Okay let me start this with a little bit of background on myself. I am an oldfashioned type of businessman. I believe in honesty, integrity and treating your customers like you want to be treated. Now this story I am about to tell might sound like I am bitching about the money but I'm really not. I am a man of principle and I try to live my life that way. So on with my story.
I have had my car insurance with State Farm Insurance since I could drive, all told 26 years. I have never shopped for a better price because I liked dealing with my local agent and they had always given me good service. So I stayed with them and never even looked even though they fired my original agent and I got another one. I was happy and satisfied with them as company.
Now recently I had a tree fall on my car during a storm and the car was totaled. I knew this so I went shopping for another car while I was waiting on the adjuster and frankly trying to find something comparable was looking like it was going to cost more than what I had figured the payoff on my car was. I had a 2005 ford taurus with 95,000 miles on it. Sidenote I drive about 30,000 miles a year for business so I typically buy cars and drive them until the wheels fall off. It just doesnt make sense to pay a lot for a car.
So when looking for a comparable vehicle (I prefer a taurus because it is the perfect salesman car) everything was running around $8000 for cars older than mine with the same miles. I wasnt happy but it is what it is and I was prepared to pay it. The point being I knew what the market was bearing for comparable vehicles.
Whent he adjuster finally gets with me I wanted her to know that my car had a brand new transmission in it not one month old, a $2000 brand new transmission. I told her this because that would add to the value of the car. She said that it didnt matter and that they would give me $6600 for my car and they based this off a national dealer website.
I told her that frankly that was considerably lower than my expectations and she basically said there wasnt anything she could do. She did offer an appraisal process where I hire an appraiser and they hire an appraiser and then we both split the cost of a third party appraiser and blah,blah blah.
So I made a decision to take the check and move on, because there isnt anything I could do at tthat point that wouldnt cost me time or money, both of which I value. I found another car and I am moving forward with my life. Except for this.
I told you earlier that I am a businessman of principle and I am a customer of State farm insurance that has now been treated like a number in a process rather than a customer. Now understand I am not bitter or upset at State Farm because they made a business decison. However now after 26 years of paying higher than market premiums I am going to make a business decision. Frankly I wanted $1000 more than they offered me for my car but I would have accepted $500 and felt like I was treated like a valubale customer. So for $500 State Farm is going to lose a 26 year customer.
the whole point of my story is this. Treat your customers like a person and not a number unless you are in the turn and burn type of business. If you want to build a brand make customer service your number one priority. Treat your customers so good they dont want to go anywhere else, that they dont need anyone else.
One more thing to add here. I went to see my agent to inform her face to face that I would be moving my business. I wanted her to understand that it wasnt anything she did because she is great and has always done well for me, and as an old fashioned guy it was right for me to tell her face to face. To her credit she wanted to call and see if there was anything she could do, to which I told her it wasnt necessary because I understand they have their way of valuing vehicles. She called and the same old story, national database, blah, blah blah. I told her it's okay I understand no hard feelings, they have made a business decision.
Now it is time for me to make my business decision and fire Stat Farm insurance.
I have had my car insurance with State Farm Insurance since I could drive, all told 26 years. I have never shopped for a better price because I liked dealing with my local agent and they had always given me good service. So I stayed with them and never even looked even though they fired my original agent and I got another one. I was happy and satisfied with them as company.
Now recently I had a tree fall on my car during a storm and the car was totaled. I knew this so I went shopping for another car while I was waiting on the adjuster and frankly trying to find something comparable was looking like it was going to cost more than what I had figured the payoff on my car was. I had a 2005 ford taurus with 95,000 miles on it. Sidenote I drive about 30,000 miles a year for business so I typically buy cars and drive them until the wheels fall off. It just doesnt make sense to pay a lot for a car.
So when looking for a comparable vehicle (I prefer a taurus because it is the perfect salesman car) everything was running around $8000 for cars older than mine with the same miles. I wasnt happy but it is what it is and I was prepared to pay it. The point being I knew what the market was bearing for comparable vehicles.
Whent he adjuster finally gets with me I wanted her to know that my car had a brand new transmission in it not one month old, a $2000 brand new transmission. I told her this because that would add to the value of the car. She said that it didnt matter and that they would give me $6600 for my car and they based this off a national dealer website.
I told her that frankly that was considerably lower than my expectations and she basically said there wasnt anything she could do. She did offer an appraisal process where I hire an appraiser and they hire an appraiser and then we both split the cost of a third party appraiser and blah,blah blah.
So I made a decision to take the check and move on, because there isnt anything I could do at tthat point that wouldnt cost me time or money, both of which I value. I found another car and I am moving forward with my life. Except for this.
I told you earlier that I am a businessman of principle and I am a customer of State farm insurance that has now been treated like a number in a process rather than a customer. Now understand I am not bitter or upset at State Farm because they made a business decison. However now after 26 years of paying higher than market premiums I am going to make a business decision. Frankly I wanted $1000 more than they offered me for my car but I would have accepted $500 and felt like I was treated like a valubale customer. So for $500 State Farm is going to lose a 26 year customer.
the whole point of my story is this. Treat your customers like a person and not a number unless you are in the turn and burn type of business. If you want to build a brand make customer service your number one priority. Treat your customers so good they dont want to go anywhere else, that they dont need anyone else.
One more thing to add here. I went to see my agent to inform her face to face that I would be moving my business. I wanted her to understand that it wasnt anything she did because she is great and has always done well for me, and as an old fashioned guy it was right for me to tell her face to face. To her credit she wanted to call and see if there was anything she could do, to which I told her it wasnt necessary because I understand they have their way of valuing vehicles. She called and the same old story, national database, blah, blah blah. I told her it's okay I understand no hard feelings, they have made a business decision.
Now it is time for me to make my business decision and fire Stat Farm insurance.
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