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Which probably ain't too far!
Charlotte BBB Warning About a FE Mailer
- Thread starter Brian Anderson
- Start date
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Probably not. That's the point.
It's like the known liar that starts all his conversations with "I won't lie to you".
He has to do that because no one else will say it for him. Or the preacher that wants to sell you something in God's name.
When someone starts telling me how ethical they are while condemning someone else then it's time to bar the door.
- 10,328
You are the one who said you use the type of mailers this thread is talking about...
If you use them then yes, it could be considered an "attack" against you. But I never said anything about "JD being unethical" until you admitted to using that type of mailer.
The very fact that you "dont care what the NAIC thinks"... the major regulatory body that almost every state bases regulations on.... pretty much says it all.
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No. Unethical misleading scumbags are the reason the public hates insurance agents. Mailers like the one the BBB (and many others as I mentioned earlier) are the reason agents get a bad rap.
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The only claim of my own ethics I made was in comparison to agents who use misleading marketing tactics like the one this thread is about.
I can say 100% that none of my marketing material is misleading in any way.
And when it comes to comparing yourself with unethical or misleading practices then I would hope that all agents would say they are ethical compared to that...
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Facts can mislead when presented a certain way.
On the mailer that is in the article it says "new state regulated life insurance program".
There is nothing "new" about final expense policies. Sure new final expense products are approved... but that type of insurance is a century old...
Just referring to a life insurance policy as a "program" is misleading in many ways. Especially at the bottom of the card where it uses the term program without pairing it with the term "life insurance". And even more so when the intent is to make the mailer look like it came from a government entity.
Sure some of the mailers we are talking about do have a tiny print disclaimer that says "not affiliated with any government entity". But that is like the disclaimer at the end of Dave Ramsey or Suze Ormans show that says "for entertainment purposes only, not financial advice".
And they are using the name "National Processing Center". Which is the exact name of a division of the Census Bureau... if you google that name the first thing that comes up is the Census Bureau website and the heading is:
They are clearly attempting to make it look like they are an official government agency... they even use a Pennsylvania Ave address... I dont know how you could say that is not an attempt to mislead... hell, I have spoken to the various outfits that produce these types of postcards and they have said point blank to me over the phone "people think its from the government so you get a higher response". I considered using the annuity mailers in the past but never pulled the trigger because it just felt shady to me sending those out. Even the annuity mailers talk about "new legislation"... there is nothing new about decades old tax law... that is a fact.
Are they factually correct? Yes. Is it misleading, especially to seniors?? Most definitely.
Obviously the misleading part is a "matter of opinion". But do you think you could convince a regulator or a judge or a jury that postcard is not misleading??? I highly doubt it. Google the companies and look at all of the complaints they have had from consumers. The linked article has no comments, but there are many other articles out there about these postcards and almost all of the commenters consider it misleading and unethical.
But as this thread as shown certain agents (not talking about you M&M) could care less if the general public or even state regulators think their marketing is unethical.... of course it is the agents who call the bad agents out that get trashed and called names by the unethical ones...
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It's funny how misleading these cards are. I always read the card back to them and ask why they wanted me to come out. #1 answer: Life Insurance. #2 Answer: Something free from the government.
It's only misleading to the people with an entitlement mindset.
And come on, you're arguing against the term "new?!?" How many advertisements use that phrase? It is new. Since the last time I was there, companies have changed rates, UW, new companies have come into the area etc.
It's only misleading to the people with an entitlement mindset.
And come on, you're arguing against the term "new?!?" How many advertisements use that phrase? It is new. Since the last time I was there, companies have changed rates, UW, new companies have come into the area etc.
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But do you take out your own trash
Thats a chore I lay off on the kids
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That is a lousy justification for calling a 100 year old product "new".
If I own a used care dealership and change the price of a used car, or change the financing requirements, is that 1973 corolla suddenly a "new" car?
And the word "new" is only part of what I pointed out.
Anyone with a bit of common sense realizes the postcards are deceiving. Can an person with common sense and half an education read the whole thing and realize it is a life insurance pitch? Sure. But 70% of the people in this country have no common sense. Which is why this type of marketing material is considered by most people to be an attempt to mislead.
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Exactly. And if they say they thought it was free from the government, JD leaves with no presentation.
If I wasn't a life agent, JD would be my agent and I would refer him to everybody I know.
I wonder why he gets so many referrals with his so-called "non ethical" approach??? Lol.
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Showed your colors there, didn't you?
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I'll bet he voted for Obama. You've got to save people from themselves you know..
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Ha. Yep, God gave us free will and Obama takes it away.
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