Tom Phillips is a car guy. He’s an Erie Insurance guy, too.
More than 60 years ago, Phillips purchased his first policy with ERIE when he was only 17 years old. Over the years, he’s developed a love for exotic sports cars, particularly his Dodge Viper and Porsches. And for each one, he’s entrusted his prized vehicles to ERIE with its promise to always be there.
In addition to his cars, Phillips has also insured his home with ERIE for more than 45 years. And while life looks different now—Phillips and his wife of 55 years, Elizabeth, raised two kids and are now proud grandparents of four grandchildren—some things remain constant.
“ERIE’s commitment to its customers hasn’t changed over the years,” Phillips says.
While Phillips considers himself lucky to have rarely called on his insurance company, the few times he has, he’s been amazed by ERIE’s efficient, friendly and fast service. When he has had to file a claim, he said, they were handled quickly, with a friendly face and someone always ready to answer his questions.
The idea of filing a claim may have seemed daunting at the time, but the process was smoother than his Carrera’s seven-speed transmission.
“I never once felt like I had to fight ERIE,” Phillips says.
And if his claims experiences didn’t make him an ERIE lifer, a brief dalliance with another insurance company certainly did.
Years ago, out of curiosity, Phillips asked for a quote from another carrier. When the agent learned Phillips was with ERIE, he declined to even give him a quote.
“He said, ‘I can’t compete with them,’” Phillips remembers.
Phillips expressed how fond of ERIE that made him feel. While he knew he always had some of the best rates for his exotic cars, he also appreciated that ERIE was built on keeping a human touch, even in this digital age.
It’s something Phillips’s Agent, Joe Herndon of G.L. Herndon, is just as passionate about. Joe started writing insurance in 1997—when Phillips’s policy was already over 30 years old—and joined the family-owned agency his father, Geary, started.
Herndon noted that ERIE’s service-centered spirit is all the more important in the otherwise impersonal and technology-driven world we live in today. His agency holds these deep-rooted values for clients like Phillips, who still rely heavily on having an agency at the ready to answer in times of need.
“Tom's the guy that when he has a problem, he wants an Agent there that will answer the phone,” Herndon says. “It’s something we cherish.”
A History of Doing Things Right
Phillips has been with ERIE for over half of its history, and in many ways, his tenure as a customer has marked the times. He has seen ERIE mature over the years, and we’re proud to hear him say that our commitment to our customers and to doing the right thing is still at the heart of everything we do. And while the way we treat our customers hasn’t changed, some things have.
60s
Right around the time ERIE started selling its first life insurance policies, Phillips bought his first car, a 1968 Dodge Charger, and he married his wife, Elizabeth.
70s
Phillips graduated dental school and bought himself a beautiful 1974 Capri, while settling in Virginia. A year later, ERIE turned 50 years old and was awarded the title of Pennsylvania’s largest auto insurer.
90s
Phillips raced Porsches and taught high-speed driving. He even owned a slick 1998 Dodge Viper. In that same decade, ERIE launched its website, opened its stock to the public and made its debut as a Fortune 500 company.
