My Favorite Reviews of the Year, and the One That Made Us Hire Someone

As of today we have more than 4,100 Google reviews across our four business profiles, averaging 4.9 stars. I read a lot of them. Some of what people write about our team is better than anything we could have written ourselves, and a few of them tell me exactly where we are falling short.

This post is five of my favorites from the last 12 months, plus the review that stung the most and what we did about it.

Here's the Short Answer

• What people praise most is not the savings. Money comes up most often, but the language people use is about relief: not having to shop, not having to decode a policy, not having to fight with anyone.
• Our most persuasive reviews are the ones where we told someone not to switch. An agent who says your current rate cannot be beat is worth more than one who always finds a reason to move you.
• Our hardest reviews mostly say the same thing. People could not reach us. That criticism is fair, and it is the one thing we have been actively fixing.
• Our callback standard is 6 business hours, and we were missing it. Some people waited weeks. We have made specific changes, including hiring someone whose entire job is answering the phone.
• If you call and get voicemail, please leave a message. Voicemails and emails get worked. Hang-ups leave us nothing to call back.

What 4,100 Reviews Actually Say

I pulled every review we have received across Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Oregon and read through the ones from the last 12 months. There were 752 of them, 701 with written comments. Of those, 682 were five-star reviews with something written in them, and that is the group the table below is built on.

Based on a keyword analysis of 682 five-star reviews with written comments posted to our four Google Business Profiles between July 26, 2025 and July 26, 2026. A single review can fall into more than one category, so the column does not total 100 percent. Percentages are approximate because reviewers describe the same experience in different words.

The ranking is useful but the wording matters more. When people write about savings they rarely sound greedy. They sound relieved. A client in Colorado put it better than I could.

"I hate that I’m at the point in my life where getting a great insurance deal makes my day but here we are."

That is the part I want people to understand before they call us. The money is real, and you will see four specific dollar figures below from four specific clients. But the thing people thank us for is not having to do it themselves.

My Five Favorite Reviews From the Last 12 Months

Every quote below is copied exactly as the client wrote it, typos and all. You can find each one on our Google profiles and check it yourself, which is the whole point.

1. The one where we told her not to switch

Cynthia R. in Arizona came to us through Ramsey Solutions to shop her home and auto. The first thing our agent Jesse did was refuse to ask what she was currently paying.

" He asked me what was important and did not want to know my premiums. At first I thought that was weird, but he explained he wanted to find me the best coverage similar to what I had without knowing my current premium."

Then he shopped it and came back with an answer that does not make us any money.

" My current car insurance couldn’t be beat, thank you for your honesty."

On the home side there was room to help, but not in the way most people expect. She could have taken a lower rate by reducing coverage, and she did not want to.

" I could have gone down in coverage and gotten a better rate, I didn’t want to do that. Jesse asked me what was more important, rate or coverage? Coverage was the answer for me. This is my home, my investment. He was able to get me substantially more coverage and keep my rate."

Why this is my favorite review of the year: a captive agent cannot write that outcome. Neither can an agency that only gets paid when you move. If we shop your coverage and your current carrier is already the best fit, the honest answer is to stay put, and we will tell you so. That happens more often than people expect.

2. The one where she called us upset

Ericka in Oregon found us after a Financial Peace University course, at a moment when her housing costs had just jumped.

"I reached out to this insurance company due to my homeowners insurance going up $500 a month."

She was candid in her review about how that first phone call went, and the words are hers, not mine.

"When I called I spoke with Tiffany who was met with me who was emotional and abrasive as I was highly stressed at the huge monthly increase."

" Tiffany showed me grace and helped me and shared that she had the ability to shop approximately 41 companies."

Across two homes, a car, and an umbrella policy, here is where it landed.

" She found a company who was able to save me just under $4000 a year. This was a huge stress relief as my mortgage will go back down to a manageable amount."

What this teaches: most people do not call an insurance agent on a good day. They call after a renewal notice ruins their morning. How an agency treats you in that first phone call, when you are not at your best, tells you most of what you need to know.

3. The one that names the real fear

Adam W. in Colorado opened his review by naming exactly why you are on this page right now.

"The reason you're reading these reviews is because you want to know if an agency can be trusted."

Then he named the thing that stops most people from ever shopping their insurance at all.

" I'll say it, shopping for insurance is the worst, you ask for one quote and suddenly your information is sold to 100 people and you get spam calls and emails."

" In a short half an hour Michael was able to get me $400 cheaper (per 6 months) insurance that would've taken me hours to go around and ask about."

What this teaches: the reason most people overpay is not laziness. It is that the normal way of shopping punishes you for trying. Working with one independent agency means one conversation and one set of your information, not a dozen lead forms sold to the highest bidder.

4. The one about a claim that was never paid

Scott in Colorado had his auto and home split between two different carriers for two decades.

"I have had separate auto (Geico) and homeowners (Farmers) insurance for 20 years. I had a claim for a small water leak that I didn’t notice for 6 months because it was in a wall."

The carrier denied it because he reported it too late. Here is the part that matters, and it is the reason this review made the list.

" Then to top it off that claim even though I didn’t receive money from it caused a flag on my homeowners insurance. It showed I just had a claim but don’t show that I didn’t receive any money."

He shopped it with us and now saves $800 a year.

What this teaches: filing a claim can affect your record whether or not you collect a dime. That is why we tell clients to call us before filing anything, so we can walk through whether it is worth reporting. Ask your agent to explain how your claims history looks to other carriers. If they cannot, that is useful information too.

5. The one where better coverage mattered more than a lower price

Sally S. in Arizona came to us as a Ramsey referral and worked with our agent Matt. He reviewed what she had, made recommendations about coverage she needed and coverage she did not, and went to market.

" Within a couple of days he had shopped numerous carriers and got back to me with better coverage that I had through State Farm and a yearly savings around $900 on homeowners, umbrella, 2 cars and a golf cart coverage!"

What she flagged as the best part is not the $900. It is the sentence that came after it.

" In addition, I was thrilled to learn that I will not have to shop insurance coverage again! Every year Matt's company will re shop the coverage and find the best policy for me and my husband!"

What this teaches: we call that annual re-shop the TRAC process, short for Trailstone Risk Assessment and Comparison. It is the part of what we do that clients seem to discover at the end rather than the beginning, and it is the reason a good independent agent is worth having in year five, not just on day one.

Now the Review That Stung

I could stop there. I am not going to, because you can read our one-star reviews as easily as I can, and pretending they do not exist would make everything above less believable.

Over the last 12 months we received 15 one-star reviews. A handful raise other issues, including a placement we got wrong and a rate increase we could not fix. But the clear majority of them are about one thing, and they say it in nearly identical language. People could not reach us.

The line that has stayed with me came from a client in May.

"They’re fine as long as you never need to speak with anyone about anything. Good luck getting ahold of anyone."

That is a brutal sentence to read about a company you built. It is also, for a stretch of this past year, a fair one.

Another reviewer went further in June.

"I have to assume that all of these recent reviews are AI based just like this agency. I have tried to contact a person via email and by leaving messages for over three weeks with no response."

I understand how he got there. If you cannot reach a human for three weeks, a wall of glowing reviews starts to look manufactured. He was wrong about the reviews, and he was right about the experience.

What Was Actually Going Wrong

When we finally pulled the phone analytics instead of guessing, the picture was clear. We were taking more than 200 calls a day into a personal lines service team that had shrunk to 10 people by the second week of May.

That is roughly 20 calls per person per day landing on people who also have to quote policies, process changes, handle renewals, and re-shop coverage. When all 10 were already on the phone helping other clients, the next call rolled to voicemail. Then the caller hung up without leaving a message, which means we had no idea they tried.

Two more things were true, and neither is an excuse.

We were understaffed, and we let it go on too long. That team should have 15 people. Through the second week of May we were down to 10. We have hired two since then and have more starting, which puts us at 12 and climbing. We would rather stay short than put someone unqualified on your policy, but 10 was too few for too long and that is on us to fix, not on you to absorb.

We were not holding ourselves to our own standard. Our commitment has always been to return every call or email within 6 business hours, and most of the time we beat that by a wide margin. But we did not have the structure in place to catch the ones that slipped through, so some clients waited days and a few waited weeks. That is not a staffing problem. That is an accountability problem, and as the owner of this company it is mine.

What We Changed

• We brought in new leadership for the service department earlier this year. Abigail Tilwar is our Customer Service Director, and returning every message within our stated window is now something the team is measured on rather than something we hope happens.
• We hired a full-time receptionist. She started at the beginning of July. She is not licensed to give insurance advice and will not try to, but she answers the phone as a live human, takes a real message, and routes you to the person who can actually help.
• We are still using an automated system after hours and during call surges. I am not going to pretend otherwise. It exists so that a call at 9 p.m. goes somewhere instead of ringing into an empty office. If it is not getting you where you need to go, say the word agent or leave a message and a person will handle it.
• We publish an escalation path. It is below, and it is a real direct line to a real director.

Our receptionist has been at the front desk since the beginning of July. I am not going to tell you the problem is solved, because a few weeks is not enough time to prove anything. I am telling you what we found, what we changed, and that you should hold us to it.

How To Reach Us, and What To Expect

One specific request, and it is the single most useful thing in this post if you are already a client.

If you call and reach voicemail, please leave a message. A voicemail becomes a task that somebody owns. A hang-up leaves us with nothing. The clients who tell us they called five times and never heard back are almost always the clients who never left a message, and that is a gap we cannot close from our side.

• Our commitment: a return call or email within 6 business hours. In practice most messages are answered within about 2 hours.
• Best channels: phone, email, or text. All three are worked. Use whichever you prefer.
• If you do not hear back inside 6 business hours: call Abigail Tilwar, our Customer Service Director, directly at (303) 662-1541. She would genuinely rather hear from you than read about it in a review.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Google reviews does Trailstone have?
More than 4,100 across four Google Business Profiles covering Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Oregon, with a 4.9 average rating as of July 2026. That figure changes weekly, so the profiles themselves are the current source.

Do you filter or remove negative reviews?
No. We do not gate reviews, screen for happy clients before asking, or request removal of criticism. Our one-star reviews are visible on the same profiles as our five-star reviews. This post quotes one of them.

Are your reviews AI-generated?
No. Every review on our profiles was written by a client and posted to their own Google account. We cannot post on their behalf even if we wanted to. One frustrated reviewer assumed otherwise this year, which is part of why this post exists.

Do you use AI to answer the phone?
Yes, for after-hours calls and during periods when every line is busy. It routes and takes messages. It does not give insurance advice or make coverage decisions. As of July 2026 we also have a live receptionist answering during business hours.

What is your callback commitment?
Six business hours for a return call or email, and most of the time we are well inside that. If we miss it, call Abigail Tilwar at (303) 662-1541.

Why is it sometimes hard to reach my agent?
Our personal lines service team takes more than 200 calls a day. When our licensed team members are on the phone with other clients, your call rolls to voicemail. Leaving a message is the fastest way to get a callback, because it creates a task somebody owns.

Will you tell me if I should keep the insurance I already have?
Yes, and we do it regularly. If we shop your coverage across our carriers and cannot beat what you have on price and coverage, we will tell you to stay where you are. There is no charge for finding that out.

Does it cost anything to have Trailstone review my policy?
No. The review is complimentary and there is no obligation to move anything. We are paid by the carrier when you place coverage through us, not by you.

How often should I shop my insurance?
Every year at renewal. If you are a Trailstone client you do not have to remember, because our TRAC process re-shops your coverage across our carriers annually and we come to you.

What To Do Next

• Read our reviews yourself, including the bad ones. Search Trailstone Insurance Group on Google and sort by lowest rating. If an agency is not comfortable with you doing that, ask why.
• Ask any agent whether they will tell you to stay put. The answer tells you whether they are shopping for you or selling to you.
• Ask how your claims history looks to other carriers. Denied claims can still show up on your record even when nothing was paid.
• Find out whether your agency re-shops your coverage every year or waits for you to complain about a rate increase.
• If you are already our client and we have dropped the ball, tell us. Leave a voicemail, send an email, or call Abigail directly at (303) 662-1541.

Next Step

If your rates went up this year and you have not shopped in a while, let us take a look. Reach out to Trailstone via our website at www.trailstoneinsurance.com or give us a call.

Trailstone will provide a complimentary review of your insurance and a written summary for your records, so you have the comparison in writing whether you move your coverage or decide to stay exactly where you are.

Written by Mark Rodgers, President and Founder, Trailstone Insurance Group