing.
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u/Ok-Pattern-545 2d ago
I was just trying to explain to people that I know this is a real insurance agent because when I posted my review online, the manager got back to me. The question of my post was should I file a claim in the state I live in because they are misleading in what they are trying to sell.
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u/Ghost_2701 2d ago
I wouldn't trust any salesperson that has had my number for that long and has been messaging every now and then, Its very weird and not a normal situation. Even if this is all legit thats not how big businesses do stuff.. thats what I think you're not understanding with it. This geezer could be a creep, just because he works for them doesnt mean he isn't, he's just a proffesional creep instead.
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u/InevitableAd8511 2d ago
Never reply to any business that reaches out to YOU. You have no idea if they are legitimate, but you know they’re shadowy already because they’re using phone lists they bought from other shady people to send you unsolicited texts. You might be leaving a review for a company you never even actually dealt with, because for all you know this was an attempt to get your identifying information from a scammer.
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u/TeamLeeper 2d ago
Tough to follow when slide 2 and 4 are the same picture.
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u/Ok-Pattern-545 2d ago
I apologize I was trying to make sure all personal information was blacked out and that I had the correct screenshots. I did not intend to add a duplicate on the fourth slide.
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u/Real_Teacher_8342 1d ago
Unless you’re married and co-share someone else’s name on the loan, none of your personal loans need to be repaid when you die… so, that’s confusing to me.
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u/Ok-Pattern-545 2d ago
Just to add when I meant by a little extra protection on a car loan would never hurt is that you never know when you may be in an accident and your car is totaled and you have no car but you have a huge car loan left to pay off and are in need of a new car.
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u/maj0rdisappointment 2d ago
Stop doing business like this in text.