Ever feel like large, corporate companies all too often forget the ‘little guys’? They forget the clients who made them the giants they are today: successful. It’s the season of giving, and feelings of nostalgia are definitely in the air. After thinking back on the past year and what it brought, one particular happening came to my mind.
Right before my eldest son graduated from high school in May, we purchased a new car for him to go to college. The day before he was to leave for a two-week trip in his car, he thought he was being a responsible 18-year-old and took his car to a large, corporate retailer to get the oil changed. Within 30 minutes of leaving the place that changed his car’s oil, he was on the side of the road with a completely burned-out engine. A lengthy phone call to the place finally resulted in them sending two people to check on the situation. The result of the engine malfunction was due to the fact that they failed to replace the oil in his engine after draining the old oil.
I had one day to try to find a solution to our problem, because my son had to leave the next day to get to his first destination by the date he was required to be there. And let me tell you, I was not too successful on my own. First of all, I am just one person with a complaint to a large, major business. It was a classic David vs. Goliath situation, except David had a strict time schedule!
A friend of mine suggested I contact my independent insurance agent to see if she could help. Oh my, did she help! As an added bonus, she was very sensitive regarding our time issue. Within hours, she arranged for us to have the car towed to a mechanic the agency suggested, set up a rental vehicle for my son’s use while the car was in the shop, and took over negotiations with the other major company. My stress level dropped dramatically– and my insurance agency reminded me that I have insurance for unexpected incidents such as this.
Because my independent insurance agency values every single client that chooses them for insurance coverage, they cared enough to take the burden from me– and with success! When my son returned from the important event he had to attend, his car had brand new engine with a warranty on it. It was incredible knowing that my decision to go through an independent insurance agent would be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!
-Angie Barker, General Manager, Rainman.com
Tags: Independent Insurance Agents, insurance, Rainman.com, small business, social media