Wow! Got some AMAZING service from these folks.
Have only worked w/ one of their people so far (Craig Baerwaldt). Nonetheless, I can say for sure that HE'S a very on-the-ball insurance agent. Quick follow-up, very knowledgeable, and ALSO very willing to go an extra mile.
Here's an example of why this guy's service has so impressed me. I came to these folks because I was having trouble getting an earthquake policy written through GeoVera. I'd made a number of calls to the company, some to a different Geovera agent, and gotten absolutely ZERO clear answers.
Don't know all that was behind that unfortunate experience- but literally, dozens of phone calls & emails later, I had STILL not found anyone who knew for sure how to correctly write the policy. The complication was that our home is built like a condo / townhouse- two separate families- but we own ALL of our half, & some of the ground around it. I kept getting an answer from people that was clearly WRONG (townhouse)- which would not have actually insured my STRUCTURE: just the contents. Hmm... anyone see a problem?
Anyway, someone else referred me to Cascadia Agency, as a group who know a LOT about earthquake policies, and who can deal w/ several companies. So, I called them thinking that I'd NEVER get the Geovera quote straightened out (due to my previous experience), and figured that I'd have to end up going some alternate direction.
However, Craig explained why my policy was probably difficult for Geovera to handle- and went on to suggest that he try taking care of it. Within TWO DAYS I had a correct & understandable quote back in my hands! (vs. TWO MONTHS before, and still hadn't gotten an answer). So, THAT was amazing.
But, if that were not enough, get this: I had a final question, on a detail of our house construction that affected the policy: whether it was bolted down or not. Our house being a recent purchase, and my not having been underneath, I honestly didn't know. So, I told Craig that. I fully expected to be told, "Well, you'll need to find out...". I mean, I''M the homeowner- how would someone at Cascadia Agency be expected to know?
I was mentally preparing for having to explore around underneath the house- to find out whether it was bolted- but NO! Instead... within a day, Craig had resolved the question, without my having to even LOOK under the house.
Despite the fact that my city is several hundred miles away from Seattle, Craig managed to track down & call a local building inspector, and talked w/ him about our particular house. Based on the date it had been constructed, plus the local Code, the inspector could say definitively that the house WAS bolted. Problem SOLVED- in less than ONE business day- with CRAIG being kind enough to do the footwork.
I'm now happily earthquake-insured- within just days. If you'd told me that last week, it would have seemed extremely unlikely. However, that was before I talked w/ these folks.
In summary, I'd have to say that they have ABOVE-AND-BEYOND service, and also seem to have some superior knowledge & ability in their field. I've VERY impressed, and I'm very glad that someone referred me to them! read more
