Get A Free Quote: Quick & Simple Insurance

Our Summary

This Sentry Insurance review looks at coverage options, regions served, and the company’s reputation. Sentry seeks to build relationships with businesses that go beyond selling an insurance product. Service is the foundation of what they offer as a mutual company, helping business owners understand and prepare for risk in better ways.      

Company Overview

Sentry started as the mutual insurance company for the Wisconsin Retail Hardware Association in 1904. It’s grown into a national insurance carrier for businesses of all sizes. Sentry takes pride in the personalized care that it provides to its customers. This care includes getting to know their client’s companies and the people that run them. Sentry offers commercial insurance as well as 401(k) options for clients. 

Geographic Representation

Sentry is licensed to do business in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. 

Lines of Coverage

Sentry has a wide range of commercial insurance products to cover most needs of most businesses. 

The types of commercial insurance policies listed with Sentry Insurance include: 

• General Liability: Covers third-party claims of injury and property damage. 

• Commercial Property: Replaces business property that includes furniture, equipment, machinery, and supplies.    

• Workers’ Compensation: Pays when employees are hurt at work. Covers medical expenses and lost wages.  

• Business Owner Policy: Combines general liability with commercial property insurance for a cost-effective and straightforward solution.    

Top Industries Served

Sentry has a large appetite for certain industries. The industries most prevalent on their website include construction, dealerships, manufacturing and process, and retailers and distributors. If you are unsure if your business falls in line with Sentry’s appetite, get a free quote.  

Premium Costs

Sentry customizes policies for each business which is why they don’t advertise rates. Your premium will be contingent on a variety of factors, including location, size, industry, revenues, and coverage type. Those with prior claims will have higher rates than those who are claims-free.  

Underwriting Process

Sentry doesn’t offer online quotes. You’ll need to talk to a Sentry licensed agent to get a quote. The agent will conduct an application interview to get the necessary details about your business that is used to generate a quote. Once you have a quote, you can bind the coverage directly with the agent. Expect to talk to an agent for 30 to 45 minutes as they gather the correct information and get to know you and your business.  

AM Best Ratings

Sentry is known for its financial strength. Financial strength means that an insurance company can handle high claims volume without incurring stability risks. An AM Best rating is one key indicator of financial strength. Sentry has an A+ (Superior) rating from AM Best, the highest rating possible. 

Complaint Index

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) maintains a complaint index that scores each carrier based on the number of complaints based on the size of the carrier. A complaint index score of 1.0 is considered average, while scores above this number suggest more complaints than expected. Sentry has a score of 0 which means it had zero complaints in 2021.

Reputation

Looking at third-party reviews from actual customers helps us see what people like and dislike about working with Sentry. We looked at the Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating and reviews to get a sense of this. Sentry is not accredited with the BBB and maintains a 1.07-star rating. Complaints suggest that the company has bad communication skills when servicing existing clients and handling issues with claims timely and adequately. 

Concluding Thoughts

Sentry works with independent business owners who may have one employee or 1,000. They can handle it all and have more than 100,000 employees to help handle claims. As a mutual insurance company, their policyholders are the owners of the company, giving them ample reason to take care of their clients like family. 

Methodology

CommericalInsurance.net employs its own independent research to come up with the details for reviews. We do this so that you can have as many insights as possible about a company so that you can make the best decision for your commercial insurance. We take into consideration the company’s history and where they serve. We want to highlight the appetite that a company has as this suggests where business owners can get the most competitive rates. Where possible, we include premium data. From there, we take into account formal complaints, and financial strength ratings along with public reviews painting a broad picture of the company’s reputation.