MN auto insurance - DeKok Insurance Group, Inc.

Accident Prevention Course

February 11, 2016 By Jon DeKok

In Minnesota if you are a driver over age 55 you can take an approved “Accident Prevention ” 8-hour course, provide a certificate to your auto insurance agent or company and receive a 10% discount! This discount is good for three years and then you can take a 4-hour refresher course every three years and keep the discount. Please see the PDF of approved live and online courses below.

Jon

AccidentPreventionCourseList

DeKok Insurance Group, Inc. Referral Program: When you tell your family and friends about your positive experience with my agency, and they call for a quote, I’ll send YOU a $20 gift card.

Deer Hit

January 6, 2016 By Jon DeKok

I was heading home from my insurance office one evening shortly before the end of the year. We live about 12 miles North of Rochester. It was dark out since evening comes earlier this time of year. I could see a couple vehicles on the opposite side of the road facing me. I was traveling at about 55 miles per hour. Several feet ahead of me there was a large dead deer laying across my entire lane. With no time to avoid hitting it, I went over the top of it.

One of the vehicles on the opposite side of the road had hit the deer before I came along. I was glad to see that the driver was out of her car on her cell phone.

My first thought before I ran over the deer was – shoot! – I have no way to avoid this. My second thought was – I hope there’s no damage on my car, and my third thought was I’m so glad I have good insurance coverage. You see, I had just purchased this low mileage, no rust vehicle only a week earlier from a private party in Arizona on EBAY.

I took the car to my mechanic (Jason at “Bird’s Auto Repair”) to lift up on his hoist to check it out. I am happy to say – other than the terrible mess, there was no damage.

Since then, the car has been through about 10 car washes with underbody included.

Fact – Even though hitting an animal in the road is technically a collision, it is covered under “Comprehensive” (other than collision) coverage on your auto policy.

If you would like a quote, please call 507-226-8121 or email or me at [email protected].

We’re all looking for a good value. You will find it at DeKok Insurance Group.

Jon

DeKok Insurance Group, Inc. Referral Program: When you tell your family and friends about your positive experience with my agency, and they call for a quote, I’ll send YOU a $20 gift card.

On the Road Again

June 30, 2015 By Jon DeKok

We love to ride.

For Jon and I a good date night is us in the front seat, the dogs in the back, hot coffee (from Caribou), an audio book we can listen to, a tank full of gas, and a clean windshield. Although Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” could be our theme song, The Oak Ridge Boys singing “The Boys Are Back” is our favorite start to a road trip. We always talk for part of the trip and sometimes we sit in comfortable silence. Drivers who pass us often smile – not because of us – but because Sophie is perched in the back window and Tucker is watching out the side one behind Jon.

Favorite destinations include, but are not limited to, Red Wing, Lake City, Wabasha, and Lanesboro.

And the windshield matters almost as much as having enough gas in the tank.

We prefer the scenery to smudges and bug gunk. They take away from the panoramic view and enjoyment that’s part of recreational riding. (Jon agrees so this isn’t a marital problem.) A chip or a crack are terribly distracting.

And in Minnesota, if the windshield is damaged to the point that it impairs the driver’s vision, a law enforcement officer can issue a ticket.

Here are a couple of links to help you decide if it’s time to fix yours. . .

Windshield Replacement Laws

Minnesota Laws on Windshield Replacement

All of the companies Jon represents offer what is called Full Glass Breakage Coverage. To find out if you are already covered, call Jon at 507-226-8121 or email him at [email protected].

The cost for this coverage is reasonable.

If you have a chipped or cracked windshield and have coverage, here are the steps you can take to get your claim started:

Call your insurance claims department. If you don’t have the number, call the office and we’ll give it to you.

All of the insurance companies have local glass companies normally they work with. However, if you have one you’d like to work with, you can check and see if your company works with them. Glass companies serving in and around the Rochester area that we recommend are: (these are NOT listed in any specific order nor are we endorsing one ove the other)

Abra Auto Body & Glass

Safelight Auto Glass

If you have any questions, call Jon at 507-226-8121 or email him at [email protected]

We hope you enjoy your next road trip.

Joy

DeKok Insurance Group, Inc. Referral Program: When you tell your family and friends about your positive experience with my agency, and they call for a quote, I’ll send YOU a $20 gift card.

[tweetthis]On the Road Again #WindshieldRepair #MNInsurance #RecreationalRiding[/tweetthis]

[tweetthis]Your windshield matters as much as the gas in your tank. #MNInsurance #WindshieldRepair[/tweetthis]

Value, Trust, & Client Loyalty at DeKok Insurance Group

July 25, 2014 By Jon DeKok

Joy Here:

Perkins North is Cheers for Jon and Me.

When Jon went into the insurance business over thirty years ago, he was a busy man. We had very little time together and needed at least one catch-up a week. He called one day and asked me to meet him for lunch at Perkins. We had so much fun, as we were leaving he said, “Let’s do this again next Tuesday.”

For over twenty years we did and sometimes we still do. When we walk in, the hosts and waitresses know our names. We know theirs, and a little about their lives. They’ve read my books, told me about their children, and they have our favorite foods memorized. When they changed the Tuesday specials a few years ago, they were concerned about how to tell us!

Why Perkins?

1. We like the food. (Value)

2. We love the staff. (Trust & Loyalty)

Because we’ve received a good value (the food), and the staff welcomes us and gives us excellent service, we go back for more. If I were to hear a complaint about “our” Perkins, my internal dukes would rise, and I would defend them. We’re loyal regulars.

Jon and I have experienced something similar here at DeKok Insurance Group. Our clients tell us they stay, in part, for better insurance coverage and often lower rates (Value), but more important to them is the relationship they have with Jon as their independent agent. (Trust & Loyalty)

Because I’m Jon’s wife, you probably think I’m biased. I am. But as a consumer, I want an agent who knows insurance, can help me find the right insurance products for my needs, and who I can trust to be loyal to me before a company.

Buying insurance is about value, trust, and loyalty. All three are available to you at DeKok Insurance Group, Inc.

Jon Here:

In the purchase of insurance, we have so many choices. This is good! However, it can be overwhelming. At DeKok Insurance Group, Inc. we work with some of the best insurance companies in the world and are familiar with the coverage’s they offer.

So, how does this help you?

We make it easy to compare and save money with better coverage.

Because we are independent, we can and always will be loyal to you. We are not limited by just one company or insurance policy. We are able to match your needs with the best coverage.

There are three components to being insured. Price and the coverage are very important; however there is a third component that makes it better: your agent.

As your agent, I am available to answer questions, re-quote and compare coverages with you, take care of the paperwork, and in general be here for you. Because of this, you’ll know I will also be here for those you refer to me.

We are all looking for better value. You have it with DeKok Insurance Group, Inc.

Thank you!

Jon

Phone 507-226-8121

Email: [email protected]

Tell your family members and friends about your positive experience with DeKok Insurance Group, Inc. If they call for a quote and tell us you sent them, YOU will receive a $20 gift card from us.

[tweetthis]Value, trust, client loyalty. #DeKokInsuranceGroup #IndependentAgent #RochesterMN[/tweetthis]

Earl – A Chevy Classic

July 18, 2014 By Jon DeKok

(Earl and one of the Schwartz brothers in 1979)

Jon here. Joy and I have been looking forward to sharing this post with you. Although I enjoy looking at classic cars, Joy really enjoys them. So, I’ll let her tell you the story.

Joy here. I met Keith Schwartz in Jon’s office when he stopped in to talk about some insurance. Jon told me that Keith owned a truck I’d like to hear about so I asked. Last night, Keith and his wife Sheryl shared Earl with us.

This might just be the coolest truck ever.

I took notes while Keith shared Earl’s history. In 1979 this blue 1951 Chevrolet pickup was wasting away in a junkyard. Keith’s brother purchased the truck for $150 thinking he’d use it for parts on another truck he owned. Instead, he decided to drive the rusted, blue one. While in college, the brothers drove it through the harsh North Dakota winters, pulling other vehicles out of ditches, because this Chevy could and did.

Over the years, the brothers sold the truck – to each other, keeping it in the family. In 1991, Keith bought it because he said, “I loved it from the time we pulled it out of the junkyard.” He then took it down to pieces, and it stayed that way for sixteen years. In 2000, he started the restoration process, which he completed in 2009. Standing beside Earl, I realized when Keith says he restored him, he means every single piece of that truck has passed through his hands and is in excellent condition. Earl didn’t get a surface restoration – he is fully restored.

Last night, when Jon parked across the street from Keith and Sheryl’s house, my heart beat a little faster. Is it possible to be smitten by a pickup? It seems so.

After pulling the pickup out of the junkyard, the brothers found some letters that read, Earl, on the truck by the box where it couldn’t be seen unless you opened the door. Although it was likely the owners name, it immediately became the truck’s name.

When I stepped in front of the truck, it felt like he smiled at me. And yes, I smiled back. I couldn’t help myself. He’s such a happy looking guy and it’s contagious.

Then Keith showed me the interior – this old boy is classy inside and out!

This is my favorite picture of Earl.

Keith told us, “I’ve owned him most of his life, and he never lets us down. He always starts. Always has. When the family calls they ask how we’re doing then they ask how Earl is.”

All of that makes perfect sense to me. Earl is a Chevy classic, but in a way, he’s in class by himself.

I’ll hand this back to Jon for now. It was really nice visiting with Keith and Sheryl, and it was nice meeting Earl. As we pulled away, I looked at the pickup again and thought, “That is honestly one cool truck!” Today writing this post, I feel the same way. He is.

Jon here. Do you own a classic car? Call for a quote. Earl is insured with Hagarty – one of the best insurers of classic and antique cars.

Jon

Email: [email protected]

Phone 507-226-8121

Tell your family members and friends about your positive experience with DeKok Insurance Group, Inc. If they call for a quote and tell us you sent them, YOU will receive a $20 gift card from us.

[tweetthis]This might just be the coolest truck ever. #Classic #IndependentAgentMN #ChevyTruck[/tweetthis]

[tweetthis]Is it possible to be smitten by a pickup? #ChevyClassic #MNInsurance #IndependentAgent[/tweetthis]