Unfiltered Story #257750

A gentleman calls in to the insurance agency where I work. This is a relatively popular agency that provides a variety of coverages across the US, so many people have seen our television commercials.
Due to my licensing, I am able to provide a certain level of service; however, I cannot provide quotes on some products. This is normally not a big deal, because there are four other people in the office who ARE licensed to provide quotes, who work on commission, and for whom doing so is their main job function.
Me: (answering the phone) Thank you for calling (business), how may I help you?
Him: I need to know if my daughter can get a discount.
Me: I’ll be happy to look into that! Is your daughter currently covered by (our business)?
Him: She needs a discount.
Me: We have many discounts available. Does she currently have a policy with us?
Him: Yes. Yes.
Me: Ok. Is she on her own coverage, or is she listed on your coverage?
Him: Yes. She needs a discount. I have all the paperwork.
Me: We can investigate discounts, but I need to know if she is on her coverage, or has her own policy.
Him: (rattles off policy number)
Me: Ok, I see that’s a policy for Mr. (name). Are you Mr. (name)?
Him: Yes, but I need to give my daughter discounts! I have all the paperwork. I do not understand this!
Me: I see you have (person A) and (person B) listed on this policy. Which is your daughter?
Him: (PERSON B)! She needs discounts! I have all of the paperwork.
Me: Great! Ok. Now I see she is on several of your policies. Are we looking at discounts for auto, renters, or commercial?
Him: PERSON B! DISCOUNTS! MY FRIEND! WHY IS THIS SO HARD??
Me: I am asking for more information because I see she has quite a few discounts. (I list off approximately six discounts that are currently applied to the coverages she shares.) So, that’s what we currently have listed for Person B. What discount would you like to apply?
Him: The police discount.
Me: I’m sorry?
Him: I talked to the police. They said she could get a discount on her insurance.
Me: Did they happen to specify what type of discount?
Him: Because she drives well.
Me: Yes, she’s already got that discount. (I name the proprietary moniker for the discount and explain how it works)
Him: NO! THE POLICE DISCOUNT! My friend, you are in the wrong business if you do not know what I mean!
Me: Let’s look at it this way: there are three discounts available that she is not receiving right now. (I list them off and explain each one)
Him: That is NOT what the police said.
Me: I’m sorry, but we don’t offer any additional discounts.
Him: What about (another company’s discount)?
Me: That’s actually offered by (another company), not us. It is the same principle as (proprietary discount) though. (explains how it works)
Him: The police will come for you if you do not give my daughter this discount.
Me: We can certainly talk to the police, but I’m afraid they would not be authorized to review your daughter’s insurance, since that’s your policy.
Him: What if we start a new policy in my daughter’s name?
Me: It is possible she would qualify for different discounts if she had her own policy, yes.
Him: Let’s do that now.
Me: Since your daughter is over 18, we would need to talk to her.
Him: No. We do it now.
Me: Is your daughter there? Can she authorize us to speak to you?
Him: Yes. Yes. We do it now.
Me: Ok, then I’ll just need to grab one of my quote specialists. If you and your daughter can hang on just a moment.
Him: NO! MY FRIEND! YOU JUST NEED TO GIVE THE POLICE DISCOUNT!
Me: Mr. (name), I’m unable to help you further, but I can connect you instantly to a licensed agent. Just one moment.
I already had an agent lined up via Instant Messenger. Unfortunately, the customer hung up shortly after he was transferred, because the other agent was also unfamiliar with the police discount that doesn’t exist.
A week later, he came in with a variety of flyers from different insurance companies, offering discounts. He was enraged that we would not give him other companies’ discounts for his daughter’s coverage. He also had a handwritten note from a police officer, recommending he check out a good student type of discount… which the daughter already had. He spoke to every agent in our office, as well as the owner, before we connected him with Corporate, who advised him the same thing. When I left a year later, he was still calling periodically to get the Police Discount (which still didn’t exist).