What it actually changes, what it does not, and when buying direct makes more sense. Offices in Joplin, Carthage and Springfield.
Most insurance is sold one of three ways. You buy it yourself online or over the phone from a company that sells its own product. You buy it from an agent who represents one company and can only offer you what that company sells. Or you buy it from an independent agency, which holds appointments with a number of different insurance companies and can place you with whichever one fits.
We are the third kind. That matters least on the day you buy and most three years later, when your renewal arrives higher than it should and the question is whether anyone is going to do something about it. A company that sells its own product has one answer for you. We can take your file to the other companies we represent and see who wants it now.
Buying direct is genuinely good at some things. It is quick, it runs at two in the morning, and if you want liability-only on one car and nothing else to think about, it does that well.
What it does not do is tell you when the policy is wrong. Nobody reviews the dwelling limit on your house after construction costs move. Nobody notices that the teenager you added is rated on the wrong vehicle, or that your wind and hail deductible is a percentage rather than a flat amount until the hail comes. Nobody rings you when a company you are with stops being competitive for the kind of driver you are.
That is the trade. Self-service is faster. Having someone whose job it is to look at your file is slower to set up and worth more over time.
Somebody shops it for you. At renewal we can compare what you have against the other companies we represent, which is a different exercise from you filling in the same form on four websites.
Somebody reads the policy. Two quotes at the same price are routinely not the same coverage. We will tell you where they differ, including when the cheaper one is cheaper because it covers less.
Somebody picks up when you have a claim. The insurance company still handles and pays the claim. But you have a person here who knows your file and can get an answer when the process stalls.
Somebody who is still here next year. Three offices, the same staff, and a phone number that reaches a person rather than a queue.
If you have a policy with good limits at a price nobody is beating, we will say so. We would rather look at your coverage and tell you it is fine than move you for the sake of it — people remember that, and it is the reason a fair amount of our business arrives by referral.
For you and your family: auto, home, renters, motorcycle, boat, RV, non-owner policies and SR-22 filings.
For your business: commercial insurance, workers compensation, general liability and group health.
You can see the companies we represent, and the offices are listed on our locations page.
An agent is paid a commission by the insurance company rather than billed to you as a separate fee. What a given policy costs varies by company, by state and by your own record, so the honest answer is that it depends on the quote in front of you. Call us and we will show you the actual numbers for your situation rather than a general claim.
A captive agent represents one insurance company and can only offer you that company's policies. An independent agency holds appointments with many companies, so when your renewal comes back higher than it should, we can move you without you starting the whole process over somewhere else.
You call us and we help you work it. The claim is still handled and paid by the insurance company, but you have someone local who knows your policy, can explain what is covered, and can chase an adjuster who has gone quiet.
Yes, and we would rather you let us than not. Send the declarations page and we will tell you what it covers, what it does not, and whether the limits make sense for what you own. There is no requirement to move it to us.
No. Most of what we do happens by phone and email, documents are signed electronically and ID cards go out the same day. The offices are there for people who would rather sit across a desk, and plenty still do.
Tell us what you need covered and we will shop it across dozens of carriers.