My Farmers Insurance experience....

[lbhsbz]

LEO knocked on my door at 5:45AM on 11/19….after finding and installing some pants, I opened the door and noticed my truck was not in the driveway where I’d left it the night before. The LEO said he’d located the truck about a mile away with the driver’s door lock punched out and the cats stolen. I found the rest of my clothes and followed him in the wife’s car. Confirmed more damage, called for a tow truck to get it home. Arrived home around 7:30AM or so and had the truck dropped off in the driveway.

I called Brad Stern, who I switched my Homeowners and 2 vehicles over to after Kevin parted ways with Liberty Mutual about 6 months ago. I asked Brad how best to deal with this…since it was a relatively new policy, I didn’t want anything to land on him. He advised me to call and make the claim….so I did, before noon on that Friday.

I was contacted for a brief chat by phone explaining that I’d get a text with a link to send pictures/info/etc…which came a few minutes later and I sent in all the necessary pictures of the damage. I later realized I’d missed a few pictures pertaining the overall condition of the truck and sent those in by 8AM the following Monday (Monday before thanksgiving).

I placed a call to William Dyer, my adjuster, Monday morning at 8AM and received a call back shortly thereafter saying he’d received the pics but hadn’t reviewed them yet, and would contact me when he was able to. That was my last conversation with Mr. Dyer.

I let things go on Tuesday, then on Wed. placed a call to my claims rep (Matthew in KC), Will Dyer, and also Brad Stern (my agent) and left messages with no call back. At about noon, I received a call back from a lady who said that they have an estimate finished and asked me no less than 5 times during the conversation for my account information so that they could direct deposit the money to fix the truck. Their estimate came in at $3711.54, minus my deductible, the amount of settlement would be $2711.54.

I questioned the estimate since the OEM cats themselves cost almost double that…and we still have lock cylinders, a bumper, bodywork, and other damage to attend to. So I was sent a copy. One cat part number is correct for the vehicle but has been discontinued and is NLA…the other cat part number referenced does not fit my truck and is also discontinued and NLA. There is no mention on the estimate of bodywork/paint from the bumper being pushed into the bed corner, no price for the driver’s door handle part, an extra door latch assembly that doesn’t need to be replaced and a price for an ignition switch rather than an ignition lock and lock case. Halfassed and mostly thrown together shitty estimate…with pressure for me to accept it so I go away. Bullshit #1

I followed up with an email containing the correct cat part numbers that were still available based on phone calls I’d made that week to GM dealer contacts, included pricing, and requested that the adjuster call me at his earliest convenience to go over the estimate…I haven’t heard back from him on the phone to this day

On Monday, 11/30/2020, I was able to contact my claims rep only to be told that a revised estimate came in from the adjuster at $9640.44, which will cause the truck to be a total loss, and he would be in contact after further review to discuss options.

I received a call from the Claims rep the following day (12/1/2020) reinforcing the previous day’s discussion…that my options were to either drop the claim and fix it myself to maintain a clean title, or accept the revised estimate for a total loss and a salvage title, and retain ownership.



Emails…read from the bottom up.





Odd...seems the adjuster was certain enough that it could be done for $3700 the first time that the lady that called me was trying to push me to set up a direct deposit and settle. Now $6500 is not enough, when the list was put together by me, a previously factory certified GM technician.



Thank you for your time.

​

From: Will Dyer
Sent: To:
Subject:



Its going to cost more than $6500 to fix the vehicle. There are 3 options when it comes to being a total loss. The first option is we come and pick up the vehicle and we will deal with the salvage and you will get the full settlement minus your deductible. The second option is to owner retain the salvage. The 3rd option would be to withdraw the claim if you don’t want to have your vehicle salvaged. Please advise Matthew Houston your decision on the total loss vehicle.



Thank you





Thank you!



William Dyer





From:
Sent: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 12:43 PM
To:
Subject: [

So I'm clear, Farmers insurance is making the choice to spend north of $10K rather than pay $6500 to repair the vehicle? And if I want to retain the vehicle with a non-salvage title my only option is to drop the claim?

​

From:

Sent: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 11:42 AM
To:
Subject:



Good Morning



The estimate you provided me has a few parts missing that will need to be replaced. Also the labor is not enough per our estimating system to replace the parts per our estimate. The vehicle is deemed a total loss and Matthew Houston will be handling the settlement for you.



Thank you





Thank you!



William Dyer





From:
Sent: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 11:33 AM
To:
Cc:
Subject:



Gentlemen,



I've attached the PDF estimates (round 1 and round 2) that I received from Matthew Houston



I'm not sure how we got from $3700 to nearly $10,000, but both estimates are nowhere near accurate regardless. Please see the attached Excel file that I've prepared...this is the cost (not estimate) to repair the vehicle...I've included sales tax in my figures, where applicable. $7468.15



It's been 12 days since I filed the claim. I'd like to put this to bed ASAP and fix my truck. Subtracting my deductible comes out to $6468.15.



Please let me know what else you need from me to proceed.



Thank you,



Pat









Shortly after being notified by the claims rep that the dumbass high estimate came in forcing a total loss, I wrote this email to Brad Stern, who I’d spoken with on Monday 11/30

at which point he asked me to call him if I had any further difficulty or concerns with my claim….I’ve followed up with at least 1 voice mail, and have received zero reply, almost a week later.

Hi Brad...we spoke yesterday regarding my claim.



So far I've dealt with 2 people...Matthew Houston...my claims rep, who has been a pleasure to work with, and William Dyer...the adjuster, who I'm withholding sharing my opinion on for the time being.



I've attached both the initial estimate he came up with as well as the "updated" estimate that was sent by William to Matthew yesterday...I received it this morning.



The first one came in around $3700 and included incorrect and discontinued parts, while omitting the 2 oxygen sensors necessary. Also omitted was the price for the door handle, while adding a door latch assembly that doesn't need to be replaced as it wasn't involved in the damage.



The second one came in around $9700...quite a bit of a jump, and also includes a discontinued part, 2 unneccesary oxygen sensors, a steering column overhaul, a turn signal switch, and a muffler/cat assembly that doesn't fit my truck.



There are more errors but I don't care at this point.



In my eyes, the first attempt was to screw me, and the second attempt is to total the truck so they don't have to deal with me anymore. Both are bullshit.



My COST (not estimate) to fix the truck is $7468.15. (my list is also attached) Minus my $1000 deductible is $6468.15. Matthew has come up with a value on the vehicle of $10,170...which I haven't begun to argue yet because I don't think I need to at this point. I'd like to get $6468 and fix my truck. I'm not gonna find an 8 lug gas truck with 120K miles for $10K to replace it.



Matthew told me to get ahold of William Dyer to iron out the estimate, but he seems to have a problem picking up the phone and returning messages.



It has now been 12 days since I made the report and furnished the photos I was asked for (sent more photos 9 days ago)...and this is how far we've gotten so far.



I don't have the time to wait for the adjuster to come up with a halfway competent estimate. I'm fixing the truck. I've ordered the parts and am expecting the remainder of them to arrive this week. I'm not billing Farmers for the rental car, but I'm considering it.



I hate to drag you into this since it's not your job, but I'm not sure what else to do at this point to get this claim closed.



Thanks,

 

[lbhsbz]

Tough to put together everything in a forum post....but I tried.

Today I got a call from the claims rep...said that the adjuster was ready to take off for a few months on maternity leave so ,my claim might have been rushed...and the supervisors, after having reviewed it, agree that it shouldn't be a total loss. So he asked me to send back the money they sent me last week.

Vehicle in question is a 2002 1500HD Silverado with 120K miles. The comps used (and I have this info printed on paper) are GM 1500 normal half ton trucks...the HD is an 8 lug deal.

Nothing but incompetence was displayed here....

I used Brad Stern because RD posted a while back how having a good agent (Brad) is awesome and helped him through some issues he had. I called Brad and got nothing back. I called RD for approval to post a call out thread and he got ahold of Brad and told me I would get a call within a few minutes....that didnt' happen until a few days later.

Moral of the story....if you're gonna get shit service, shop for better prices. I switched to Farmers using Brad Stern as my agent based on RD's endorsement.... That was a stupid thing to do. Brad Stern is good at selling insurance, but useless after that.

 

[n2otoofast4u]

The
New
Normal

I’ve had SF my entire adult life. Same office, agent has changed a few times, but same place. Very few claims over the years, always paid on time, etc. I had an incident awhile back, took me a bit to get my ducks in a row. First shop $5400, SF estimate from the pics $1800. Talked to shop today, it’s now at $7400 because there’s more shit broke. Every time they find more wrong, it’s a few more days for SF to fuck around. In the end my car will be at repair shop 3 fucking weeks for a relatively minimal right front crunch from a deer. PATHETIC!!

 

[Havasu Surfer]

1 word “Incompetence”. File a written complaint to the head of the adjusters department CC”n all parties contacted. Crack a beer, sit back and wait for a return call.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lbhsbz]

1 word “Incompetence”. File a written complaint to the head of the adjusters department CC”n all parties contacted. Crack a beer, sit back and wait for a return call.

That was drafted yesterday...and will be finalized and sent in the next few days.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Boozer]

The
New
Normal

I’ve had SF my entire adult life. Same office, agent has changed a few times, but same place. Very few claims over the years, always paid on time, etc. I had an incident awhile back, took me a bit to get my ducks in a row. First shop $5400, SF estimate from the pics $1800. Talked to shop today, it’s now at $7400 because there’s more shit broke. Every time they find more wrong, it’s a few more days for SF to fuck around. In the end my car will be at repair shop 3 fucking weeks for a relatively minimal right front crunch from a deer. PATHETIC!!

State Farm and Farmers are both trash.

My wife insisted we use State Farm because the agent is a close family friend. We had a loss claim in the beginning of November. We lost use of nearly half our house. To date I still don’t have an estimate or settlement offer from SF. The latest response from the adjuster is “these things take time.” Meanwhile I have 2 adults and 5 kids living in a house that’s down a family room, kitchen, laundry room and half a hallway going into Christmas. We were also down a bathroom but I rebuilt it myself last weekend since 5 kids sharing a single bathroom was a disaster.

On the plus side Ive since changed carriers. My deductible went down $2K and my premium dropped 60%.

Stay away from Farmers and State Farm at any and all expense. They are terrible companies when you actually need them.


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[lbhsbz]

The fact that RDP endorses this guy is the part that pisses me off...had I not seen Dave’s post that “it’s all about the agent”...I wouldn’t have considered working with Brad Stern. I figured an RD endorsement was worth something...but it isn’t in this case unless your name is River Dave.

I called RD Friday before last...and he Textsd Brad stern while on the phone with me...said Brad would call me in a feW minutes...ended up being a few days. Brad called me last Monday, 12/7, sounded annoyed with me and told me the claim was under review and I’d get a call back on Tuesday (12/8) ...which never came. The first call back I had was today...and they want their money back because all their estimates were wrong and mine was right.

Sorry bitches, kindly fuck off.

Any further questions can be answered via the CA DOI,with whom I’ve filed my complaint.

Good Luck Brad...I’ve told this story to several friends, 3 of which have dropped farmers in the last couple weeks. There will be more, and I’ll send the details of those accounts to the acct handlers.

Getting money is not my objective...getting service is my objective. You, as my agent, have failed at that, and so have have your handlers at the corporate level. I made a mistake switching to Farmers.

 

[RitcheyRch]

Why not just send the difference

The fact that RDP endorses this fucktard is the part that pisses me off...had I not seen Dave’s post that “it’s all about the agent”...I wouldn’t have considered working with Brad Stern. I figured an RD endorsement was worth something...but it isn’t in this case unless your name is River Dave.

I called RD Friday before last...and he Textsd Brad stern while on the phone with me...said Brad would call me in a feW minutes...ended up being a few days. Brad called me last Monday, 12/7, sounded annoyed with me and told me the claim was under review and I’d get a call back on Tuesday (12/8) ...which never came. The first call back I had was today...and they want their money back because all their estimates were wrong and mine was right.

Sorry bitches, kindly fuck off.

Any further questions can be answered via the CA DOI,with whom I’ve filed my complaint.

Good Luck Brad...I’ve told this story to several friends, 3 of which have dropped farmers in the last couple weeks. There will be more, and I’ll send the details of those accounts to the acct handlers.

Getting money is not my objective...getting service is my objective. You, as my agent, have failed at that, and so have have your handlers at the corporate level. I made a mistake switching to Farmers.

 

[monkeyswrench]

I think things started to go down hill when they killed off the white "Jake", replaced him and didn't say a word

 

[Shlbyntro]

All insurance has gone to shit these days, its not just one. I had Farmers a while back and my humble opinion is that it is shit at a premium price.

I'm am to the point where I just keep minimal coverage on everything because otherwise I feel like I am just throwing money away. Now on that point, I am currently insured with progressive for all my insurance needs. Its not great insurance by any means, but it's cheap insurance and at least I get the feeling I'm getting what I pay for. I honestly place my basic policies through progressive at a higher level than a lot of the more expensive companies including Alstate and Farmers.

To that note, I deal with a lot of insurance companies up at the boat yard, the absolute best one to deal with is Progressive. They rarely fight me on anything and I am extremely thorough from the get go. My only issue with them is they "depreciate" parts but at least they're not fucking the customer like most of the other insurance companies do. My great working experience with all their adjusters is ultimately what made me switch everything to Progressive


"If it weren't for lawyers and insurance companies, we wouldn't need lawyers and insurance companies."

 

[Jonas Grumby]

So, who are we all switching too?

 

[J&k beer can]

Insurance is a necessary evil..
There is not any insurance that is perfect. Its take your money and you be a good person and never need them..
I've been waiting for claim to get paid from April 9th that I am the lein holder free and clear.. they use this virus crap like crazy not to do there jobs.. I've had to keep claim(ready to blow up)

my .02 is don't get to worked up cause it's the normal they do now...

 

[Riverbound]

I don’t believe it’s just a Stern thing.....

One thing I have learned is all an “agent” is for is to sell you insurance. Once you need to use it they will wash their handles of you. RDs recommendations are usually tied to the fact that he gets special treatment or a service for free and it’s not how normal customers are actually treated.

What’s more ironic is some of the things I have insured now through an agent are being done through progressive which I could do online.

 

[Javajoe]

You can always sue them for a decent settlement. My sister did and it went well. Represented herself

 

[Singleton]

All carriers have these issues. Farmers seems to have them more.
One of my dads neighbors is a retired EVP from SF. He always said use a certified SF repair shop or contractor. he said it does not matter what carrier you use, if you want cash for the repair so you can use your own shop or do it yourself, it will take longer and be a PIA.

 

[Boozer]

So, who are we all switching too?

My vehicles are with Geico. I’ve had several hail claims and a pretty big accident claim with Geico and I’ve never had an issue. The last hail claim I had with Geico was on my toy hauler, the adjuster cut a check on the spot after completing the estimate. I had switched to State Farm briefly due to the wife’s family friend but they raised our rates 20% when the policy renewed so I dumped them and went back to Geico.

I just switched my home owners insurance over to a company called my hippo. I received several quotes and nobody could come close to their price. They require that you use a couple smart home monitoring tools that detect fires and water leaks. That may be how they’re able to keep their premiums down but I’m not sure.


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[J&k beer can]

All carriers have these issues. Farmers seems to have them more.
One of my dads neighbors is a retired EVP from SF. He always said use a certified SF repair shop or contractor. he said it does not matter what carrier you use, if you want cash for the repair so you can use your own shop or do it yourself, it will take longer and be a PIA.

That is a DRP shop. Direct repair shop. I'll never use one.. why because the insurance does not pay the shop top billing for the repair. The insurance says you only get this much to the shop.. so where does the lower cost get passed onto. Your vehicle.. cheaper parts cheaper primer cheaper paint and so on..
The insurance makes you believe it's all easy and simple to just go to a DRP shop.. I never use one even if it cost me some out of pocket money because insurance won't pay high end shop labor prices.. but if you have a higher end car with good paint you want back to OEM...
DRP shops will put cheap non OEM paint on it..

 

[77charger]

I have State Farm and only had to do one claim years ago on a gsxr that was stolen. Went very good and quickly processed as in a week I believe.
Haven’t had to deal with since though

 

[Bear Down]

That is a DRP shop. Direct repair shop. I'll never use one.. why because the insurance does not pay the shop top billing for the repair. The insurance says you only get this much to the shop.. so where does the lower cost get passed onto. Your vehicle.. cheaper parts cheaper primer cheaper paint and so on..
The insurance makes you believe it's all easy and simple to just go to a DRP shop.. I never use one even if it cost me some out of pocket money because insurance won't pay high end shop labor prices.. but if you have a higher end car with good paint you want back to OEM...
DRP shops will put cheap non OEM paint on it..

very true... Went through this with Mercury as they had recommended a (DRP) to fix our Acadia.. it was a ford dealership body shop. Mecury allocated a Labor rate of $55 per hour... The DRB matched it, but you could see that money was going to be taken out from somewhere. I went to my trusted Body shop, Shop manager said, don't worry, we'll get this paid based off our labor rate ($95 per hour). They sent some sort of amendment to the insurance company and sure as shit, paid the extra $1500 that it cost to repair at my shop vs the Mercury DRP. It just takes a good shop to know how to speak to them I guess, regardless, I hate paying for insurance... Until I need it..

 

[Singleton]

That is a DRP shop. Direct repair shop. I'll never use one.. why because the insurance does not pay the shop top billing for the repair. The insurance says you only get this much to the shop.. so where does the lower cost get passed onto. Your vehicle.. cheaper parts cheaper primer cheaper paint and so on..
The insurance makes you believe it's all easy and simple to just go to a DRP shop.. I never use one even if it cost me some out of pocket money because insurance won't pay high end shop labor prices.. but if you have a higher end car with good paint you want back to OEM...
DRP shops will put cheap non OEM paint on it..

I have never had that issues. Both my Audit and 2500HD had claims. All required a ton of parts and they were all certified GM parts. Body and paint work might be another story, but the paint lasted without issues until I sold the vehicles years later. My house had 3 water claims in 18 months (SF has actually reduced my premium due to the upgrades I did to resolve water issues). Used a SF contractor that was also my neighbor and had no issues.

IMO, it comes down to picking a DRS that has good reviews when the work is not tied to an insurance company.

 

[2Driver]

That is a DRP shop. Direct repair shop. I'll never use one.. why because the insurance does not pay the shop top billing for the repair. The insurance says you only get this much to the shop.. so where does the lower cost get passed onto. Your vehicle.. cheaper parts cheaper primer cheaper paint and so on..
The insurance makes you believe it's all easy and simple to just go to a DRP shop.. I never use one even if it cost me some out of pocket money because insurance won't pay high end shop labor prices.. but if you have a higher end car with good paint you want back to OEM...
DRP shops will put cheap non OEM paint on it..

I bet 95% of shops are DRP now. It’s not like when it started 20 years ago. Most insurance companies have eliminated most of their field estimators and drive in estimating. It's more about facilitating the claim proficiently today, its not like they send you to MACCO. The insurer will also give a lifetime warranty on the repairs through a DRP.

That said a shop is a shop and you still need to pick the one you are most comfortable with, but they are most all a DRP for someone, if not 5 or 6 insurers.

 

[WhatExit?]

I have avoided the "discount" insurance companies figuring they'd cost less and it'd be hell to deal with them if/when I ever have a claim.

Based on this (above) it's time to move our insurance away from Farmers, get more coverage for the same $$$, and be prepared to deal with the industry standard insurance hell if/when I have a claim.

So, who are we all moving our insurance too?

 

[batterup]

This is scenario is very common with direct writers of insurance. State Farm and Farmers insurance people are considered agents, meaning they represent the carrier, not the insured. Where as a broker represents the insured and not the carrier. A good broker will also have an in-house claim liaison that does all the heavy lifting in the event of claim.

 

[Flying_Lavey]

The only insurance claim I have had to place was an obvious total loss when we were T-boned back in February. I have State Farm and they were VERY easy to deal with. I felt like their value of the Yukon was a bit low, but that was Pre-Rona so the prices were too inflated at that point. Its really sounding like partial damage is where these horror stories are coming from. I'm not looking forward to if or when I have to go down that road.

 

[mjc]

I have avoided the "discount" insurance companies figuring they'd cost less and it'd be hell to deal with them if/when I ever have a claim.

Based on this (above) it's time to move our insurance away from Farmers, get more coverage for the same $$$, and be prepared to deal with the industry standard insurance hell if/when I have a claim.

So, who are we all moving our insurance too?

All my cars are with progressive and home with Auto Owners(best company i have ever worked with)

 

[bocco]

What are the opinions on using a broker or not? For 20 years I used State Farm with broker that was great. 7 Years ago the wife got a DUI and State Farm dropped us. I moved the car insurance to Mercury with a new broker. I wanted to move house and boat as well but the new broker thought our furnace was to old. We had one incident while with Mercury and it was handled well. I recently switched everything to Gieco and saved a chunk of money but it's all on line and phone calls. Haven't had to make an actual claim so far.

So is Broker worth it?

 

[lbhsbz]

Why not just send the difference

They chose to total the truck which forces a salvage title. I tried to reason with them at that point...no dice. Fuck them.

 

[lbhsbz]

Also, it was mentioned that the difficulty was caused by me doing the repairs, rather than a shop. I called 3 different dealers for quotes, all of whom turned down the job because of no parts availability. Only through a couple days of legwork was I able to locate the discontinued stuff. This was the only option to retain ownership of the truck.

 

[Gelcoater]

Well this thread brings back some memories, lol.
We had Farmers (or was it State Farm?) in 05 when my Ford was stolen from the EB storage yard.
Incidentally, there was a travel trailer stored right next to my truck, belonged to @Tony DCB Boats
We suspect someone stole an entire vacation package that weekend, lol.

Once recovered they told me it was a total and sent me a check for half value, saying the rest would be sent after an “investigation”.
A couple months later, with nothing happening I had to mention I was going to lawyer up to get it resolved. They sent the other half within a week.
@lbhsbz
Don’t expect them to renew the policy when it comes time to renew, they dropped me like a bad habit.
I sort of wish I would have bought that truck back and ran it salvage title and all.

 

[havasujeeper]

Just a footnote on Progressive Insurance, I had both of my boats insured with them. After a few years, I was reading the fine print and it said they were authorized to utilize USED boat parts to repair my boats. When I called the company and confirmed this, I quickly cancelled and changed to AAA.

 

[PlanB]

My father was the victim of a residential burglary where about 130K worth of property was taken. Farmers refused to pay out on the claim and my father took them all the way to a jury trial. My father was awarded a 5 million dollar judgement against Farmers. I was a part of the court process as a witness to the aftermath of the burglary. Farmers and their attorneys were complete scumbags during the entire process, but in the end they lost.

 

[CLdrinker]

Mercury insurance has treated us well.

A coyote hit my commuter car, they fixed it to better than it was before without a question asked.

And for our house fire incident we kept getting checks in the mail constantly. So much so I tried to return a few large checks to which they kindly declined.

 

[Boatracer36]

The fact that RDP endorses this fucktard is the part that pisses me off...had I not seen Dave’s post that “it’s all about the agent”...I wouldn’t have considered working with Brad Stern. I figured an RD endorsement was worth something...but it isn’t in this case unless your name is River Dave.

I called RD Friday before last...and he Textsd Brad stern while on the phone with me...said Brad would call me in a feW minutes...ended up being a few days. Brad called me last Monday, 12/7, sounded annoyed with me and told me the claim was under review and I’d get a call back on Tuesday (12/8) ...which never came. The first call back I had was today...and they want their money back because all their estimates were wrong and mine was right.

Sorry bitches, kindly fuck off.

Any further questions can be answered via the CA DOI,with whom I’ve filed my complaint.

Good Luck Brad...I’ve told this story to several friends, 3 of which have dropped farmers in the last couple weeks. There will be more, and I’ll send the details of those accounts to the acct handlers.

Getting money is not my objective...getting service is my objective. You, as my agent, have failed at that, and so have have your handlers at the corporate level. I made a mistake switching to Farmers.

Hi Pat,

I'm sorry you feel this way. I agree with you that this claim has been very poorly handled by Farmers claims department. I don't get into arguments or debates on a public forum. That never looks good on anyone. That being said: Once I found out you were having problems with your claim, I made phone calls to all of your claims reps and supervisors to find out what was going on. They assigned you a new claims rep that day. This is also when I found out the original claims rep had just left on maternity leave. I gave you this information to help you fight and over turn his decision to total your truck. (I felt it was rushed because of that) I 100% always have my clients best interest over an insurance company anytime. I will give you a call today and lets sort this out.

Brad

 

[ChumpChange]

I don’t believe it’s just a Stern thing.....

One thing I have learned is all an “agent” is for is to sell you insurance. Once you need to use it they will wash their handles of you. RDs recommendations are usually tied to the fact that he gets special treatment or a service for free and it’s not how normal customers are actually treated.

What’s more ironic is some of the things I have insured now through an agent are being done through progressive which I could do online.

What about the Aaron Rogers rate?

 

[FROGMAN524]

My father was the victim of a residential burglary where about 130K worth of property was taken. Farmers refused to pay out on the claim and my father took them all the way to a jury trial. My father was awarded a 5 million dollar judgement against Farmers. I was a part of the court process as a witness to the aftermath of the burglary. Farmers and their attorneys were complete scumbags during the entire process, but in the end they lost.

Bet they wish they didn't try to screw your father.

 

[Cole Trickle]

Sorry to hear of the troubles..

The first estimate just looks wrong with a ton of oversights.

The age/value of the truck as well as the availability of parts and the desire not to take a total loss are all going to be issues. This wouldn't have been an issue on a newer vehicle and the outcome could have been much different.

I'm sure you know this but as soon as the claim creeps up on 80% of the ACV it's going to end up a total. Insurance companies aren't in the business of over paying claims.

Seeing posts 'like this remind me why i don't try and sell insurance on a boating forum. It's just better to separate hobbies from business. In Reality a Broker or Brad in this case have very little to do with the claims processes. The companies have limited our connections and ability's to really influence underwriting or the claims processes over the past 20 years. These days things are by the book and for the most part you are dealing with robots that work on the company side. As a Broker/Agent we can rattle cages and but the company to return calls and follow up but we have no say in final pay out.

Good luck I hope you get what you are after.

 

[MissB]

I second Mercury as well.... I love my agent... @Cole Trickle

 

[PlanB]

Bet they wish they didn't try to screw your father.

They attempted to settle before it went to court, but it was too late. The litigation also set precedent as it opened up their parent company to future litigation. They should have just paid out.

We have most of our vehicles insured through AAA and they have been great. I was in an accident on my Harley a couple of years ago and the estimate to repair it was 22K. They never questioned any of the repairs and the entire process was handled very well. I was surprised they did not total the bike (valued at 28k at the time).

 

[JD D05]

Farmers etc is a sub standard carrier that advertises like they aren't. If you switched insurance at any point and saved money you just went to another sub standard carrier, with most likely a crappy claims experience is coming. If you want a great experience and have all your shit covered correctly don't use price as the key deciding factor.

 

[PlumLoco]

I'll say it again, rates and service with AAA has been great. I always go to the best body shop in the area, they send me refunds checks when I drive less miles, and the rates for me are unbeatable (5 cars 1 toyhauler 2 new teen drivers).
They would not insure my 1973 jet boat with a covered low perf 455. Can't remember why.

 

[Ziggy]

I think things started to go down hill when they killed off the white "Jake", replaced him and didn't say a word

Both Jakes work(ed) for State Farm not Farmers so they ain't the cause of lbhsbz's woes

 

[lbhsbz]

Sorry to hear of the troubles..

The first estimate just looks wrong with a ton of oversights.

The age/value of the truck as well as the availability of parts and the desire not to take a total loss are all going to be issues. This wouldn't have been an issue on a newer vehicle and the outcome could have been much different.

I'm sure you know this but as soon as the claim creeps up on 80% of the ACV it's going to end up a total. Insurance companies aren't in the business of over paying claims.

Seeing posts 'like this remind me why i don't try and sell insurance on a boating forum. It's just better to separate hobbies from business. In Reality a Broker or Brad in this case have very little to do with the claims processes. The companies have limited our connections and ability's to really influence underwriting or the claims processes over the past 20 years. These days things are by the book and for the most part you are dealing with robots that work on the company side. As a Broker/Agent we can rattle cages and but the company to return calls and follow up but we have no say in final pay out.

Good luck I hope you get what you are after.

All I was looking for was for someone to pick up the phone or call me back in a timely manner. Regardless of the outcome, that would have made a significant difference in my opinion.

 

[FROGMAN524]

State Farm was the only reasonable quote for my Hallett and I checked everywhere. Some companies were $5-6,000 a year. I'm paying a lot less than that with SF and a local agent by me.

 

[Cole Trickle]

All I was looking for was for someone to pick up the phone or call me back in a timely manner. Regardless of the outcome, that would have made a significant difference in my opinion.

Agreed....

 

[RiverDave]

The fact that RDP endorses this fucktard is the part that pisses me off...had I not seen Dave’s post that “it’s all about the agent”...I wouldn’t have considered working with Brad Stern.

Brad made phone calls that ended up getting you everything you wanted. While he didn’t do a good job of communicating, I’d say the “agent” did go above and beyond to help you get what you wanted.

 

[mobldj]

I think things started to go down hill when they killed off the white "Jake", replaced him and didn't say a word

fkn white privlage.and on that same racist comment,anyone else tired of mixed couples in commercials,every commercial now.i could give a shit who someone loves but its way over the top now.

 

[lbhsbz]

Brad made phone calls that ended up getting you everything you wanted. While he didn’t do a good job of communicating, I’d say the “agent” did go above and beyond to help you get what you wanted.

Well, he didn't. The adjuster finalized everything before Brad even got involved.

 

[Boatracer36]

Well, he didn't. The adjuster finalized everything before Brad even got involved.

The new claims rep over turned the total loss. This is once I made the phone calls. Please give me a call back.

 

[lbhsbz]

The new claims rep over turned the total loss. This is once I made the phone calls. Please give me a call back.

I'm slammed on the phone today (talking to customers) I had a break and just took a call from Ed....he want's me to send some money back. I will, along with a bill for doing the adjusters job. I will make it easy and remove my fee from the check.

 

[Outdrive1]

Well, he didn't. The adjuster finalized everything before Brad even got involved.

What day and time did you call Brad? Is your agent supposed to be on call 24 hours a day and on weekends? Or just business hours? Just wondering what your expectations are. The claims dept is 24/7 I’m guessing.

What is it that you think he hasn’t done for you.

How long from the theft until you got a check for the truck?


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