We as a society have come to view the internet as a one-stop shop for dealing with life’s nagging problems.  Websites like Yelp and Amazon allow us to read product reviews, window shop from home, and make shrewd choices as consumers. We expect prices to be lower, quality to be higher, and promises to be kept. And we don’t lightly give second chances when we’re disappointed. For the first time, we the customers are holding all the cards.

​The answer is based on a few variables:

1. Were you one of the 6 million Americans who lost their coverage December 31, 2013?
2. Were you able to navigate Covered California?
3. Were you eligible for a subsidy?
4. Did your new premium double or triple from what it was last year?
5. Did your deductible double or triple?
6. Were you enrolled in a timely manner?
7. Is your new insurance company easy to work with?
8. Is your doctor still contracted with any insurance company?

You just never know when you are going to make a difference in someone’s life.  In October of 2011, I was building my insurance agency and was meeting a lot of clients based on requests they made for insurance quotes on the Internet.  One of the clients I met via this method of obtaining new clients came to me for auto and homeowners insurance on their 1914 Craftsman home, which was on the local historic registry.  After a review of their homeowners insurance, I informed them that I believed they were under-insured and needed to consider a sizable increase in coverage to meet today’s reconstruction costs, especially given the fact that the house was a specialty home.  While the client had originally hoped to reduce their expenses, they agreed with my assessment and decided to purchase an upgraded policy with my agency.