I tried setting up new insurance for a couple properties I own. It took 4 or 5 phone calls and the insurance agent just kept talking so much. Sometimes I just don't have time for all the banter. I have kids, a full-time job, etc. I don't want to spend my free time talking to some stranger on the phone. I kept telling him to email me the details and he would call anyway and "it will only take a minute".

If there was a lemonade for insurance broker type deals then I'd use it in a second. (i.e. I want to bundle my landlord insurance, personal home insurance, and auto insurance)

It's online-only, chatbot-driven, no sales associates in offices to visit. You just snap some pics on your phone and you're insured.

Gotta be honest, that sounds dreadful. What happens if you need to talk to a human?

edit: lately I've been able to sign up for insurance (car/contents) online-only anyway

i get my renters insurance through geico and i didnt have to take any pictures at all

Same, when I was a renter I applied online. Same for when I became a homeowner. My car insurance was also setup online.

This doesn't seem that radical. Most places have online and picture based insurance. They also have the added luxury of talking to a human if needed.

My experience with them was really positive. Metromile is another good example of a company like this.

Oh wow - metromile sounds really interesting. Any others like this?

Personally, I find these companies dreadful. I tried it just to see and got flustered by the 5th question or so(renters). Typically, I just call a company, choose a coverage amount, and am done in all of 2 minutes.

Wing, or Wing Alpha, is another that attempted this, to do number porting via chatbot texting back and forth. No thanks.

Out of curiosity would you classify yourself as a digital native or a non-native?

Mostly native, I guess. I would have been 11 or so when I got a computer/internet. 18 when I got a cell phone. But in a lot of ways, perhaps not. I absolutely hate texting as a replacement of a phone call, for example. Texts are fine for a notice, not a conversation. And that's coming from someone who doesn't like talking on the phone.