(Oh, and everybody needs some of that, too.
So you don’t go insane)
Insurance is a vital part of life.
However, it’s confusing, at least for me.
It should be more straightforward, but insurance companies like it that way and take full advantage of it.
Growing up, my parents had a local Insurance Agent.
Lou Sweet had an office not far from the center of town.
He was a clean-shaven professional who dressed in a shirt and tie every day.
He was always available and ready to answer questions.
As a young adult, I went into his office to see him.
He told me what I needed and how much it cost, and I cut him a check.
I trusted him, and he never did me wrong.
He’s no longer with us, but he died an insurance legend.
When we got notifications of rate increases, we started shopping again.
Recently,Liberty Bibertynotified us of an increase, forcing us to become shoppers.
Turns out those TV commercials must be pretty fucking expensive because the increase was out-fucking-rageous!
I decided to get quotes fromProgressiveandGeico…
I never thought that insurance companies neededmascots.
Biberty has an emu namedLiMu Emu, who tags along with his human friendDoug.
Doug communicates very well with the bird, which is somewhat amusing.
Progressive hasFloandJamie, a duo that does absolutely nothing for me.
The skits are not funny, IMO.
But to each his own…
Geico hasMartin, an animated gecko with a Cockney accent.
In head-to-head competition, I prefer Martin.
Martin’s the perfect pitchman for an insurance company if there is such a thing.
But no one chooses their insurance company based on mascots.
The dreaded telephone calls to aggressive insurance agentsare pure torture for me!
But my current insurance was running out, andI needed it badly, so I had to man up.
Both companies were very willing to work with me and very thorough.
Progressive came in slightly better, so I decided to go with them.
She gave me a phone number for auto and a reference number to get the bundle discount.
I called and got an agent in Ohio (same time zone) who handled auto.
We went over the coverage, and I had lots of questions.
I was ready to pay and put my insurance needs in the rearview mirror.
I was more than happy to say"Hasta La Vista!
“to Liberty Biberty, who I felt didn’t have my best interest at heart.
I said I’d call him and get right back to her.
Fifteen minutes later, I called back with the information she needed, but she didn’t pick up.
At some point, most people have had their fill of insurance quotes and want to wrap things up.
I did this for the next seven days until I had had enough.
I called Progressive’s main office to cancel my home insurance and get a full refund.
After painstakingly navigating Progressive’s phone menu, I eventually spoke with a customer service rep.
It took twelve days to receive the refund.
She told me she’d heard similar stories from people who wanted out of Progressive.
I added the third car, and we had it all done in under 35 minutes.
No one will ever replaceSweet Lou;he’s the GOAT!
But given a chance, Matt may carve out a valued spot in my insurance history.
Only time will tell…
Maybe choosing an insurance company IS about themascots.
My favorite pitchman is Martin, an animated gecko with a Cockney accent.
I could’ve just picked my favorite insurance mascot at the onset and saved myself a lot of aggravation.
Here’s another legend talking about his frustration withthe telephone.
