Why did this insurance agent try to push me into buying an expensive alarm system I don’t need?

Polish Meg asked:


I just bought a homeowner’s insurance policy for a house my husband and I just purchased. I bought our policy over the phone from a well respected company I will not mention because of their good service overall. The agent I dealt with was absolutely insistent that my husband and I install a monitored home security system in our house because we would get (a rather paltry) discount on our policy. I tried to explain to the rep that paying for the system, including monitoring would never pay off even if we were robbed because we don’t have many things someone would want to steal. Other than an off brand flat screen TV (that’s chained with a lock under its base to a very heavy solid wood TV console and we’re even thinking about attaching that to the floor joists), an inexpensive DVD player, a shelf of DVD’s mostly bought from the bargain bin at Wal-Mart and a couple of cheap laptops (that don’t even have Windows installed on them, we’re Linux users) there’s not much of value. She kept saying that what would we do if we were hit by $20,000 in loss from a burglary. Including a motorcycle and 2 cars (all insured for theft); we would be lucky if everything we have to our name, other than the house is worth that much! Plus, we live in a rural area in Alabama with a low break-in rate; I checked county crime stats for the past 10 years and we’re well below the national average. The nosy neighbors don’t hurt either

In order to break into the house you would have to get through a standard door lock, two deadbolts on each solid core security grade entry door, various window locks and avoid setting off wireless threshold motion sensors on all exterior doors and windows that let off an ear drum bursting screech that would deafen anyone within 100 feet. I work from home so I’m literally in the house all day and anyone dumb enough to break in would run a pretty high risk of getting a .22 shoved in their face anyway. The rep was still insistent that we “needed” an alarm even after hearing all of that. I couldn’t get it through her head that it doesn’t and probably will never pay for me to own an alarm system.

She then started going over my auto policy and mentioned that it would be a wise idea to put a Lojack or Onstar system on my two vehicles because of another paltry discount! My husband and I own a 1992 Pontiac Bonneville and a 1999 Dodge Dakota pickup; which are probably the last vehicles anyone would want to steal.

She just didn’t get it that some people live frugally and only buy what they actually need. She also seemed to take great offense when I told her that I thought it was dumb to spend $1000 on an alarm system, plus monitoring fees to protect a few thousand dollars worth of stuff in a low crime area in a house thats already locked tighter than Fort Knox and practically under armed guard! My dad’s obsessed with home defense so I learned how to use a gun when I was 14.

I’m 22 and this was by far the most annoying experience I’ve had in the whole home buying process! I would have hung up on her but I needed the insurance paperwork sent to my mortgage company before the end of the business day. The insurance company I’m using doesn’t even have any connection to these other companies whatsoever! I don’t get it. Is this woman completely crazy?

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