Opinion of Parker and Associates in Meridian,MS

Kamke Insurance · 11-03-2008, 06:55 AM

Nothing good came from my associtation with them. I never received any renewals from them with my Humana contract. And, they wouldn't release a freind of mine. I don't write Humana anynmore anyway, so I don't care. They are worthless. I have some direct contract with the companies that allow it. Glad I went Independent.

stormtracker · 11-03-2008, 03:40 PM

I naively contracted via P&A for their SNP's-- we signed up every dual in Texas that could breathe and write. Agents are charged ridiculious fees for presets (which are supposed to be prequalified). Then, there was the commissions which were chafed by P&A. They are a clever lot, those Parker folks-- what they don't skim off the top of your commissions, they get by inflated lead costs and hide behind the so-called "Medicare reconciliations." Code: they keep ALL your escrow monies even though your MAPD's have long since cleared chargeback. They promise to never deduct monies from your paychecks-- that is what "escrow" is for. Funny thing is-- they did both!!! My advice to anyone is to avoid this FMO at ANY cost-- and if you should be so unlucky as to have already signed on with them-- you are stuck!

G.Gordon · 11-03-2008, 05:49 PM

Nothing first hand, but I know of one noobie agent that got screwed... without lube.

Bob_The_Insurance_Guy · 11-03-2008, 06:13 PM

I was able to get out from under, with the exception of Universal Health Care. I had Coventry through them, but since they are no longer associated with them, if I just stay clear of Coventry for 2009, I can go back to them direct.

That was straight from Coventry's higher-ups.

With every other company, I am with someone else.

I won't even attempt to get my "hold back" money, because I know I'll never get it.

barneyshells · 11-10-2008, 01:23 PM

I recommend staying far away from Parker & Associates, I know several very honest and hard working managers and agents that have had their commissions stolen from the firm. To the tune of 10's of 1,000's of dollars. P & A uses every reason in the book to keep the money, however none are legit. Also I truly believe agents like Hank Perkins who manages USA Brokerage, an arm of P & A, is one of the main reasons CMS has come down so hard on us all. He is as slippery as they come and has shown a high disregard when it comes to respecting seniors wishes. So, unless you like to work hard, for promises alone, stay away!

stormtracker · 11-10-2008, 01:47 PM

USA Brokerage here is the arm of Parker and Asses. They have their fingers in almost everything now-- from medicare to final expense. They ruin the local market in one product by saturating with agents, then recruit for their newest marketing effort until they ruin that. I know of one fellow agent that had his contract with humana terminated because of the shenanigans they put him up to last year. They'll lie to you about anything and always wind up keeping your commissions in the name of "reconciliations." The "administrative" people that are supposed to be managing leads are actually selling cherry picked leads that the agents should have been getting. Then they wonder why all their agents have left...

Bob_The_Insurance_Guy · 11-10-2008, 03:26 PM

Humana told Parker to take a hike in 2008. Coventry did the same in 2009. Blue Cross never partnered with them.

They are, single-handedly, ruining this industry, and what others outside of it think of us. It ain't Humana, coventry, CIP, or anyone else, it's P&A that's causing all these over-regulations.

stormtracker · 11-10-2008, 03:40 PM

Final incident which caused me to abandon Parker and Asses: Last year, they held out 10% of our commissions for "escrow" (which eventually gets eaten up by reconciliation with CMS.) Well, after $5000 in escrow disappeared last October, they raised the escrow withholding to 20% (with no prior notice to the agents.) Then, they "suspended" CIP sales until AEP because they "were overwhelmed with certification training." Net result-- we went three weeks without sales because we had no other SNP to write until AEP started.

Bob_The_Insurance_Guy · 11-11-2008, 06:45 AM

How could such a beautiful woman be such a horrible individual?

Did she tell you the stories of selling Universal's Any Any Any Plan under the boarwalks in Florida?

humshogul · 11-11-2008, 07:13 PM

Greenway has been closed and Great American has taken their contracts. How can that happen if I didn't sign a new contract? Parker sent me a contract and I won't sign it either. I hear Ricky Whitman got canned. In Georgia I hear that they closed the Parker offices and arrested some of the agents for strong arm tatics. Does anyone know anything about this??? Am I still under a contract legally with any of these gangsters. They are holding $2000 of escrow and I have been trying to get it for 5 months. HELP ANYONE!!!!

unleashed · 12-03-2008, 02:15 AM

Originally Posted by jdeasy

They are a cooked organization. They are just flat out thiefs. And, that's putting it nicely.

Earlier this year, I keep asking about my escrow which was standing at $2416. My upline saud they were working on getting my escrow paid to me because my policies stayed on the books. There was another agent I knew in the same boat and they were telling him the same thing. Out of nowhere in march, I got a charge back and, coincidentally, the cahrgeback was exactly $2416. They charged me back on active Coventry policies. I contacted the members and they still had the coverage. I contacted Coventry and they said all were "active and no problems". They said they had paid Parker and Asses and my beef was with them. Parker and Asses are still supposedly investigating this issue.

I have asked for a release time and time again only to be told, "no releases".

In July, I got a $600 bonus from Coventry. It was for some contest that I had forgotten about. Anyway, the same day that parker and Asses paid me that bonus, they had another chargeback for me out of the blue, wanna guess how much that chargeback was? That's right, $600.

There is a class action lawsuit in the works over these kinds of dealings. I don't know where that lawsuit stands at the moment, but, I have been deposed in conjuction with it. I know another agent that went to Indy last week for his deposition, so, it's moving. I figure I'll get my money back someday, but, lawsuits like this take years.

No agent should have any dealings with Parker and Asses and any agent that does currently should get out as soon as possible. I'm having to forge my own release by not writing business with the companies I still have with them.

Some of the parker and Asses managers, knowing that the word is out on Parker, are spreading out and doing business and trying to contract agents under different names. Jim Parker, no relation, is one of those. He is equally as bad as his namesake company and contrary to what he claims, he is still tied to Parker and Asses. He is now peddling a 403b deal in conjunction with Great American that, without his involvement, could be a good deal for agents. He is parkerizing that deal, though.

Bottom line, stay away from Parker and Asses.

I just recently found this site, but I am so glad I did because I and several other agents have been bitten by this poisonous Cobra, and the venom is still running through our blood. The thing that hurts me most is these snakes call themselves Christians. LOL.
I have recently succeeded in canceling my Humana contract with P&A. If you request in writing for your contract to be cancelled, and P&A does not cancel it, then you contact Humana, and they will contact the MGA, and give them a time limit of 90 days to cancel, if they don't cancel it; Humana will. I just got my release, and I am now a Independent Delegated Agent for Humana, and all of my commissions, and renewals will come from Humana. Keep a copy of your request, so you will have proof that you contacted them.
It is not the companies. It is definitely Parker & Associates.

Unleashed
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Originally Posted by Glen

Does anyone know about a class action law suite against Parker & Assoc? I would love to join it!
Glen

I don't know of one, but we all need to pull together and hire a lawyer to start one. They should have to pay for all of the agents lives they have ruined.

Unleashed

jm31md · 01-22-2009, 01:15 AM

I so hate being a "newbie". This information would have made my life so much easier the past year....I contracted with PA in Jan 08 and less than a mth later I really regretted ever coming to know this company. I quickly saw how incapable they were, beyond terrible lack of communication, no direction, no sense of organization and a total failure at any type of training support. I tried backing out of my contract..of course they refused but at the time I had no clue as to how CLUELESS I was. They are very quick to leave me hangin' at even the slightest mention of release. I never ever wrote any business for them, hoping and praying that some God-given miracle would come along and wipe their asses out....but that didn't come of course. Being forced to sit on my hands an entire year has been a painfully emotional burden!!
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Although I'm a year into this mess with PA, I am soooo happy to have found this message. I haven't written any business with any of their carriers or PA itself, so I will make sure to submit my request for release to the remaining carriers I have with PA. Thanks so much...I hadn't a clue.

Kamke Insurance · 01-23-2009, 10:08 AM

I will forever more be an Independent Agent. No worthless meetings, only responsible for my family and clients. If you don't want my business, fine. There are enough carriers that work with Independents. When your wife says "This is the best move you ever made!", you listen

theinuranceguy · 01-30-2009, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by Kamke Insurance

I will forever more be an Independent Agent. No worthless meetings, only responsible for my family and clients. If you don't want my business, fine. There are enough carriers that work with Independents. When your wife says "This is the best move you ever made!", you listen

Funny, my wife always says, "This is the best move you ever made, where did you learn it from?"

GreenSky · 01-31-2009, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by theinuranceguy

Funny, my wife always says, "This is the best move you ever made, where did you learn it from?"

So you are only the "wife" in even numbered years?

Rick

theinuranceguy · 01-31-2009, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by GreenSky

So you are only the "wife" in even numbered years?

Rick

My Wife: "That was the best move you ever made."

Me: "Rick Bronstein taught me that!"

For the record: Im not married

LouisianaRandy · 01-31-2009, 05:33 PM

I am so very grateful that I was not quite caught in the P&S snare. They called me up after seeing my info on Monsterjobs. They have a call center in Baton Rouge, La. That arm is called Onesource and mainly does final expense. The guy I talked to down there was making all kinds of promises. However, I could hardly get through to him on the phone. He would always say he was doing phone apps for Shenandoah.

By the time they found the contracts I sent them, my red flags had gone up. I googled has anyone ever worked for P&A and found you good people. Best move I have made in awhile. Got the contracts stopped and now have a great opportunity with a really good IMO.

It proves to me again that you can steal much more with a pen than with a gun.

stormtracker · 01-31-2009, 08:42 PM

Originally Posted by LouisianaRandy

I am so very grateful that I was not quite caught in the P&S snare. They called me up after seeing my info on Monsterjobs. They have a call center in Baton Rouge, La. That arm is called Onesource and mainly does final expense. The guy I talked to down there was making all kinds of promises. However, I could hardly get through to him on the phone. He would always say he was doing phone apps for Shenandoah.

By the time they found the contracts I sent them, my red flags had gone up. I googled has anyone ever worked for P&A and found you good people. Best move I have made in awhile. Got the contracts stopped and now have a great opportunity with a really good IMO.

It proves to me again that you can steal much more with a pen than with a gun.

Maybe so, but nothing short of voting with a bullet is suitable for Parker & Asses.

peggyrice · 03-07-2009, 06:01 PM

FYI: Found this site and felt a need to give my 2 cents worth as well. I am currently unemployed and applied recently for a position selling durable medical products with Great American - who also happened to be Parker & Assoc. (after researching). Was unaware of the connection at the time of conversation. Phone interview went well for "selling DMP". When the local rep (Cleveland) closed the interview: he asked if I ever considered selling insurance? No offense to the industry...... just not my focus at this time of my career. After viewing comments I believe they are scamming - preying on the unemployed ......

Russ · 03-07-2009, 06:08 PM

Originally Posted by peggyrice

FYI: Found this site and felt a need to give my 2 cents worth as well. I am currently unemployed and applied recently for a position selling durable medical products with Great American - who also happened to be Parker & Assoc. (after researching). Was unaware of the connection at the time of conversation. Phone interview went well for "selling DMP". When the local rep (Cleveland) closed the interview: he asked if I ever considered selling insurance? No offense to the industry...... just not my focus at this time of my career. After viewing comments I believe they are scamming - preying on the unemployed ......

I see it listed as Great American Marketing...Insurance Agents Needed......................... - Parker & Associates - New York | Indeed.com