I spent over $400 on an insurance policy this Allstate office recommended after I showed them the actual insurance requirements and read them aloud. I specifically asked if they were certain the policy was correct before purchasing it. It wasn’t.
I came here as a first-time insurance purchaser and new business owner because I needed professional advice and help obtaining general liability coverage in time for an upcoming event. The underwriter reviewed my situation, consulted with Allstate/HQ, and confidently recommended the policy. I relied on that guidance. I am now out hundreds of dollars, and the mistake jeopardized my event.
What happened when I called for help was even more concerning.
Her immediate response was to blame me. At the beginning of the call before I even got to say anything, she claimed I never showed her my documents and that I had refused to email them to her. I brought the requirements. I showed them to her. I read them aloud. I asked if she was sure. She read my screen. She saw the screenshots and the sample documents of what I needed. She took my phone in her hands and read them. She seemed to do the research on her end. I also repeated information multiple times and she seemed very out of it.
She never provided me with an email address or contact information during our original interaction.
I repeatedly explained that I was not calling to blame her. I even apologized because the conversation became so uncomfortable. I simply wanted to know whether Allstate could help me obtain the correct coverage, refer me to someone who could, or explain whether there was any way to correct the mistake.
Instead of empathy or assistance, she focused on telling me what I supposedly should have done differently. She snarked/scoffed/giggled while doing so, responded sarcastically to my concerns, and repeatedly spoke over me.
I politely asked to speak with the agency owner because I no longer felt comfortable continuing the conversation with her. At this point I was frustrated with how she was speaking to me and I eventually told her I was not comfortable. She accused me of purposely trying to upset her and refused to transfer me. She said the owner was on the phone, characterized my request to speak with him as “bothering him,” and would not provide him with my number to call me back. Instead, she told me she would report my behavior to him.
I went to an insurance professional because I did not know what insurance I needed. I relied on her answer.
People make mistakes. What I cannot accept is being blamed and spoken to this way when I called looking for help correcting a mistake that occurred after I relied on professional guidance.
I cannot recommend this agency. If this is reflective of how they operate, either this underwriter/manager was so scared of getting in trouble by the owner that she would rather blame a customer than take formal responsibility- or it shows that this agency allows this employee to operate that way. Either way, there was no accountability, empathy or solution. The quickest thing they did was take my card.
I will be taking my business elsewhere and, based on this experience, will not be using Allstate again.
“You’re in good hands” could not feel further from my experience.
