Pros
Insurance license was paid for
Cons
The compensation offered was extremely low, especially if you had a college degree. The hourly rate was lower than what you’d find in fast food or retail, and the bonus structure was far below industry standards. The office itself is very small located in an old shopping strip, with fewer than ten employees. The overall environment felt unprofessional for an insurance agency. Despite being in a client facing industry, there was alcohol in the office refrigerator, and employees were allowed to drink while working. The dress code was also very casual and inappropriate at times where some employees wore extremely short shorts or see through, worn out clothing. It reflected both the lack of professional standards and the low pay employees were receiving. The schedule was Monday through Saturday, with only Sundays off, which quickly became exhausting. There were no benefits whatsoever like no health insurance, paid time off, or paid holidays. Many of the marketing campaigns centered around local San Antonio Comic Con events that were advertised as giveaways, but were actually lead generation tactics for insurance sales. Participants could earn “bonus entries” by leaving a five-star Google review, and in some cases, clients who were behind on their bills were offered account credits in exchange for positive reviews, which raises serious ethical concerns. Even more concerning, I personally witnessed several instances where, if someone left a negative review online, the agency owner would look up the person’s information, track them down on social media, and send harassing messages. Sometimes he even asked employees to help identify or locate the reviewers. This behavior was extremely unprofessional and felt like a form of intimidation meant to control the agency’s public image. The systems and internal processes were also outdated and disorganized, making it difficult for the small team to stay consistent or aligned when working with clients. Additionally, I witnessed more than two employees get fired, after which the agency owner would openly make jokes about them or speak negatively about them to the remaining staff. Since he was not only the agency owner but also the office manager and self proclaimed “HR,” this behavior felt especially inappropriate and unprofessional. The owner was also overly persistent with clients who were behind on payments, often having staff calling and texting multiple times a day which felt unnecessary and insensitive, especially considering the difficult financial circumstances many clients faced.
