When something works for William and Kathryn Darden, they stick with it.
They’ve celebrated 52 years of marriage. They’ve lived in the same house in Raton, N.M., for nearly half a century, and have relied on the same insurance agency for advice since 1947. And they’ve insured a dozen or so cars with Safeco since 1955, including their current almond-colored 2003 Chrysler Sebring.
In a nutshell, they embrace long-term commitments — and the quality of those commitments. When they had a serious car accident about 20 years ago, “Safeco took care of us,” William Darden says.
But the Dardens’ relationship with Safeco goes back far more than 20 years.
William Darden has been a loyal customer of Park Avenue Insurance since it operated under the moniker Durrett Agency years ago. "Once you get people placed with a company that has treated them properly, there's no reason to change," explains Mark Morris, one of the owners of the agency in Raton. "That's why he has stayed with our agency and Safeco for so long."
Darden, a 91-year-old retired attorney, agrees.
"My first agent actually was a trusted friend and I insured my first car with him in 1947," Darden says. "After his agency started representing Safeco, he told me it was a good company so I moved the auto policy to Safeco in 1955."
A ‘worthwhile’ company
Twenty-five years later, he received a note of appreciation directly from Safeco.
"The letter stated that Safeco would not add surcharges for things like fender benders," Darden recalls. He adds that there were indeed a few fender benders over the years.
"I didn't have to worry about my coverage being dropped because of them. I figured that was worthwhile."
The Dardens also have had one serious one-car accident, around 20 years ago.
"Kathryn was driving, something startled her and our car flipped three times," Darden says. Both were wearing seat belts and they escaped with only minor injuries. Safeco's handling of the claim cemented Darden's already good opinion of the company.
"Safeco took care of us," he notes. "I know some other companies that have not treated customers well when they've had claims."
Finding new ways to save
In late 2008, Darden moved his homeowner policy to the company he has trusted for auto insurance for so long. In addition to great coverage and knowledge that he'd be treated well if he ever had a claim, Darden got a discount for having both his auto and home policies with Safeco.
"My prior company was raising my rates last year, so the agency helped me shop to see if there was anything lower," he explains. "Safeco came in with about the same coverages but for less premium, so we switched. I know the company, so I knew it was a good move."