Insurance Journal Forums

Posted: **Wed Aug 25, 2004 4:14 pm**

I am interested in using Insurance Noodle's Services to quote small commercial clients. Can anyone else out there share with me your experiences with Insurance Noodle?

For those of you who are unfamiliare with Insurance Noodle, here is how they describe themselves on their website:
---Once you are a registered NoodleNetworkâ„¢ agent you complete one application for your client on our website with a 1-4 day turnaround on quotes, our carriers directly bill your clients, we pay you 80% of the commission we receive from the carrier, AND as stated in our sub-brokerage agreement you own your book of business (includes new & renewal).

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Posted: **Thu Aug 26, 2004 11:39 am**

I use them as a way to get access to Hartford, Safeco, and CNA BOPs without any broker fee. I usually get a quote in 2 days and then its just click to bind and everything is direct billed.

I have also used SuperiorAccess.com for the same products but they have $150-$250 broker fees.

Overall, InsuranceNoodle meets all of our needs for access to a BOP market.

Posted: **Thu Aug 26, 2004 12:04 pm**

How does InsuranceNoodle's turnaround-time compare to the industry standard?

Have you found it easy to reach their customer service?

Thanks again.

Posted: **Thu Aug 26, 2004 12:27 pm**

Hi! I access Insurance Noodle for their BOP markets, but know that they have expanded considerably and offer many services to brokers. However, the one weakness I have experienced is in the area of customer service. As long as your issues are controlled to website, you are good to go, but have noticed that the "in person" customer service at times is a bit lacking. Maybe that will change with their recent move. For more hands-on customer service, I recommend using Networked Insurance Agents http://www.nia-ins.com and becoming an Affiliate.

I hope this helps!

Carrie M. Allen, ARM
Cyberian Insurance Services
Santa Clara, CA

Posted: **Sun Aug 29, 2004 7:43 pm**

Any other noodle feedback out there?

Posted: **Wed Oct 06, 2004 6:41 pm**

I use insurance noodle and love them. My experience has been way better than with Superior Access. Quotes for BOP's come back fairly quick (2-3 days) and sometimes quicker. The last 2 quotes I submitted came back in 1 day. Email them and you will get a response. Call them and someone will answer the phone. Commissions are good and no broker fees like Superior Access charges.

Regards,

Rob Winter

Posted: **Thu Oct 07, 2004 1:48 pm**

I completely agree about Insurance Noodle. The online platform is wonderful and they are adding additional lines of business to support Commercial Lines. I did not have good luck with Superior Access. The other excellent avenue is Networked Insurance Agents in Grass Valley, CA for Commercial and Personal Lines http://www.nia-ins.com.

Posted: **Fri Oct 08, 2004 1:29 pm**

Stick with Insurance Noodle. I've had some experience with Superior Access and Mike Mayo in particular. Their agent support center told me that he is only in his office a few hours a week...the rest of the time he paints in his studio, so that may be why he doesn't respond to emails. Their broker's fees are excessive as well. It's been my experience that they just don't care about the job they do...just my opinion.

Posted: **Fri Oct 08, 2004 4:40 pm**

You've got to be kidding me. I see there name here so checked the noodle (what kind of name is that) out and on the very home page of their website is a place for a business owner to get a quote. You mean that they sell insurance to the public in direct competition with you, me and all of us! and you want them to be my wholesaler too?!!! First of all...I am not doing buisness with Insurance Noodle because they also sell insurance to the public. I am not in business to feed my own competition and cause the demise of the independent agency system. Some of you must not have looked. It says that the policies issue with the name Insurance Noodle on them. Not your name. Now where do you think YOUR customer is going to go when they need another policy? To you or to insurance noodel? How convenient...and they just happen to have a website to do business direct with my customer and take business from all of us.

This is a real pet peeve of mine. I cancelled my Firemans Fund appointment when they started selling direct and taking business from me and I'm not about to give insurance noodle $200 so that they can become stronger and better at replacing me in the marketplace. Some of you obviously haven't been around very long and haven't learned yet that when you give another agent who sells insurance direct to the public (insurancenoodel) your policies anmd your customer you may just end up with no policies and no customers and no recourse to do anything about it some day.BTW: Icouldn't find a single market for contractors, real work comp or personal lines anywhere in my State (California).

Posted: **Sun Oct 10, 2004 6:47 pm**

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (CompPro @ Oct 8 2004, 03:40 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> You've got to be kidding me. I see there name here so checked the noodle (what kind of name is that) out and on the very home page of their website is a place for a business owner to get a quote. You mean that they sell insurance to the public in direct competition with you, me and all of us! and you want them to be my wholesaler too?!!! First of all...I am not doing buisness with Insurance Noodle because they also sell insurance to the public. I am not in business to feed my own competition and cause the demise of the independent agency system. Some of you must not have looked. It says that the policies issue with the name Insurance Noodle on them. Not your name. Now where do you think YOUR customer is going to go when they need another policy? To you or to insurance noodel? How convenient...and they just happen to have a website to do business direct with my customer and take business from all of us.

This is a real pet peeve of mine. I cancelled my Firemans Fund appointment when they started selling direct and taking business from me and I'm not about to give insurance noodle $200 so that they can become stronger and better at replacing me in the marketplace. Some of you obviously haven't been around very long and haven't learned yet that when you give another agent who sells insurance direct to the public (insurancenoodel) your policies anmd your customer you may just end up with no policies and no customers and no recourse to do anything about it some day.BTW: Icouldn't find a single market for contractors, real work comp or personal lines anywhere in my State (California). [/quote]
points taken.

Posted: **Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:31 am**

It is an interesting concept and I think they have a good product but I have a good number of in house markets that write this business. Not sure why an agent would use this system.

Posted: **Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:39 am**

You all should use an aggregator that would allow you to own your business, provide you access to large insurance carriers for ALL product lines including middle market and pay you compeitive commissions...with NO FEE!

Visit http://www.chamberagent.com. or call 888-463-0108. YES California Comp too!

Posted: **Mon Oct 11, 2004 12:46 pm**

If a customer who has a BOP goes back to Insurance Noodle for a second policy, Insurance noodle refers them back to the agent. It has happened to me several times already. California contractors markets are available through any number of wholesalers.

Posted: **Mon Oct 11, 2004 4:28 pm**

That's all well and fine, Rob. But it doesn't address my main point. Insurance Noodel sells insurance direct to the public in direct competition with you, me, their customers and every agent in America that is busting their tails every day to make a living. Insurance Noodel IS IN COMPETITION WITH YOU and when you give them $200 or write a policy with them it is no different than helping a competing agency down the street with their advertising costs or pitching in to help pay part of the wages of your competitors secretery.

I'm not paying my competing agencies secretery, I'm not paying for their advertising and I'm not going to pay the Insurance Noodel to get better and better at competing with me. 

Again, Rob, this is just my opinion, but I've been around a long time and have a real moral and philisophical problem with any company that wants to be my wholesaler also being a retailer.

Posted: **Tue Oct 12, 2004 4:37 pm**

I understand your position, CompPro. Just like Progressive sells direct as well. Some of us, however, do what we have to do to survive and sell policies. I don't have $9K to give to siaa and other organizations like that, and can't deal with other types of wholesalers that have poor service. So some of us do what we can to sell a good product to our customers. BTW, Insurance noodle sells direct to about 400 different classes, but the agent partners have access to about 1600 different classes (I'm sure that varies by state). So whether or not they are competing with an agent by writing direct is debatable depending on which classes the agent is targeting. If you have an alternative for us agents who need access, I'm open for suggestions (other than superior access for the reasons I mentioned in previous posts).