You may have seen his ads on television, billboards around town or even bought insurance from him. After more than 35 years, prominent Wilmington insurance agent Don Bullard will no longer represent State Farm. Bullard has sold State Farm insurance to more than 7,000 households in the Wilmington area. He said he is leaving State Farm because of philosophical differences.
"Wilmington continues to grow," Bullard said. "And with State Farm, unlike a lot of companies, you can only have one office per agent. And for years I've requested a second office and I realize that's just against their philosophy and we weren't allowed to do that."
Bullard was one of State Farm's top agents nationwide. A spokeswoman for State Farm said the company will keep Bullard's clients, and their policies won't change. Bullard said he will still sell insurance from the same location, but will represent different companies.
No Tears- It sounds like you know a lot about State Farm
Are you an agent that would like to inherit all of Don's policyholders?
No tears
As a SF customer for 45 years I can say that I don't under stand their moniker, "State Farm Mutual" In all those years I received only one dividend check. I switch my auto coverage to another mutual company and received regular annual substantial dividend checks. When I moved to Wilmington, J. Don Bullard (Don II's father) was the only SF game in town. When he retired, Don II "inherited" my accounts. Attempts to transfer those accounts to another local agent where futile. I was told that he would still receive the commissions. Well now that he is not with SF it will be interesting to see if I can move the accounts to the agent of my choice or if Bloomington will force their will upon the customers.
Where is customer service
I don't do business with State Farm, But I know people that do. They have been very upset about how they weren't told of this change. When they went into the office of Don Bullard to pay there insurance bill, There was no customer service or reason given. Just a piece of paper giving them direction on where to take their payment. Doesn't anybody believe in customer service. After 35 years of making a profit and build customer base. That he would say fairwell a little better to the people that put him there.
Customers of this agency
Customers of this agency need to realize that insurance agents sign a no-compete clause when they are employed by a company, which greatly limits their behavior when they leave a company. It may not be a matter of the agent choosing to shock his customers. It may be a matter of him not having a choice due to a fear of legal action from the company he is leaving.
I've been with State Farm since 1973
I've never had a bit of problem with them. They provide my auto insurance, boat insurance, and homeowner's insurance.
In thirty-five years, I've had one auto claim, when my ex was hit by an uninsured driver twenty years ago, two homeowner claims in CA, two homeowner claims in NC.
In every case, they were right there with the checkbook.
ONE
Thing that SF has just started is the 2% Hurricane deductible...which IS BS...IF it was 2% of the damage OR 1500 dollars whichever was GREATER...I wouldn't think bad about it...but it is 2% of my COVERAGE no matter WHAT DAMAGE IS DONE if the damage is caused by a hurricane...I don't think SF is the only company doing this either...The ONE TIME I would need my insurance...and they want to BEND ME OVER...
Read your policy,
Read your policy, specifically the Hurricane Deductible endorsement section "B". It's a percentage of the "loss", not a percentage of your coverage. If more people actually read their policies their would be a lot less confusion.
SF - 2% Wind Deductible
The 2% Wind/Hail Deductible is a tactic most insurance carriers have been using for a number of years. 2% of the value of a home can be a significant deductible on most homes these days. There is a legal & logical way around this though, but a lot of agents who write a large volume of business don't sometimes get a chance to address this until it's too late. When selecting another insurance agent, be sure to check out their background thoroughly. Dealing with a Wilmington native in this business is a plus! If you are affected, it would be a prime time to shop out all of your coverages. Consumers are spending a lot of their hard earned money on insurance & who they choose to deal with is their decision. In the insurance world, you will find the insurance carrier guidelines changing from time to time, especially on risks located in coastal counties. Dealing with a Direct Writer greatly limits the choices that are available. Best to deal with an ethical Independent Insurance Agent who represents numerous insurance carriers.
hurricane
Ours is doing that as well ,we have Travelers Insurance, they all are i think.
Insurance 101
Many insurance companies are going with the percentage deductible. If you are uncomfortable with the higher deductible you do have the option of choosing a policy that excludes wind completely. Then you are free to choose a seperate wind/hail policy to get the coverage you want with a lower deductible in most cases.
I was a State Farm customer once...
... ONCE!
I gave them a shot
I did the same, gave them a shot for car insurance. After getting quoted a low rate and signing the policy, they came back and told me they were going to raise the rate due to an accident I had in a company car. I told them I was thinking of moving my homeowners and motorcycle policies over and won't if they raise the rate. I told them that if they raise the rate I would also cancel the auto policy (3 vehicles) and wouldn't do any more business. They raised and I cancelled.
Insurance 101
Any accident you have when driving a company vehicle is chargeable on your personal policy is the vehicle you were driving is a private passenger vehicle. If the vehicle is a true commercial vehicle like a box truck, etc. then the accident will not apply to your personal insurance. Also, all tickets received when driving a business vehicle to apply to your personal policy. It doesn't matter if a business policy pays the claim or not. . . the points follow the driver, not the vehicle.
They were
Both times I was driving a true commercial vehicle with the appropriate tags on the back. Nobody but SF tried to raise the rates.
Wonder if the other 6,999
Wonder if the other 6,999 clients will follow suit...ONCE here too...
Don't blame the agent...
he's merely the messenger. The agent doesn't make the rules and has to abide by the insurance company's policy...no pun intended.
While the agent can plead your case in the event of a rate increase, he/she doesn't have the final say in the matter.
I agree the agent nor the
I agree the agent nor the company is all to blame. What the public needs to remember is that in the state of NC insurance is regulated by the NC Insurance Commission & what the commissioner has put in place, not just the company or agent.
didn't blame him
I didn't blame the agent, I placed the blame on SF. I told the agent to pass on to SF that if they got greedy I would take my business elsewhere. They did and I did. It wasn't even Mr. Bullard, it was the agent at S. College and 17th.
Not Really
First, this comment doesn't reflect Mr. Bullard in any way shape or form. I've heard very positive comments about him through the years. An agent can miss items when making an auto insurance quote (such as an accident, ticket or NC Recoup), just get your business. It's happened to me twice. Yes, the Insurance Company reviews the application and sets the price based on their guidelines. The quote contains a disclaimer that releases the agent from any responsibility when they have quoted you incorrectly.
can't charge
But they can't charge your personal insurance for a wreck that happened in a company vehicle. I have NEVER had a claim on my personal insurance and two claims when I was in different company vehicles. Both those were paid by the company insurance, not mine. That goes back to when I got my license in '87. The company I was with before I thought of giving SF a chance didn't charge me nor did the company I currently have.
Insurance 101
Yes they can. If the accident you were involved in was while you were driving a "private passenger" vehicle such as a car, pickup truck, or mini-van then the accident is chargeable on your personal insurance. Points follow the DRIVER, not the vehicle or the policy paying the damage. Now, if you were driving a box truck, semi-truck, etc. the accident should not show on your personal policy unless you received a ticket. In that case the ticket would apply to your personal policy no matter what kind of vehicle you were driving.
guesty, ins.
If you have an accident in a company vehicle and you were found at fault (meaning you were charged with some unsafe movement etc) your personal insurance can and will go up. My hubby was in a minor accident in his work van. He was not issued a ticket and his company took responsibility for the other vehicles repair. BUT, GEICO called us 2 months later and asked about the accident. They got a flag on his license # for an accident and they wanted to know all the details. Because he was not issued a ticket AND his companies ins. took responsibility they did not do anything to our personal ins. but they can and will.
Never crossed our mind to contact our personal insurance about the accident. If an accident report is made with your license # on it, it will get back to your ins. company sooner or later. And you know as well as I do if they can raise your rate they will.
that was me
I was ticketed with the catch all "failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident" on the first wreck and "unsafe speed for conditions" on the second. Neither time (first was in '98) and the second (in '05) did my personal insurance go up. I had GMAC and wanted to see if I could save some coin and checked with SF. I told them about the '05 wreck and they said no problem. But then SF came back wanting more money. I currently have Geico and they didn't charge me for it either. I was going to give 3 policies to SF but they got greedy. 2 cars and my truck on one policy, 1 motorcycle on another and my homeowners.
Safe Driver Incentive Plan
I understand your frustrations, really I do. The information you find by Googling "Safe Driver Incentive Plan in North Carolina" will provide helpful information on how the Personal insurance Auto point system works. Unfortunately, the chargable points have nothing to do with the insurance carrier & it is not negotiable. The SDIP is NC law & any changes would require legislative approval. This law must be followed by each insurance carrier writing Personal Auto business in NC. The applicable point(s) experience period is 3-years from the date of the incident/violation. I have experienced these frustrations as well.
Insurance 101
Look at the two companies you are comparing SF to. GMAC which has had financial problems for years and actually considered selling out and GEICO where your customer service is limited to a 1-800 number. If you speak to another company along the lines of SF such as Nationwide or Allstate, they will tell you the same thing as SF. Points follow the driver, not the vehicle.
geico- Guest1974
You say Geico is a 1-800#. The only difference in them and SF is you have a go-between when you have a claim w/ SF. The agent gets to do some paper work. We have had several claims with Geico between 4 teens and deers around here. One call is all we made, they were right on the case with no delay and we got great service from local companies for renting cars and repairs.
We have had quotes from the "local" guys they all are many hundreds of dollars higher than Geico for the same coverage. SF really is not local anyway, the agents just represent the HUGE insurance company. Why do you think their rates are higher? Someone has to pay for the local offices and the agents staff.
geico-1800#
Dear Das,
Another reply from yet another individual where you obviously have been mis-informed or simply neglected to do your homework before posting your comments.
If you call 1800 Geico and discuss a loss that occurred, you will have a claim filed immediately...yes, this is true, but are you 100% certain you wanted to actually file that as a claim against your policy. You won't have that option with them.
You may not have experienced this personally, yet, but you will. The day will come when you "change your mind", or discover it was "not covered" anyway, or some other reason that you realize it is not in your best interest to make that claim, and have it on your record...because once it is on your record it is permanent and may possibly negatively effect the overall rates you pay in the future.
With a local agent, you get the personal advise from that individual. He can "talk you off the cliff" so to speak. He can educate you on what the effects of filing a small claim where you get $250, or any claim for that matter, may do to your record/rates over the long haul. You may lose a claim free discount, for example, that could be more than the $200 you will get the check for... Bottom line, you won't get that personal advise from 1800 Gecko. But if that is what you are comfortable with, and you realize that you get what you pay for, then more power to you.
As to part two of your comment about SF not being local...they need to pay for the offices/staff, etc...again, just lack of knowledge on your part. Each office is individually owned by the agent. The agent pays for the rent/mortgage, staff salaries, etc. not SF. SF does pay for the "local" claims offices in your "local" area and employs over 80,000 folks nationwide so that when someone has a claim, or when there is a Catastrophe they have "local" people available to take care of their "neighbors" claims. Each state is set up and managed like a seperate company, so they can deal with "local" insurance departments, laws, issues, etc. on a "localized" level.
In the event of a Catastrophe, because they are the largest P&C organization in the US, they are the most able to deploy 100's or 1000's of individuals to your "local" area to assist in handling your claims. Geico does not have the same ability, I guess you should be thankful they don't provide homeowners insurance, or you might have the unfortunate experience to learn this lesson the hard way.
WOW
You are amazing in your knowledge of insurance laws. Are you a local agent or underwriter?
inspro
I guess you are the pro so you know it all. If i read my policy before I called then I would already know what was covered or not, if its not covered then why would I call? BTW; Geico hasn't raised our rates in 15 years based on claims and we have had 7 claims, some our fault. Go figure.
and that works for me
I'm quite ok with an 800 number. That doesn't bother me one bit. I didn't get any points because both tickets were dismissed in court when I provided a letter from the insurance stating all claims had been settled.
I just called
Here it is 10:30pm and I just called to check about moving my classic car onto a policy by itself and got to talk with a real person in the United States.
NC Insurance Commissioner
If you want to know one reason why your rates go up for apparently no reason why not ask the Insurance commissioner to explain RECOUPMENT charges? Because NC has a Facility and requires that all insurers accept EVERYONE who applies for insurance they charge RECOUPMENT - this is a fee that everyone pays and essentially the drivers who should have lower rates because of good driving pay LOTS more for their insurance because they are helping cover the BAD drivers. THe NC Dept of insurance caps rates for insurance companies so they cannot charge bad drivers high rates even if the bad drivers deserve really high rates - that means the good drivers pay RECOUPMENT and subsidize the bad drivers. NC needs insurance reform and a free market for insurance business.
recoupment charges
the recoupment charges are a percentage of your premiums, so the idea that the good drivers pay LOTs more is just incorrect. For example, if you policy premium is $300 per six months, $30 of that is in recoupment charges. If you do not have a good driving record, and your rates are $1000 per six months, you are paying $100 in recoupment charges. It is all proportional, so if you have a good record, you are not hit as hard as those that do not.