Complaint Review: American Family Life Assurance Co. - Internet

 You Obviously DID have a very short stint with Aflac due to most of your information being incorrect! Aflac is and always has been an extremely reputable company winning such accolades as making the most ethical company list 6 years running and the ONLY insurance company to be on that list. Unfortunately for you a company doesn't make that list 6 years straight by Lying, cheating, and certainly by not paying claims! Ranked a fortune 500 company and listed in the top 100 companies to work for by Fortune magazine is also something that DOESN'T happen by Aflac getting their name drawn out of a hat.

"Luring" people in........where do i start! Over $1000 dollars and about 2 months to get licensed? How many times did you fail the test and pay to retake it? I spent a week and a half and about $250 to get licensed so i'm not sure where you went wrong. My training with Aflac was anything but "HOORAH SESSIONS" and didn't cost anything, again not sure what you are talking about there. I suggest you do a little more research before deciding to BASH the most reputable insurance company in the world and please don't blame your lack of success with Aflac on Aflac. This obviously was not the right fit for you and it absolutely is an incredible company to work for! I have been with them for almost four years now and i can assure you that your "NOT VESTED" comment is pure ignorance on YOUR part.

I suggest anyone looking for a wonderful career NOT base their decision on the original report here due to 99.9% of it being inaccurate!

Sincerely,

An independent agent representing Aflac!

The posters reply is correct about reasonable, state varied fees to pass insurance exams.  Aflac does not pay for them as you are licensed to sell in your state, no promise you will sell for Aflac.  I've never paid for an Aflac class and as to vesting this is were I want to note a correction.  Renewals are fully vested after 10 years and 50% vested at 5.  If you leave before that point, you have no continuation on them. 

To each their own, I have several problems with the duck, a great deal has to do with the "independent contractors" that represent themself as Aflac but the company itself is sound and responsible with claims payments.  Aflac is working for yourself in the sales positions - you are not an employee and that comes with a lot of responsibity.  Sales is a though world.

Wow, where to begin?

1.  Yes, I have sold insurance, but not for any one particular company...I'm an independent broker and I am contracted with many companies.     It is very hard work.   A "brief stint" as you put it, will most surely end in failure, and i"m sorry you did not stick with it.      Persistence is the key..people come into the insurance business and expect to make money right away.    Let me dispell that notion immediately. 

This job has a long learning curve.   You need to pay your dues...get out there and start working on prospects, which you will hopefull turn into real, paying clients.   This takes time, LOTS of it, and hard work.   I realize I"m veering off topic for a bit, but there might be newbies agents reading this so I thought I'd throw in some advice:  This is a very hard job, but a rewarding one.  And it IS possible to make very good money doing it, and still maintain your integrity.

There is not magic formula for being a success....it's just plain leg work.  Yes, there is some cold calling, but it's not ice-cold...you need to qualify your prospects.   And you need to cold call every single day, without execption, even if you get all 'no's.  That's okay.  just keep going.    In addition to cold calling, you should network: join SOMETHING...doesn't have to be a networking group...it can be the the Lions Club, the Rotary, volunteer at your local library, anything that gets you in touch with people.

You need to beyour own walking billboard, walking and talking every day.   If you just keep doing it, after a while, all your efforts coalesce, and something magical happens....you start to make sales.  It takes take and patience.

Now...regarding the staggering amount of inaccuracies in your post...where do I even begin?

1.Aflac does not charge any fees for licensing...that is between YOU and the state you want to be licensced in.     Same with Blue Cross, United Health, Tufts, Kaiser.     In order to contract with an insurance company,, and sell their products, you must hold at least at Accident & Health license, and that is up to the Insurance Commisioner of your state.   It most certainly does NOT cost "$1000 or more dollars" to get your license.  Most folks can take the exam online for eight bucks.                                                                  

2.  I have several friends who have been contraced with Aflac for many years.  All training of new agenst is free of charge.    I check with them, and no one has ever heard of these "Hoorah" sessions that you claim "costs another several hundred bucks."     Simply not true. 

3.  YOu rant and rave about agents Helping themselves and Aflac to people's checking accounts.  I have no idea what you are talking about.   The vast majority of Aflac policyholders, from what I understand, pay for aflac via payroll deductins.   If they leave the employer, they can pay Aflac directly...there is never any push to give Aflac your checking account number..you simply request quartely billing.  You can pay with a money order, if you want to.

4.  You state that the commission you earn are not vested, and further, you state that "everytime someone renews a policy, you don't get paid any more commission." 

ABSOLUTELY FALSE.    Aflac pays renewal commissions on every policy..usually between 6 and 7%. You do have to write $10K each year to keep earning renewals.   $10k is a pittance...one company with less than a dozen employees can eaily help you make that benchmark.

After only TWO years with Aflac, agents are 50% vested in renewals for life.   After Five years, its' 75% vestment, and at the 10 year mark, agents are vested 100%.

The rest of your post is disjointed, and rambling. 

Aflac spends a great deal of money on training programs (all free) to its agents.  They own Aflac University, also free to any agents. 

Your post is full of negativity, and you focus exclusively on your earnings.   May I suggest you start thinking about way to help people...and try and remember that any career worth having is going to be a long, hard road.

Good luck.

It's sad to hear that you have had that experience, but this is definitely not the normal fees. I am a newly licensed agent and the pre-examination training was only $100. I had to pay an additional $70 to take the exam and $59 for my license from the state. Most careers require some kind of investment for training..  How much money does it cost to get a degree?  I consider $229 a very reasonable investment for a rewarding career.  As for your commissions being vested, you apparently were not with the company long enough. Renewals are 100% vested in 5 years.  I am very happy to invest in my career and am proud to represent a quality company...which by the way is listed as one of the world's "Most Ethical Companies" and also as a Fortune 100 "Best Companies to Work For".

I sold insurance for a few years here in Texas and dont remember the exams or study material ever costing way more than 1000.00 dollars. The only way i see someone paying that much is if they had to retake the exam several times.