I Only Need 3 Reasons To Stick With Allstate

There are lots of good reasons that I turn to Allstate for my insurance.

Allstate’s bundle deals are great value, they hire whole families who stay with the company for generations, they have more individual discounts than most other insurers, and they contribute hundreds of thousands to charitable causes.

But these reasons are only skin deep, I have three personal and important reasons that I will always remain an Allstate customer. 

1 – Allstate is Personal. 

I grew up in a small town so I like to think I know a thing or two about trust. In my family, when we needed meat for dinner we went to the local butcher. When one of us was ill, we saw the local doctor. And when we needed to make an insurance claim we went to our local insurance agent. We trusted these people to be experts in their field because we knew them. Unfortunately, we’ve swapped that community feeling for cheap online deals. 

We need to talk about this myth of the better online price. Sure, there are great deals online if you know where to look and you can sift through all of the nonsense, but most of us don’t know where to look because we’re not experts. Many of us take a much worse deal than we could get because no one is representing us. We’re paying more money AND local jobs have been lost to online mega giants. 

You hire an accountant because you feel they can make you more money than you pay them and because they understand money better than you. You hire an insurance agent because they can get you a better, more personalized deal than you could get yourself. Because they’re experts. 

Many other insurers have moved their business online to avoid costly overheads. Allstate insurance still relies on the agent/customer relationship for its business model. I know my insurance agent’s name, and she knows mine. She knows what school my kids go to and whats pets I have. If something goes wrong she knows who to call and what to do. If I buy a condo and want it insured, she’ll know the best deals and discounts for me. We have a good, working relationship and it’s all included in my policy. How many people that bought their insurance online can say that?

I stay with Allstate because they still believe insurance should be local, personal, and representative.  

2 – Allstate is a safe bet

Here is a list of things that were also happening the year Allstate was founded:

• The Empire State building was completed (then the tallest building in the world)
• Al Capone was convicted and sentenced
• Gambling was legalized in Nevada
• The Star-Spangled Banner became the US national anthem.
• World War 2 wouldn’t start for another 7 years.
• The great depression was in full swing. 

That was in 1931. Allstate has been around for nearly 90 years. It’s survived 14 recessions, including The Great Depression and the 2008 financial crash. Their client’s money has always been safe. Their business model has always been trusted. 

Can we say the same about the other hipster, online-only insurance companies popping up? They have nice looking websites but read the reviews and things get murkier. They’re a nightmare when you want to make a claim and don’t provide you any assistance. It’s you against them. How many could survive another 2008 recession? Would your money be safe?

When it comes to coffee and furniture I support my community and buy local. When it comes to my money, ill take the safest, most reliable service I can. With Allstate, I’m supporting local jobs and going with a stable brand. Win-win. 

3 – Allstate cares.

6 years ago I saw a motorist drive right off a cliff on the 14 freeway. I still don’t like driving in the rain. Barely a week goes by without seeing an auto collision or accident on the side of the road. It’s no secret that we have a problem.

I sometimes think of how these tragedies could be prevented. It’s no use telling people not to speed – they will. We can add more CHP officers to the roads but there will never be enough. The answer is complicated, and every little helps. 

The Allstate billboard near my house reads “Are you a good driver? Prove it!” The idea is that if you let Allstate’s app track how well you drive you will get discounts on your insurance. If you’re a safer driver you’re less likely to submit a claim and pay less on your insurance. Allstate wins and so do you. 

Insurance companies make more money when people are healthier, happier and safer. Those are the kinds of incentives I like seeing in an industry.

Do you think McDonalds makes more money when people are healthier? Do mechanics make more money from safer cars? The answer is no, of course, but Insurance companies make more money from us being safer and no other company explores that idea as much as Allstate. It’s a mode of thinking I want to continue supporting. I’d like to know how else they can encourage people to be safer. The safe driver program is a good start.

It’s for these three reasons that Allstate’s motto “Are you in good hands” makes total sense. They’re a big company, which is great because I feel my money is safe with them. They operate locally, which is great because I can get to know the staff. They reward me for being safer, which is great because it creates a strong feedback loop. It feels like Allstate never lost those small-town values. And that’s what matters to me.