SelectQuote Life review: Terrible service and communications! 45

TERRIBLE! I completed the application and health tests 2 months ago, and they STILL have not completed underwriting. I can get no return calls from my "case specialist" and must leave voice mails because she NEVER seems to be available to answer when I call.

I agree 100%
Their customer service is awful

I agree completely . . . my adventure started in Feb of '09, & I still don't have a policy. Yikes - why get involved?

Just aweful! I have been getting the run around since July. It is now Nov. and not in effect. If it is this hard to start a policy, just imagine how hard it would be for your loved ones to collect!

None of you seem to understand the life insurance approval process. SelectQuote is an Agency who matches you with the best company. If it takes a long time to get approved or your not approved at the rate quoted, it's because of your health/DMV/medical records.

If you are not honest with your agent, or if your doctor takes 3 months to send medical records to the insurance company--guess what?--it's going to take a while and it's not your agents fault...and if you have 2 at fault auto accidents, you are a higher risk. Stop making excuses for you bad health or driving record and deal with reality

Someone needs to explain Life Insurance Basic Principles and Underwriting 101 to Idontwanttofillthisin.

raiderpower, i dont think that many people have all the issues at hand that you claim is the reason for the poor processing.My guess is you are an agent and making excuses for piss poor service.

reading all this aweful stories I wont even call them Thanks guys

Yes, I agree the above guy in definitely an agent, ya think? I won't waste my time. Thanks all for your reviews, select quote just lost me before they got me.

I should have checked this site before I started with Select Quote (SQ). I'm very healthy, no bad driving record, and my application filed in last December stacked now and the rep doesn't help me. Well, compared to you guys, this period is not so long but here's the story. The insurance company William P requested my doctor to send them my medical record. Doctor's office sent it early Jan. The process stopped then. SQ guy told me (when I asked him) that some information was missing and they are waiting for that from my Dr. I talked to the Dr's office and they didn't know what was missing. I told about it to this SQ guy 3 weeks ago and asked him to contact with William P to make clear request to my doctor. Well he said "doctor knows what is missing". (Hey I just spoke to the office!) And nobody took any action. I received last week a kind of refusal notice from William P due to this lack of information! SQ guy is supposed to contact WP tomorrow and to give me the update. He even asked me if I want to go re-start with another insurance company. Is this their way to make money? Another quote, another commission?
Sorry if my spelling is terrible. I'm in fact green card holder immigrant. Can this be a reason why insurance companies don't want to deal with me?

I got a policy in 5 weeks just like my agent told me. lots of questions but super happy with the product I received.
I would agree that some of you folks need to educate yourself in Life Insurance, and what is involved in the process of getting it.

Delays from the insurance co. yes, but it's been 90 days since my application, and today, I don't know if I'm insured or not -- very poor communication and service from SQ.

My husband and I are both moderate risk in our late 30's. He has chronic pain management and I have weight issues. SelectQuote found us both $500k 20 year term policies quickly and relatively inexpensively. We each got a better rate from different life insurance companies, so I pay two bills a month instead of one. I found them super helpful, and love to deal with any company that communicates through email, instead of just making me wait on hold. I was referred by two co-workers who also both had positive experiences. Thumbs up.

I am an agent in Florida and write business everyday. I am certainly glad to see so many of you trying to secure your famalies future. I did not understand how important it was until I became an agent. I run into these issues with term policies all the time when i get calls to come by a home to discuss someones policy they purchased off a television advertisement only to find out its not what they thought it was or after just a few years they can no longer afford the premiums. I will make this simple. Always deal with an agent you can sit down with face to face, and don't buy any policy from them untill you un derstand how it will affect you now and in the future. There are many options available so try and find an agent who is focused more on taking the time to find what works best for you and your family. Remember, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

kind regards

Kevin B

Select quote has the worst customer service I have ever experienced in my life. The agent was insultive and rude on phone. Please don't let these people ruin your day because they ruined mine the day I called them.

Goo gaa goo gaa get your head out of your ### anything advertised on tv is a scam. When are you idiots going to learn

Oh FOR REALREAL?...you sound like a realreal charmer. I suppose Bush's cousin planted the explosives in the World Trade Center too, huh...?
Well, Select Quote's radio ad...that I hear ever 47 seconds or so...makes it sound so easy.
After reading these complaints however, I'm going to shop around further.
I certainly don't subscribe to the, if-it's-on-TV-it's-a-scam mentality but I will look around further.
Thanks for you folks' time in leveling your complaints...it worked.

Life insurance is a process. Information comes from many sources to the Insurance Carrier and must be reviewed as part of the decision making process. If there is an extended delay it is usually due to incomplete records, delays receiving state driving reports or additional medical information not noted on an application. I can understand the frustration for the person seeking insurance however it is often not the agents fault. They do the best they can to expedite the situation however in some cases it is out of the insurance carriers or agents control when outside agencies do not cooperate. The vast majority of policies at SelectQuote Insurance process extremely fast with great efficiency. You will not see those post on a complaint board because those clients are completely happy with their service. Occasionally there are bumps in the road and it is unfortunate that this happens but it is just reality when dealing with so much required information to gain an approval. That being said I would implore those reading these post to temper the criticism with this additional information about the process and yes I do work in Life Insurance which means I have an inside understanding of the process.

I have to tell you that some of you are absolutely ridiculous. "because of 2 auto accidents listed as my fault on my DMV records " - so rather than say, I am a terrible driver and endanger the lives of others because I do not know how to drive, it is someone else's fault. If it were my money, I wouldn't give you a policy at all.

"Term policies all the time when i get calls to come by a home to discuss someones policy they purchased off a television advertisement only to find out its not what they thought it was or after just a few years they can no longer afford the premiums" - You really got to be kidding me? Term is the least expensive Life Insurance and gives the clients the best policy for their needs. You can't be serious that someone should purchase from you and whoever you are, you should have your license revoked for even thinking of selling a whole life.

"TERRIBLE! I completed the application and health tests 2 months ago, and they STILL have not completed underwriting. I can get no return calls from my "case specialist" and must leave voice mails because she NEVER seems to be available to answer when I call." - That's because your lazy doctor who legally has 21 days to get the records, hasn't done so! Do you know how many times records are not sent and the Insurance companies spend days and even months contacting them everyday.

I would say one last thing to these people. This is your family your trying to protect and these are Insurance Co's who are on the line for 100's of thousands and millions of dollars worth of Insurance. This isn't the fastest process and you really need to educate yourself.

Why not just call American General Life Insurance direct? That's the company they almost always refer you to. And by calling direct, you can shave weeks off the process and, I suspect, extra fees that Select quote builds in that no one knows about.

I applied for a $500k policy. Got an immediate quote that was very good. Called the agent. He asked all the right questions about health, et, Thought everything was going great.
Then he asked for a credit card name, number, etc. When questioned, said the insurance company required it. This before physical, etc. or anything else except a phone call.
I declined; did not make any sense to me, and I was afraid it was a scam. A
lso, the rate was so low that I suspected it was a "teaser"

Talk about an insurance company being ethical. Take a look at this, Select Quote Insurance's Director got arrested for trying to pick up a Prostitute and this guy is married with a family. Also, he still works there with the full knowledge of the owners. Patrick is the one in the second row second column.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/15445192/detail.html

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=103473

Thank You Guys ! I just saw the commercial and was about to check out the website and decided to read this site first... I'll take mines with a NO ! will continue my search else where..

I think they're not too good either. I tried getting an online quote for insurance and the below is what I got back via email, and I quote:

when you have 5 minutes to spare to get an accurate rate instead of a ballpark figure that you don't qualify for let us know. If that is too much for you then you can always go to a local agent and waste time driving to their office waiting for them and then get one companies quote and then repeat that process over and over again until you get 20 different rates (or you can call me and I can do that in 5 minutes), or you can let a complete stranger into your home and listen to them try and sell you a whole life policy that is 5 times the rate of what you are actually looking for.
You have to talk to an agent to get a accurate quote no way to get around that . I am not sure what you mean by the commercial being inaccurate since I have not sent you any rates yet, sounds like your mind is made up so I won't waste anymore time trying to contact you. If you change your mind and your family is worth 5 minutes of your time my number is below. People call me because they are looking for the best deal on rates they actually qualify for and I am very busy this time of year so I will remove you from our lists, sorry for the confusion.

Andy Dobbs

Licensed Agent

SelectQuote Insurance Services

Phone: [protected]

Fax: [protected]

XXXXXXX@selectquote.com

From: XXXXXXX [mailto:XXXXXXX@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2010 3:15 PM
To: Andy Dobbs
Subject: Re: SelectQuote Life Insurance Application: Ref# 4773128

I'm sorry, calling your office pretty much defeats the purpose of doing everything over the internet. In addition, your TV advertisements are pretty much inaccurate as well now.

Thank you but no thanks.

BXXXX and JXXXXX XXXXX

On Wed, Dec 29, 2010 at 1:32 PM, Andy Dobbs wrote:

PERSONAL REFERENCE #: 4773128

Dear XXXXXXX,

Thank you for letting me know that you would prefer to complete your Term Life application exclusively by the Internet.

I would be happy to forward some ballpark quotes to you. However, the information required to give you the most accurate quote is very detailed and subject to interpretation.

By spending a few minutes on the phone with me, you have the best chance of learning the most attractive rate you can qualify for. Also, you can save weeks of wasted time pursuing a policy you may not be able to get.

My job at SelectQuote is to serve as your impartial advocate. I assure you our conversation will be confidential and believe that you will be much more comfortable with the application process once we have been able to talk.

Please call me at your earliest convenience so that we can get the additional information we need to provide you with the most accurate quote possible. I can be reached toll free at [protected] between 9:00am - 5:30pm PT, Monday through Friday.

I look forward to talking with you.

Sincerely,

Andy Dobbs
Account Manager
SelectQuote Insurance Services
XXXXXX@selectquote.com

Select Quote is a terrible company to deal with. Would not recommend to anyone. My husband and I graded A+ in health exam three months ago for a life insurance policy. We have been given the run-around for three months. Deplorable customer service. We recently were advised, or should I say "we had to do the research" to find out that our policies went through a week ago. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. American General, the life insurance company, was just as bad. Customer service is handled overseas by reps who have no knowlege or authority to help with issues. I plan on making formal complaints on both companies.

The worst customer service. They don't respond to voicemails, you get shuffled amongst customer service rep, the rate was nowhere near the quote, they're always "in meetings". It's been two months and I have no idea what's going on with my policy and can't get anyone to tell me.

Although I can't be positive, but I'm pretty certain The Raider Power person trying to put everyone in check regarding Select Quote is none other than, Joel Clark. Select Quotes #1 agent for several years running.

To be quite honest with all of you I am a online life insurance broker myself, and I am always looking to improve my business and myself for that matter. I figured who better to learn from then SelectQuote. With an Emmy Winning Spokesperson like Suze Orman I felt this company would be more like. BOY was I wrong! I called up to get quotes on my mother (as she was really in the market for life insurance) and I wanted to see how they would handle the process of quoting and applying for life insurance. My mother is in fairly good health, but is being treated for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and may be a few pounds overweight. Knowing the life insurance business, i knew first hand that she would be rated standard plus. To my surprise, Selectquote rated her Preferred Plus! Which costs only 1/3 of what she would truly be paying for coverage. I couldn't decide whether these telemarketing sales people simply knew nothing about life insurance and the underwriting process or if they simply instructed to always quote the best rate and try to force it down their throats once approved. The underwriting process does take 2-4 weeks and they realize nobody wants to go through it twice so why not inappropriately quote them a low rate, get them out of the market and away from SelectQuote's competitors, and try to persuade them to pay twice as much when they are approved! NOT.
To make matters especially worst they recommended a company who was not favorable to people who are overweight. So the standard plus rating I could get her with company B was only a standard rating by company A suggested by SelectQuote. Not only did they mislead my mom on the rating, but on the company too. Conveniently, the higher price to my mother translates in higher commissions to them.
I will not be taking anything out of this experience to use at my company; that is for sure. I believe in complete transparency with my customers, and I always let them know that my commission is the same across the board. I do not make more with one company over another and therefore, my loyalty is always to customer. I have staff who checks with you through the entire process so you are not waiting around to hear what is going on. I guess some time it is not a bad thing being the little guy!

Be aware that SelectQuote is essentially a lead-generation tool for their sales reps. I am very much annoyed by advertisements that led me to believe that I could answer a few questions online and get a range of likely quotes, after which I could decide for myself if I wanted to go into more detail with the application. After entering my name, contact info, DOB (!), state of residence, gender, and amount of coverage desired I was taken to a screen saying that an agent would contact me. They could have accomplished EXACTLY the same thing by having me supply only a phone number and/or email address. Now they have personal information about me in their database. There's a sucker born every minute, and I'm one of them!

Thanks for the reviews. We must continue forums like this one to weed out all the bad seeds.

Wish I had found this site before selecting this company. I found their sales department to be very effective at sales, but there follow-up to make sure the policy is completed and everything runs smoothly was very poor. I called numerous times and left messages with my "sales rep" or whatever they call the person handling your account. It usually took two or three more calls before someone called me back or I was able to actually reach someone. I purchased five policies. I have a wife and three children, (small global life policies for the kids) my wife and I had had a policy which State Farm our primary insurance company for the last 15 years, and I thought I would see if I could get a better rate. Actually ING. Gave us a pretty good rate and I was able to lower our payments, and increase our coverage for a fixed 20 year term on both of our policies. My policy came through fairly quickly within the first 35 to 45 days. But my wife's policy has taken almost 3 months. With dozens of phone calls. So again they will offer you a great deal but be prepared to be very frustrated with the process. The nice thing about State Farm, was I didn't have to do all the work... My local agent to care of everything. (But I did have to pay a little more). Hope this is helpful. (ref#5890801)

From reading all the complaints, I'm beginning to detect a pattern of SQ offering teaser rates, that seldom apply to policies that are actually purchased. I think I am better off checking insurance company ratings, such as by J D Powers, and use that to start my shopping excursion.

Paul F. was absolutely wonderful to me. I saved a lot of money and I'm very

Yeah, I'm an agent, I don't work for SQ, I too have to tolerate folks blaming me because it takes so long. Doctors records, and inaccurate application responses are the biggest hold up. Avg app approval time is 30-60 days, but can take longer. Believe me the agent is incentivized to get it approved asap

The insurance agents at Select Quote must be independent contractors working at home, the reason why I say this is because the one I dealt with had a 1-800 number and the machine was on all the time. This company agents do not do their jobs, and Beware of Scott Pierce he had a lab examiner come to my house take blood from me and never delivered the results, it took from March until May to even get a response from the company, and after I complain, he withdrew my application. They are not fast and efficient. The company truly sucks big time! I will never go through a agent broker from another company selling life insurance to people. I will go directly to the company. I find a lot of insurance agents are not truthful, not all but most. And Scott Pierce is the worst. Buyer Beware!
Just awful, horrible, what else can I say! moving on to the next company who is responsible and ethical.
.

Hard to understand how they do business. The application process was smooth and easy, the "medical" they provided was almost without incident(she was an hour+ late) and then nothing. No response to voice or emails. Why go to all the trouble and not follow through? The lab work was excellent so there was no health issue but even if they denied the policy shouldn't I have been told?

I gave up and went to AIG and found the same policy, same carrier for less.

I must say I am a Insurance Agent in South Florida and they are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to Life Insurance, many of us need not to rely on direct mail, internet base company's, television ads, we must always choose to have a agent meet with you in person at all times, by doing this you will able to ask all the questions, see what plans what you may be qualified for and get your underwriting process forward, so when that time comes for the policy to pay there is no problem.
Garfield Reid
[protected]
South Florida Insurance Agent

I see in this forum where some companies is taking more than 30 days to approve policies, this is too long of a time, if you are in any where in Florida, especially in the South Florida region Transamerica Life Insurance should of the approval process wrap up in 14 days Max21
Garfield Reid
[protected]
Florida License Agent

I am looking at life insurance, and I am really glad I found this before looking on their site. I realize that you can't make some people happy, but but everyone seems to be complaining about the same things which makes me think that there are real problems with SQ. Because of this, I will be looking elsewhere, and when the time comes, I will be dealing with an actual person, going over the internet to me is never a good idea. Thank you everyone for your stories, you have helped me to avoid this horrible company.