Insurance is one of those necessities in life we pay for hoping we never have to use…read more Unfortunately, unexpected events like the lady trying to curl her hair and chat on her cell phone during rush hour traffic or a rotten branch falling during a windstorm happen more often than we might like. That's where your choice of insurance agent matters. Curt Luke met me personally one crisp day in October when I transferred my out-of-state policy, crunching numbers and whittling down my deductibles to find the best balance of out-of-pocket payments and savings. He stayed after business hours to make the numbers work in my favour, something I greatly appreciated. Michigan's no-fault laws caused an eye-opening bump in my monthly payments, but Curt explained the benefits of no-fault so clearly and succinctly that I found myself wishing other states and provinces had similar benefits. Score one point for informed consumer made aware of her options. Flash forward a year and a half to another series of unfortunate events at my new workplace. An overactive security gate decided to slam closed on my vehicle. After facing down security, I was a pile of jittery nerves when I called. Kathy in the agency office went beyond the call of duty to help calm me and explain what benefits my policy entitled me to. She armed me with questions to ask of the security people (fruitless as that was), took my statement, and declared her opinion of matters. Then she gave advice for how I should approach the situation as she put my claim in. She put up with several phone calls as I ran around trying to collect information, and her helpful manner made a big difference to me. Within a few hours, I had a claim sent over to the body shop repairing my vehicle and a number for the rental agency. She followed up right away with the collision shop the next morning so they could begin work. That's service with a smile and a hand on your shoulder. When I called back with a situation, she heard me out. The experience beats filing paperwork through an automated system, dealing with an interactive voice system (aka: speak to the computerized menu), and hoping you have everything right. Accidents and losses are difficult enough to navigate, much less try to figure out how the insurance company will respond. Curt Luke's agency is staffed by people who know their subjects and respond warmly to inquiries. They are prompt filling requests and excellent when it comes to returning calls. I hope you never get into dire circumstances, but if you do, remember Curt Luke and his office staff. They've bailed me out from a tooth-grinding, frustrating situation and went the extra miles on my behalf. That means a lot. When you need an advocate, they are there.