Hello Fellow Car Lovers,

My name is Jim Fox. My cars’ license plates are CFOXGO and CFOXRUN. When your name is Fox you have a lot of cool options! I own a 1970 Corvette (Bridgehampton Blue, BB, 4-speed, NCRS Top Flight) and a 1970 El Camino (Fathom Blue, SS 396). Yes, my favorite color is blue and I seem to be stuck in the 70’s. Love my cars. Love driving them. Love talking about them. Love sitting in the garage looking at them. Who’s with me?

I own a business called Fox & Associates Mystery Shopper Service. I get paid to send ‘mystery shoppers’ into all types of businesses to anonymously evaluate customer service. Yes, there are legitimate businesses that do that! AND, there are a lot of scams out there, but that’s another story.

Because of the type of business I’m in, I’m very attuned to customer service, even in my every day travels. If I come across someone who is providing excellent customer service, I feel compelled to let them know they are doing a good job. A lot of businesses only hear feedback when they are doing a bad job.

“A happy customer tells two or three friends. An unhappy customer tells everyone they know.” That little slogan right there is what bought me that Corvette and El Camino!  LOL

I’ve been a customer of NCM Insurance Agency for many years. And even though I only speak to them on the phone once every year or so, I feel like when I do speak to them, they know who I am and are interested in the reason I am calling. The couple of times I have had questions or needed to file a claim, they have bent over backwards and given me 110% of their effort. I even get the feeling they love my cars as much as I do!

Now this is pretty high praise and I RARELY beat the drum this loudly, but it’s all true. I HATE to give referrals and rarely do whether it’s a painter, plumber or mechanic. I feel responsible if I give a referral and something goes wrong. The highest compliment I can give any business is to give them a referral. I’m happy to say I’ve referred a lot of my car friends to NCM Insurance Agency.

Sincerely,

Jim Fox

Those of you on the Gulf Coast who are in the path of this Hurricane have most likely been through a similar experience before so hopefully you have put your emergency plan into action. That plan should also include what to do about your Corvettes or other collector vehicles. To that end, the NCM Insurance Agency offers relocation reimbursement that provides 50% of the relocation costs, up to $200 per collector car.

Last year during Hurricane Irma, many customers moved their collector cars to a multi-story concrete public parking facility that would protect the cars from wind damage and the risk of being caught in a flood. If you can get into a garage and park several floors up in the interior, you should move your cars today or first thing in the morning at the very latest.

For NCM Insurance customers who are in the path of this storm, our carrier has made available a relocation expense reimbursement that provides reimbursement for 50% of the temporary relocation costs when moving NCM Insurance protected collector cars to a safer location, subject to a maximum of $200 per collector car and $2,500 per policy. Claims regarding reimbursement should call (800) 543-2644 or can submit their claim online at https://www.amig.com/customer/file-a-claim/. Please retain all invoices, receipts and incurred costs with regards to any damage.

If you are unable to relocate your vehicle(s), please take the following steps to insure the vehicle is as prepared as possible:

• Take before photos of your vehicle to show the condition before a disaster strikes.
• Store copies of the registration and insurance documentation in a safe place.
• Place your vehicle(s) on jack stands as high as possible to raise it off of the ground.
• Our top priority is offering personal attention to the needs of our customers – in all situations – good and bad. Please let us know if you are affected by the storms and are in harms’ way – and please stay safe.

Important Contact Information:

Agency Phone #: 877.678.7626
Claim Phone #: 800.543.2644
Claim Website: Click Here
Good luck and stay safe!

Every once in a while, you get an opportunity that you have to jump at. This opportunity for me happened on Monday when I received an out of the blue phone call from someone a couple miles from me. I was a referral to potentially provide guidance on a “Barn Find.” When I spoke with the person handling the removal of property from a client’s rental home she didn’t tell me much, except that she had a unique vehicle that had to be gone in 4 days. I didn’t expect to end up owning this vehicle, but fate put it in my lap.

I hurried out of the office and made my way downtown near Western Kentucky University. The house was a rental house for fraternity brothers. I am sure the walls of that house can tell many stories! Underneath the house was a sealed-up garage, and had been padlocked many times over to prevent tenants from getting into the garage. The house was partially dilapidated, with the typical college after life. The house was being cleaned up for sale, and all contents had to come out, including the car.

When I arrived, the garage was open. A large A/C unit was blocking the rear of the car, but the distinctive Ferrari rear end and tail lights were glaring at me. My palms got sweaty, my heart was beating and I knew that this was a cool find! The iconic Ferrari 308 GTSi from 1984.

This isn’t one of those perfect Barn Finds that needs nothing, and at first glance it didn’t look too terrible. The rear end was in pretty good shape, the passenger side looked clean. Looking inside I was amazed that the seats, dash, instrument panel, etc was all there and it was nice once you get past the years of dirt, dust and grime.

As I looked at the front my heart sank!  The front bumper, lower valance, wheel vent on the front and passenger headlight was missing. Down the driver’s side showed this car was involved in a minor fender bender and just left as it was. This car once was a premier sports car and when everyone sees it they have flashbacks to Magnum PI. This is the car that many of us had posters of on our walls.

I took many pictures and let the lady know I would ask around to see if anyone wanted to buy it. I thought and thought about this car throughout the day, and knew it had to be mine. After talking with several friends who know these cars, my wife, and others I made an offer. Right at 24 hours after seeing the car I can say that I am a Ferrari owner! That is strange to say to be honest.

The car is a 2-owner car with 29,000 miles. It was purchased by the second owner in 1985 and it led a less than perfect life. Late night rides and being put away wet were part of this cars story. After just 12 years of driving, 1997, the owners decided to park it. Many college parties above it and the dust/debris took its toll. Yesterday, 21 years later, the car was given a much-needed bath. This car will take some time to repair. I am not quite sure that that will be under my care, or the next persons. Regardless, she was happy to see the sun, and I am sure she will be excited when she is fired up for the first time in a long time!

These barn finds still exist, and who knows when you may get that call…Will you jump on it?

Sharon hanging out in Lakeland, FL for the NCRS Winter Regional’s

Over the next year we will be posting more blogs and updates on a more consistent basis. We have, honestly, been a bit busy here in the office.  Since we are a small office of four agents, we want to give you a little more insight to who we are individually with our Agent Spotlight.

Our first spotlight is Sharon Smith.  I have known Sharon and her husband for several years through Church where she and Chris were teaching Sunday School.  We were fortunate to have them teach my daughter, Gracelyn.  I didn’t realize at the time that they were into the car hobby, and once I found out I was excited!  Eventually, they purchased insurance from us for their Corvette and a Datsun they once owned.  One Saturday I saw Chris at the local Cars & Coffee, I mentioned to him that we were looking for a Customer Service Rep.  It must have been the right time for them, and soon after Sharon submitted her resume.  After she interviewed for the job we knew she was the person we were looking for.

This is the 1965 Corvette when Chris and Sharon first bought it.

Sharon has been with us since July of 2016, and has been awesome to have in the office.  She keeps us in check with making sure that we are consistent in our process, and really enjoys connecting with our customers.  Sharon transitioned from a Customer Service Rep to an Agent in June of 2017.  Sharon is a native of Bowling Green and has lived here most of her life. One thing you may find interesting is Sharon was a Professional Bowler!  She still bowls in a league and competes in a few tournaments each year. Sharon has worked in customer service for about 20 years, primarily in the medical and banking fields. She and her husband, Chris, have been car enthusiasts for many years, owning a 1965 Corvette for four years and have completed a major restoration on it, AND they just bought a 2006 Convertible Corvette.  We asked Sharon to fill us in on their adventures with their Corvettes.

“Chris and I bought our 65 Corvette in the summer of 2012 from Chris’s ex-stepfather, Jeff.  Jeff purchased the car from his sister and brother-in-law in 1982, and drove the car regularly throughout the 80’s and 90’s until he parked it.  He was planning to restore the car, but we all know that priorities get in the way.  Naturally, Jeff decided to sell the car.  Jeff and his sister had an agreement that if he were to ever sell the car, that she would get first dibs.  For some reason, she didn’t want the car, so he asked other family members if they wanted to buy it.  Chris fell in love with the car at age 12.  Although he had only driven it one time, he had so many wonderful memories of riding in it to the National Corvette Homecoming at Beech Bend, the ball field, or even just to the store.

Jeff offered to sell it to us and I told him yes even before asking Chris if he wanted it.  I knew how much he loved the car and I knew he would always regret it if we didn’t buy it.  The car had been sitting under a tree for over 10 years so it was in rough shape.  With the help of a friend that owned a body shop and his current stepfather, we got it running again!  We have repaired the body and interior so far.  We put a crate motor in it last year and really enjoy taking it for a drive on nice days, going to our local cruise-ins, and events at the museum.

Chris and Sharon’s 2006 Corvette

Corvettes have been a passion for Chris and I for many years and since coming to work at the NCM Insurance Agency, they have a special place in my heart.  We are now fortunate to be a two Corvette family!