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Comment by giantg2 | Hacker News Reader

Why is Lemonade radical?

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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