BOR Drama / Right VS Wrong

[insurance1822]

So I had a good client whom we serviced perfectly for 2 years. I get an email from an agent within my cluster stating "Hey we are BORing this guys account because we're long time friends, just giving you a heads up."

This is technically against the groups policy. There's no way the insured mentioned to his friend "Oh hey you're in the insurance business? Let me sign a BOR so you can handle my policies" I mean...of course the agency steered that conversation. Which is f*cked up. I meen, who does that when you're in the same group? I could understand if we screwed the client over or somehow we messed up....but no....not at all.

Fast forward 6 months and I requote the client. I have all the same carriers the agent who BORed the client does...and more. Turns out that my carriers can save 2k/year and the agent who BORed him...doesn't have those carriers. SO...

1.) The client ignores the 2k/year savings we sent over.

2.) Client approaches his new agent/friend about the savings & that new agent's hands are tied because he doesn't have the carriers I do..

3.) I either get the client back...or at the very least, put the new agent who BORed him in a terrible position.

Wrong on my part? I mean..if you're going to BOR a big account from me, that's fine. But I'm gonna hound that account and stir the pot until I die.

 

[FL P&C Broker]

No. The other agent went against group policy in the first place.

 

[Catastropher]

That's soo messed up on his part. Group rules are group rules.

 

[1manshow]

Jungle rules....I say finish the job

 

[Placementkid]

Usually the right thing to do is to tell the current agent that the insured is shopping or even open to changing their broker of record. Pretty shitty thing to do if you ask me and it goes against all cluster agreements.

A little sidenote here, one time I was having new glass block windows installaed in my basement and I got to talking with the business owner while his guys were working, I convinced him to let me take a look at his insurance. Once I got into it, I realized that it was written with another agency in our cluster. I actually found this out through my CSR at the time, who was more familiar with our cluster than I was.

It didn't take long before she started gossiping with the other girls at that office and let them know that the customer was shopping.

Before I knew it, I had a phone call from the customer asking me why we called his agent to tell them he was shopping, blah blah blah....it was a nightmare! I was still in the middle of this guy working on my house and now he was extremely upset with me.

I had some harsh words for my CSR and she knew she messed up.

The old saying "Loose lips sink ships" held true here. This guy finished the job up, took my money and I have yet to get in contact with him again.

 

[insurance1822]

The customer wasn't shopping though. Obviously the other agency pursued the BOR based off their personal friendship which is not right.

I'm curious to see if somehow that agent complains to the group that I solicited his client. That will be WW3

 

[Placementkid]

I should have clarified, that was my whole point. Generally they give you a head's up that the client is shopping, but in this case, it's pretty obvious who's driving this issue.

I would take it to whoever handles the cluster agreements for clarification.

 

[whatyouwantfinally]

Funny anecdote; I had something kind of similar happen back in my mortgage broker days. I was in the end stages of a huge loan when I got a very snarky call from another broker saying he was a personal friend of the borrowers and would be "handling" it for them.

I talked to the borrowers and asked to see the quote their "friend" had given them. It was going to cost them about $400/month more than my quote. I told them it was of course their call, but made sure to highlight the cost difference in their decision. As a (somewhat) joke I told them if they felt uncomfortable turning down their friend they could go with me and just write a him a check, "To make him feel better."

To the disbelief of everyone I worked with that's exactly what they did; they took my loan and gave the other broker a personal check for $3k. The real kicker? The other broker was just some "very nice" guy who cold called them and had a really long chat with the wife one evening.

As for your situation, I'd have done the same. He can lie and say he never approached them about it and you can lie and say it was a standard requote you send to all lost customers. Very doubtful you'll be questioned about it anyway.

 

[GXR2]

I wouldn't have tried to get the customer back. If the agent went against rules and being a d-head to you I would have reported him to the group. A customer like that who constantly flip flops around on price is just a waste of your valuable time anyway and probably end up a first year cancel and charge back when the next sweet-talking agent comes by.

I've had mortgage companies steal MY new home owner clients away from me to send to their insurance buddies.

Talk about being pissed off with nowhere to turn. At least you can complain to your group can get the guy reprimanded. If you don't he'll just do it again.

But then again if they're buddies he can just get an email or written statement that the client requested the switch - that would probably trump the group rule anyway.

 

[pfg1]

The old saying "all is fair in love and war" comes to mind.
At the very least, if they don't come back to you - they will think about you every month as they are losing $.

While I absolutely believe in doing business with people I know if they can provide a fair service for a fair price....I'm not going to lose money just because I know them.

Funny anecdote; I had something kind of similar happen back in my mortgage broker days. I was in the end stages of a huge loan when I got a very snarky call from another broker saying he was a personal friend of the borrowers and would be "handling" it for them.

I talked to the borrowers and asked to see the quote their "friend" had given them. It was going to cost them about $400/month more than my quote. I told them it was of course their call, but made sure to highlight the cost difference in their decision. As a (somewhat) joke I told them if they felt uncomfortable turning down their friend they could go with me and just write a him a check, "To make him feel better."

To the disbelief of everyone I worked with that's exactly what they did; they took my loan and gave the other broker a personal check for $3k. The real kicker? The other broker was just some "very nice" guy who cold called them and had a really long chat with the wife one evening.

As for your situation, I'd have done the same. He can lie and say he never approached them about it and you can lie and say it was a standard requote you send to all lost customers. Very doubtful you'll be questioned about it anyway.

Wow, that is crazy. Hard to think people can be that stupid.