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Dennis of Lagrange Park IL (07/04/08)
In February of 2004 I had a water heater in my attick that burst. State Farm came out and inspected my home and denied the claim. I had the denial letter reviewed by an attorney friend and he looked over the top of his bifocals and said, your insurance company is attempting to commit an act of fraud on you. Their stated cause for denial is actually a covered item in your policy. I informed State Farm of this and they magically agreed to cover the claim. In the process of replacing items damaged in the initial water heater leak, we found a lot more damage that was hidden behind the ceiling and the walls. State Farm hired an engineering firm to inspect my house and then sent their engineers to the City and they asked the City to red tag my house.
State Farm's adjuster said we can't process your claim until we get an answer from he City on a code issue. This turned out to be a deliberately false and misleading statement designed to cause an unnecessary delay in processing my claim. While we were waiting on this fictitious event to settle my claim, I was hit by Charley, Francis and Jeanne. State Farm's little scheme backfired. State Farm claimed that their was confusion as to where the damage of the original claim ended and the new hurricane damage began. I told them it was immaterial because the house was a full loss.
I was then sued by State Farm to go through their appraisal process. I later found out that this is a tactic they use to control their exposure to legitimate claims. Their appraiser agreed with our appraiser that the home was a total loss, but State Farm's executives over ruled this decision. State Farm did not agree with their own expert's opinion arising from their own appraisal process which they forced me to participate in by suing me. They cut off my additional living expenses, even though my house was not habitable and then delayed the settlement by using the afore mentioned farce.
It has been four and a half years and we are finally set to go to trial. I am looking for any stories from people who were victims of Charley, Francis or Jeanne or any stories that involve mistreatment and misconduct by State Farm. I am also looking for any State Farm employees that are willing to provide any information on the specific instructions by State Farm's management to deny, delay and underfund legitimate claims in the state of Florida or elsewhere. Any information that sheds light on the altering or manipulation of engineering reports or general tactics used to frustrate the insured and cause an unfavorable settlement for the insured would also be helpful.
I have lost everything I once had set aside for retirement only to learn that State Farm has been playing a game with me from the very beginning. Thank you, and good luck to the rest of you who understand all too well how damaging and frustrating this process is.
Full Loss.
Jennifer of Cushing WI (06/07/08)
Our home caught fire on April 20th 2007. We lost everything. When I first called in to make the claim I was told we could go pick up a check for 200$ to buy personal items and clothing until the insurance adjuster could come out to survey the damage. What a joke- what is a family of 4 going to do with 200$ to get through until an insurance adjuster could come out.
After seeing the adjuster I was quite positive on how they were going to deal with the loss of our home. As far as the home goes-they were great in terms with paying that out. with the personal property what a joke! After spending days in a burnt smelly house going through every item lost and making a list-which I am sure is so good for your lungs to breathe in! It took us a few months to finally finish the inventory list and turned it in.
Now I remind you we had 100% replacement cost. I get a phone call from the fire claims office in nebraska stating that each item would be depriated and paid out after the depreciation value-but if we replaced that item we could then turn in our reciepts and they'd pay us any remaining balance on that item. She also stated they no longer payed you 100% on the coverage you had on personal property.
What a joke! It wasn't that way when we signed up and paid them for the past 11yrs. She stated too many were taking there money and buying yahts or whatever with the money instead. Excuse me, isn't that our right? There was alot of things in my old home I wouldn't replace again-oh but then they get to keep that money and make a profit off of your loss.
Then I find out I only have 2yrs from the fire date to replace every item-ok it took me 11yrs to accumilate it all. If they want me to replace every item lost-then pay me what that inventory list totaled so I can, instead pay me 1/2 then say replace it all on your own within 2 yrs. WHAT A JOKE! there are items you cannot replace but yet they depriated the value of it. Baby photos,baby albums, family heirloms, wedding dress, wedding rings. they all have sentimental value-they gonna pay me for that? I can't go back and have my kids again-sorry state farm! I don't plan on making a big stink until I am paid in full! They can pay my family for the hell we went through afterwards and my kids dealing with losing it all! it hasn't been easy and my new home still isn't completely furnished yet.
Mary of Virginia Beach VA (06/05/08)
State Farm has dropped my homeowners policy after 16 years with them and no claims. They say there is too much hurricane risk. I am at the dead end 2 blocks away from the ocean and higher up than sea level, not at risk from the ocean flooding. My zip code has other properties at risk and they must not be able to look at homes on a case by case basis. Can anyone help me?
My friends have had to insure their homes through Lloyds of London, for many more thousands of dollars. mercy!
Betty of Vallejo CA (06/03/08)
On May 19, 2008, my home was burglarized of various items and my 2003 Jaguar was stolen out of my enclosed garage. The car has since been found with damages.
My problem is that State Farm is considering this two (2) separate claims or incidents - one being under the homeowner policy and the other being under the auto insurance policy. When I question State Farm, they said that I must pay $250 homeowner's deductible and a $500 deductible for auto.
My vehicle was not in the driveway nor was it parked on the street, it was secured inside of the house and I would think this would fall under the homeowner's policy.
Mr. of Chicago IL (05/14/08)
On December 17, 2007,our home was destroyed by fire. we recieved a check for the fire damages to our home. We had a positive experience with State Farm until it came time to be reimbursed for the contents of our home. The adjuster,Judi B,gave us a difficult time. She reviewed every single item which was okay with us, we understand that is her job. What bother us was when she stated that some of the items were not there. We explained that the fire was so severe that many items were burned beyond recognition. We attempted to assist her in locating some of our items.For example,she was given a gold bracelet which she issued a reciept. We also provided her with a picture that had some of the items shown. We would like to began repairs, but are hesitant in fear that she does not give us a fair settlement. Many items which were burned are still in the home.The only thing that we ask is that we recieve fair and prompt service. Its going on several months.
Mr. of Chicago IL (05/14/08)
On December 17, 2007,our home was destroyed by fire. we recieved a check for the fire damages to our home. We had a positive experience with State Farm until it came time to be reimbursed for the contents of our home. The adjuster,Judi Bush,gave us a difficult time. She reviewed every single item which was okay with us,we understand that is her job. What bother us was when she stated that some of the items were not there. We explained that the fire was so severe that many items were burned beyond recognition.
We attempted to assist her in locating some of our items. For example,she was given a gold bracelet which she issued a reciept. We also provided her with a picture that had some of the items shown. We would like to began repairs, but are hestitant in fear that she does not give us a fair settlement. Many items which were burned are still in the home.T he only thing that we ask is that we recieve fair and prompt serice. Its going on several months.
Dean of Denver CO (05/13/08)
last august of 2007, we purchased the top of the line (owens corning / oakridge pro 50 ) shingles that lowe's carries. previously we had shake shingles so we were paying a premium price on insurance. after the job was done i contacted my insurance agent and they gave us a small discount for replacing our shake shingles with asphalt shingles. they said our shingles were not on the state farm list for deeper discounts. how can a top of the line product not be listed is beyond me. i couldn't get any answers from ownes corning and state farm. so do i pay the price, redo my roof, or change insurance companies. they don't give me much of a choice.
Lea of Lawrence KS (05/05/08)
We had a tornado/straight line wind incident last Friday about 1:15 am. I contacted our agent after surveying the damage to our home and property at about 5:30 am - I finally heard back from someone in the office who submitted my claim and asked the extent of our damages, and assured me that since part of our roof was missing that an adjustor would be calling me on Friday and they would have someone contact me that they worked with to come out and cover our roof. On Sunday, we heard from a member of the claims office that is currently in the process of being set up in our town and they again wanted to know the extent of our damage, take some numbers from various things in the yard that were damaged, and said an adjustor would be calling in the order our damage was considered important.
I don't have a problem with that, if people are displaced, they should receive help first, however, I just called today and placed a claim for significant tree damage at a rental we own, (keep in mind our own home has lost at least 20 trees in the same storm) and I was told that tree damage and removal is not covered by state farm unless the tree has actually hit your structure! So at our own home we will be looking at about 5000.00 our of pocket, besides our deductable to clean up the tree damage, and at the rental house we are S-O-L as far as the insurance is concerned and are looking at a 1700 bill to remove and clean up the tree damage.
Two years ago on a lake property we own at the Lake of the Ozarks, when a tornado came through, American Family was wonderful in working through our claim, and were much faster as far as response time, and they took care of all tree damage,regardless whether the tree had touched the structure or not. Buyer Beware - we are having American Family out for a new quote - and guess what - the agent for American Family is going to be out to give us a quote, before we ever hear from the adjustor with State Farm!
see above
Danny of Baltimore MD (03/09/08)
On sept 20 2007, our home caught fire while my wife and I where on vacation in Bermuda. It was a cruise. By the time we heard of the fire, our ship was on its way back so all we could do was wait out the trip to see our home. Our son said the damage was severe. My wife contacted state farm and spoke with Cegies. She told my wife don't worry about a thing, they would take care of boarding up the house and get things going. So we figured we were in good hands.
We got home on sept. 23 and could not believe what we saw. Not only was our home destroyed, but Cegies took it upon herself to send out a crew to empty the contents of our home. 25 years of our life was in 30 yard dumpsters and spread out in our front lawn. There was nothing left for us to even look through. No one authorized her or any one in state farm to go through our home. When my wife contacted Cegies at state farm she told my wife they did it because of mold. I don't think we would have had that problem that fast.
Now to get to the point, that was just the beginning of a nightmare. It is now March 8, 08, and our house is still in the construction phase but should be done in 4-6 weeks. My wife and I turned in our personal property forms approxmently 10 weeks ago. Our policy is a 100,000 dollars and also replacement cost. Well, in the 1st weeks of the fire we were in a hotel. Cegies met with my wife and gave her a check for 30,000 dollars to get clothes and other things we needed. That turned out to be a big mistake.
My wife contacted Cegies because we needed to order furniture and household items and to find out when we would be getting the rest of our money. Remember I have a 100,000 dollar personal property insurance. We only sent in our things as costing 71,000 dollars. Bottom line is Cegies is now being very rude with my wife and does not want to give us the rest of our claim. Now she wants us to produce receipts for all of our personel proerty. My wife explained to her we don't have any receipts, everything burned up in the house ands what didn't, you threw away.
So here we are, 4 weeks from getting back in our home, and no furniture to put in it. By the way I am deaf and very handicapped, that's why my wife had to handle everything. My wife told Cegies that I need certain things for the new house and she just doesn't care. We need some kind of help.
Spencer of Midland MI (01/21/08)
I have been with agent and state farm nearly 20 years. At the time of my last interaction, I carried a policy on a pop-up camper. I had recently changed auto due to a tremendous price difference from a work related insurance benefit. Over this last winter, a crack developed in the roof due to the freezing and thawing cycle of a Michigan winter. After consulting with agent, the claims office was contacted. With guidance from him, I described the damage. After the estimate from the RV dealer came back, State Farm refused to honor the claim. They stated that this was a Maintenance issue. Since when is a cracked roof a maintenance issue? I discussed with agent but to no avail. I immediately discontinued my relationship with the agent and state farm.
The cost of a new roof is actually covered by the camper manufacturer. The shipping, which was what the claim was for, will cost approximately, $600.00
Myrna of Fort Morgan CO (01/17/08)
we filed a claim on Janaury 7 because we had insurance on a storage trailer we had tools and some household items in some of my husband's tools were missing at least $3000 they wanted receipts to show we purchased them because we do not have receipts to show proof they will not give us anything for our loss for our loss I called Harbor freight tools and they only go back two years so that did not help we must of purchased the tools in early 2000
my husbands health is not good anyway and then being treated and interigated like we are criminals has not helped either my health or his
Kama of Des Moines IA (01/04/08)
In Feb 2007 my family suffered a house fire due to a power surge from a transformer that was blown due to an ice storm and the electricity being off. What the fire didn't destroy, smoke and water from the fire being put out did. The Fire Marshall said the house was unlivable due to the smoke damage as this was an electricial fire inside the walls. We called our agent and turned the claim in. A couple of days later the company sent out their rep. who was very unfriendly and wouldn't work with us and then they assigned us another agent who was no better.
At first they seemed polite, and eager to help our family out, but soon everything changed. They were not usually available to reach with questions regarding our claim, and quickly let us know he was not looking out for our family's best interest. They eventually found us a three room apt to live in and rented us furniture which was very much appreciated. They contracted with a company to try to clean our furniture. We came back to our house and found everything gone and the house gutted. They took everything before we even had a chance to see if we could salvage anything as my husband had a lot of family antiques that were very valuable and meaningful from his mother and grandparents. I also had a lot of expensive collectibles along with all my photo albums, etc. We have been in shock as so much that we lost was memories and antiques that can never be replaced. State Farm or their contactor were not authorized to do this and they still will not give us our property back unless we pay for it.
On Christmas Eve we received a denial from State Farm stating that our claim was denied. We gave them all the information they requested but we learned that someone we didn't know called in and said we started the fire. No way did we start the fire and we even have the fire marshall report along with the electric company report of the blown transformer. We talked to a lawyer who said as long as someone said you started the fire no matter if you didn't, you lose the case because State Farm can use that call against you. How in the world can someone call in and say you started a fire with no proof? I also feel my name and integrity have been slandered. Even though we don't have much money and have had hard times we would never ever have even thought of arson. Now we have no place to live, no furniture, anything because of this.
There is a lot more that I can state and all the information that was provided to them from fire marshall, my husband's employer, electric company, etc. My mother also attended one of the many dispositions we had to do and she witnessed the treatment that they gave to us and then the report they sent back was nothing like what we stated. That is also one reason they denied us was my mother came and they used it against us. I would just like to warn everyone DO NOT BUY STATE FARM HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE IN IOWA.
Consequence is now my four kids, my husband and I are homeless as we have no furniture, etc and the home is still unlivable. We do not have the money to rebuild the house or to buy new furniture. My poor kids will have to go through this trauma again without having anything or a place to live. I am even losing my hair due to all the stress this has caused. We have provided them all the documentation that was requested and just because one person called in and lied, we have been denied. There is no one to turn to anymore and I just feel we were shafted because we have no money and are not very rich.
Tasha of Fredericton OTHER (01/03/08)
As of today, I am no longer an employee of State Farm. I was let go today on the grounds that I am not into my job because I did not buy a life application from my employer to help her meet her year-end deadline. I do not believe that such a dismissal is professional or ethical. Unfortunately, during my time there, I was privy to many other unethical work practices, such as: seeing documents forged by my agent, and verbal accounts of embellishment from the company. I also knew of an executive's use of State Farm funds to move her furniture to another city.
Having been fired with no notice, and not having been paid for Christmas Day until I researched Statutory holidays and subsequently spoke to my former boss about it, I am now experiencing some financial hardship and major stress due to the lack of notice or consideration in my dismissal. I feel it was unjustified and unprofessional.
Anne of Tucson AZ (12/05/07)
I have insurance for a piece of jewelry, my wedding ring. I have never filed insurance for any lost item but 6 months ago I contacted my insurance man and said I can't find the ring. He never said one thing about reviewing my account to make sure it was insuranced for increases over the years. Then a couple weeks ago I filed a loss for the ring. They wanted me to use their insurance jeweler to replace it. No problem, but now they are saying it was insured for $10,000 and it was appraised from their jeweler for $33,000. Now they want to give me the cash and not replace the ring. I feel they should replace the ring because they never mentioned anything about increasing the amount it was insured for when I talked to them 6 months ago. And, by the way, it was never raised, but I didn't know that because my rates have gone up all along even without having a claim. The insurance policy states on it: Notice: we have the option of repairing or replacing the lost or damaged property at our cost. If we agree to a cash settlement, we will pay you no more than our cost to replace the item. All of my jewelry is scheduled for $57,675.and the ring itself has $10,000 next to it. Why is it they can have the advantage of paying less for the ring yet when it will cost more to replace it I have the disadvantage?
I have had two people call me. One was the claim adjustor and then his supervisor who was just yelling on the phone to me that they are not in the jewelry business. Then why are they selling insurance if they don't want to take responsibility for telling their clients to increase the value on their treasures. I thought I was worry free. I look at the job description of the agent and it says they are to help the client remain worry free, etc.
Richard of Mclean VA (11/10/07)
I received a message on my cellphone from this company that my house was underinsured. I was alarmed by this and called to find out what it was all about. The person who answered stated that I would be called back. This did not happen, so about a week later I called again. Once again, I was told that my call would be returned. It wasn't. Now I am working to change my insurance to another company. I am very unhappy that the State Farm agent showed so little interest in my situation and wonder what would happen if, say, I had a claim that needed to be processed.
Kathleen of Dearborn MI (11/08/07)
We had a fire on 11/26/06.Our home was so badly ruined that we were told it needed to be completely gutted to the studs. We hired a State Farm preferred provider to fix our home. It took them nearly 3 months just to complete the estimate, and we decided to fire them as were were in a hurry to get back in our home. Initally State Farm was great our first claim rep was very helpful and put us up right away in a rental house, told us that they would do whatever necessary to fix our home, and that it would be no problem to hire someone else or general contract it ourselves.
The company we hired was more than the "preferred provider" that we got from State Farm, but our first claim rep said it was not a problem--just get the new estimate, submit it and he would get it paid. There were later several other estimates that they wouldn't do the work for what was originally esimated, the claim rep said "No problem, just submit the estimates".
About 2 weeks after the structural work had begun our claim rep was transferred and our nightmare began. We were given the run around about State Farm paying anything over the inital estimate, and we had to threaten legal action. The months dragged on; in July we were told that our living expenses would no longer be paid for even though our policy allows up to 24 months. I wrote a complaint letter to State Farm and the Dept. of Insurance and our living expensese were given another month but stopped in August. The city came out and told us that additional work was needed due to the fire ruining more structure. We submitted a bill to State Farm for the work and still have heard nothing; we also requested living expenses though Nov. and were told "No".
What is promised in our State Farm policy wasn't upheld; they fight so they don't have to pay for things that are rightfully due. We have to pay two house payments and area also out $3700 for additional work that State Farm refuses to reimburse.
Priscilla of Emporium PA (10/26/07)
In March of 2007 I called State Farm about a possible heating pipe leaking in my wall. They returned my call and said that any damage that was a slow leak wasn't covered. Then in August I received a notice stating that my State Farm Homeowners was canceled because I failed to have a plumber come into my home and do any repairs at my expense.
I now need to purchase homeowners insurance, and they have on my record that I have a claim for water damage in March of 2007. I never received any money nor did anyone from State Farm bother to come to my home and look at the problem.
Miles & Phyllis of Richmond VA (09/29/07)
We have had the main water pipe to burst due to age a month ago. It was expensive to replace. We tried to file under our home owners but we were told that we had been placed on a high risk list. We we told that because we were on a high risk list that our insurance policy will increase. My complaint is we pay for this policy and we are not allowed to use it.
Roman of Hastings MN (08/09/07)
On June 20th of 2007, we had a really bad hail storm in Hastings,MN. My home sustained hail damage as a result of this. I filed a claim and State Farm sent a claim adjuster to my home on the 4th of July to inspect my damaged roof and windows. He issued me a check so small that wouldn't even cover the windows let alone the roof. My contractor and I requested a re-inspection and they sent another so called expert on August 9th, 2007. This person was 3 hours late and didn't even bring a ladder to inspect the roof! We had to find one for him. After he did his inspection with my contractor he stated that he disagreed with my contractor's estimate. No surprise there! He told me that there's some hail damage but most of the damage to my roof is not cosistent with hail and he couldn't explain what caused it. He told us that since there was a discrepancy between State Farm's estimate for repair and my contractor's estimate, the next step was to get an engineer from State Farm and that he would have the last word on whether the damage was caused by hail. Brandon(the adjuster from Nebraska) finally left my property stating that he would call me back to set up an appoinment for the engineer and my contractor to meet and discuss the damage to my roof. He called me about an hour later in a most cowardly fashion to tell me that he closed my claim stating that all that State Farm needed was two of their adjusters to agree to close my claim. Basically he just lied about sending the engineer, although I suspect the outcome would've been the same anyway. I think they get trained to deny claims. Brandon suggested to pursue legal avenues because he closed my claim and that was my only choice.
Angela of Centerpoint IN (07/30/07)
On 11-27-04, my family suffered a house fire due to faulty wiring.What the fire didn't destroy, smoke and water from the fire being put out did. We called our agent,and turned the claim in, a couple of days later the company sent out their rep. Angela M. At first she seemed polite, and eager to help our family out, but soon everything changed. We chose to have a construction company that she recommended repair the damages. Angela was not usually available to reach with questions regarding our claim, and quickly let us know she was not looking out for our family's best interest. She did not want to pay her construction company what they wanted to repair the damages. At one point my husband found a DHL envelope on the front step of our burnt, and vacant home, it contained a check for $25-$30 thousand dollars less than what it would take to repair the damages. We refused to cash this check. We had to get an attorney to force their hand. I think the attorney was in bed with State Farm, because he stated that he was insured by them. My husband, and I ended up paying the construction company almost $8000.00 for foundation damage, because they would not cover it, because they said that it already had a foundation problem. We also ended up paying for numerous other items as well. Our house did not get finished until 2-2007, 2 and a half years later.
Angie of Hortonville WI (04/19/07)
A fire caused our (my mothers) garage & shed to be completely engulfed in flames damaging everything in it and around it. The cost in damage is tens of thousands of dollars.
It's been a little over 2 years since this has happened and State Farm is and has been denying our claim. We're still fighting for compensation but they won't because it took us too long to submit the inventory forms, when from the start we were told we had 2 years to do so. Within those two years our initial claim specialist retired and we were assigned a new one. The new claim specialist keeps saying there is nothing we can do and we can't pursue legal action so all in all to sum up what he said is you're screwed. We won't take NO for an answer. We've had State Farm as our homeowner's insurance carrier for 17 years, then when something tragic happens such as the fire we're being denied ! We had years among years among YEARS of memories and possessions in our garage. It was more so storage for our family than a garage for vehicles and all in a matter of hours, it's gone!
Moriya of Columbus, OH (02/15/07)
I have homeowner's insurance and I am fighting day in and day out over my recent (and only) claim. I had a pipe freeze, and burst, and my kitchen/dining room/living room flooded. The pipes were in the attic, so the ceiling collapsed, and floors had to be removed.
They treat me like dirt, like I'm trying to take advantage of them everytime I tell them what needs repair. They refuse to pay for my pipes to be re-insulated, even though it breaks Ohio code to leave plumbing in the attic with no insulation. And they denied the request to rip out and replace the cabinents even though they were in standing water and the base boards are warped.
State Farm, Like a Good Neighbor? My answer is NO.
Robert of St. Clair Shores MI (09/28/06)
We contacted state farm about a crack in our foundation. We had some minimal water damage as well as some mold/mildew. We spoke with a lady at our local office and she said we were covered. She forwarded the claim to an adjuster who called my wife and told her we weren't. Shortly after we received an update to our home insurance and the rates went up. How is it that I can dent my truck and get it fixed but I can't get my basement covered or repaired?
It is going to cost $7000 to get the basement repaired plus the cost to finish it again.
Curtis of Fort Worth TX (09/06/06)
The local Cable Company stepped on the A/C drain line in my attic, left duct work open that they opened to blow on themselves in attic, left upstairs A/C unit turned down to 65 degrees; All of this went undiscovered while I was gone for almost 4 weeks, and then I got home to find water dripping from the attic to the basement, from the Northwest corner of the house to all other corners. Water was almost everywhere - as I ran upstairs and confirmed that I hadn't done anything like leaving a faucet running, I saw two upstairs ceilings crash; the A/C guy came and said that the AC unit was putting out about 1 gallon/hour (this was the middle of summer in Texas). Over a 3-4 weeks period, I think he estimated that the unit leaked between 2 and 3 tons of water. (The AC guy said one gallon of water weighs 7 pounds). He has provided an affidavit to State Farm regarding what he witnessed.
State Farm sent an initial adjuster, very young, named Jason I think, who just did a quick walk through, without asking me for any guidance, didn't want to look in the attic, and spent only about 30 minutes. But then he surprised me by calling me downstairs to say that he was finished with his adjustment work, and then pressured me to sign up for the preferred vendor program. When he said that I had to sign it right then, I got suspicious and said no thanks. I telephoned my agent to complain, and he offered to file something against the adjuster. I didn't want to get him in trouble.
For the next several weeks I kept getting hang ups on my voicemail, and caller ID would show that it had been State Farm calling. When I eventually called them to inquire, I discovered that the adjuster had logged me in as accepting the plan. They were calling to say that they still needed my signature on the preferred vendor program agreement!! When I told them that I had declined the plan, you could hear the phone drop to the desk in shock! They then paid $17k very quickly just based upon the fact that they did have an adjuster who had visited the property. If I recall this part of the events correctly, I believe that I also discovered over the phone that the adjuster hadn't even drawn up any adjuster's report at that point. Then when I received a drawing at my insistence, it became obvious that he hadn't truly adjusted the claim in the short period of time that he spent at the property.
I requested permission to move and they approved that I move to live elsewhere. They approved, but stated that they would not pay to move my home office furniture and phone line, saying that I didn't carry business insurance with them. That was true. I requested payment on a lease contract, and they were months in responding. It appeared that they began to play a game of plausible deniability - sometimes claiming that they didn't receive a fax or mail (even if you had a confirmed fax receipt). Eventually they handed the claim to a high-dollar adjuster, named Clark G. He finally came to the property, looked around, exclaimed that the original estimate was hugely underestimated, then started talking to me about a buddy who is a really good contractor, and does high dollar repairs. Clark advised that he would check on my requested $3,600/month amount for rent, i.e. excess living expenses. Before he left he made mention that the second you get an estimate from Scott McC, I am going to write you one really big check. He also told me that I needed to call Blackmon M to get all my stuff moved out, and that he would pay that bill.
In reviewing my notes, he listened as I complained about the initial adjuster not really looking at the damages, pressuring me to sign a contract for the preferred vendor program, wasting all this time, and not authorizing any dry-out procedure. He stated that this many months after the water event there was no need to now have any drying-out procedure done. Following Clark's walk-through, I was confused by Clark's continually pressing me to call this Scott McC, since I know that an adjuster can't require you to use any certain contractor. (I was especially leary in light of what previously appeared to have been a systematic pressure to use the preferred vendor plan). However, he quickly informed me by telephone that Todd had approved the $3,600/month.
I quickly got a letter in the mail, approving the $3,600/month for excess living expenses. I got paid around $35k for furniture repair (although these payments were based on a very informal writeup, and not the comprehensive estimate that Clark insisted upon). But, eventually I got a second letter, kind of nasty, asking why I hadn't called McC.
I called Clark and really quizzed him on his insistence that I call a certain contractor - namely his buddy McC. I asked very purposeful questions because Clark was making very conflicting statements: at the same time, he was calling McC an expert, yet referring to how he would give me a true estimate for which he would do the repairs, and referring to what a great job he would do on my repairs, since this was just the kind of job in which he specializes.
My home sits in disrepair, and I continue to live elsewhere.
John of Sebastian FL (08/20/06)
After 2004 hurricanes, State Farm Insurance acknowdged hurricane damage in interior of house due to hurricanes, but they can't locate on roof where water is exactly coming in so they won't pay to replace roof even though there are clearly four or five locations where water and mold is growing on ceiling.
Continual damage of home...no additional money from State Farm.
Brooke of Edgewater MD (08/02/06)
In Dec. of 2005, my house tragically burnt to the ground, displacing myself and my to young children. I have since been in a rental house paid for by State Farm. They had a contractor that works for them, give them an estimate on the rebuilding of my home. I of course did not agree with the price, and niether did any contractor I gave it to. The agent does not believe that I recently remodelled my house, and does not want to pay me. When I turned in my contents, they said I was lying about my personal property, and now want to investigate me. They have gone from very nice and respectful, to now calling me a liar and a fraud.
I am now inches away from having a nervous breakdown, and my doctors have put me on various medications in order to try and keep that from happening. I have not been able to work and barely able to function out of fear that, as they said, my whole claim may be denied, which would leave my kids and myself without a place to live, or beds to sleep on. Its all I can do to try to keep my children in a normal enviroment without me crying and not being able to breathe. If I didn't have my children I would just go ahead and let myself have a nervous breakdown. I would love to be able to sue them for all that they have put myself and my children through, it has been a virtual hell.
Donna of Arlington TX (06/12/06)
First Week in April 2006 my bath tub would not drain and I called for my home maintenance company to come out and fix it. The gentlemen arrived and used the normal snake to clean the drain. When he pulled the snake out there was mud on the spring at the end of the snake which caused him concern and he advised that there was a much bigger problem. He had a hunch that the P-trap under the tub needed replacement. He advised that he could not quote the job and he would send the owner out the next day to give me a quote. The owner arrived next day and quoted me $1010+ to replace my tub, faucet, toliet and the p-trap (I agreed to this as the tub/faucet and toliet were very old and needed to be replaced. The work would start on April 6.
On April 6 the guys came out to do the work and they took out old toliet, knocked out the tub...and discovered that the P-trap was not in sand as suspected but under the concrete foundation (the bill would be much larger due to this fact). When the trap was found it was a very old lead type drum trap and was it was mangled and knarled and obviously not capable of doing it's job. The plumber also told me that the pipe connecting to this drain was very loose and more repairs were needed. The job would also cost more because that pipe lead to the water closet and more excavation and tearing out of concrete was needed.
I was horrified at this point...the plumber could see this...he suggested that I contact my insurance company as this type work should be covered. I immediately called State Farm and entered a claim. Mr. Watenpaugh called me back and stated that all work should be stopped since State Farm needed their own plumbers to come out and perform leakage tests on my system and also needed engineers to come out and perform other tests regarding the foundation. I told him NO!!!...the work would not be stopped as my home is a one bathroom house and it is very important that the work get done an soon as possible.
After the work was finally completed on April 12....State Farm sent out two plumbers to perform leakage tests, then they sent two fellows from Bryant Consultants to perform a foundation study and now a month later the Bryant Consultants report was sent and I received word (through a message on my answering machine) from Mr Watenpaugh that State Farm has denied my claim because there was no leakage damage found.
The total bill was $4760.45 for the work. My insurance is $500 deductible. I did have an initial consultation with an attorney in this area and he has advised after review of my policy that in his opinion this claim should be covered.
Janet of Wildomar, CA (04/24/06)
I called State Farm (homeowner's policy) on 2/19 to report water damage to my downstairs because of a faulty washing machine hose. The representative told me I was covered for this type of damage. I told her I was going to use Quick Dry Flood Service and she said I could use anyone I wanted.
The bill was for $9,483.74. Since I had already paid $1000 deductible to Quick Dry, the balance due was $8,483.74. However, the SF claim adjuster only paid $5049.76, since he felt the bill was too high. This left a balance of $3,433.98 that State Farm won't pay.
Quick Dry is threatening legal action against me since I am responsible for the bill. State Farm NEVER told me that they might only pay a partial payment if I didn't go through one of their recommended Flood Services. The only thing State Farm told me about their recommended list is that they would guarentee the quality of the work.
Randy of Gulf Shores AL (03/25/06)
First, they would not cover my losses from hurricane Ivan (they claimed it was flood damage not wind driven for which I had no insurance). However, there were cracks on the wall where debris had hit it and water came in through the cracks. It was obvious when the sheetrock was removed. Other owners that had different insurance companies and the same water damage as me were covered. State Farm has "no Shame" and their agents in south Alabama are just as guilty.
The first time I met with one of their agents was 5 months after Ivan. Furthermore, they cancelled my policy and continued to deduct premiuns from my checking account. In fact they charged me $236.80 on March 23,2005 and ONE MONTH LATERon April 29, 2005 charged me another $236.80.
First of all the place was not liveable for over one year and second I had sold my Condo on Feb. 25, 2005 and notified the Foley office of such...countless calls and still no refund. How can you charge someone for insurance that they had cancelled and at the same time charge me twice in 2 months. I missed work and didn't have a home and ms Holk and statefarm are "RAPING" what little money, in this time of need that I had left.
Since then, I have had damage from Katrina, however thank the lord that State Farm was not involved.
Francis of Scotia NY (03/23/06)
Denied Homeowners coverage on Florida home after paying State Farm auto, home, umbrella & jewery floater premiums for 17 years with no claims. WHY?.
Gary of Cooper City, FL (01/03/06)
In Sept of 05, I contacted my State Farm agent (Dan Cato)954-370-8100 about a break in on my Shasta Trailor.
When I got my State Farm insurance, I was told my generator was covered, as long as it was part of the trailer. Well, someone broke into my trailer and stole my generator, but now SF is saying that it will not be covered cause it was not a permanent part of the trailor.
This to me is fraud! I have 6 policies with State Farm and I will liquidate them one by one.
Laurie of New Orleans LA (10/19/05)
First of all we were evacuated from New Orleans and I was away from my home for over one month.My house sustained wind damage from Hurricaine Katrina.The fence around the yard was torn off as well as the bedroom windows. I had a home alarm but it was disabled due to no power and a dead back up battery.... So the yard and the house were looted.
I spoke with a few state farm reps while I was away and I was told that the looting and the hurricaine should be handled as the same claim. Today my adjustor finally called ( one and a half months after the hurricaine). She cannot see me for another three weeks but she is stating that the claims must be handled seperately...so a hurricaine deductible of 3,000 and a theft deductible of 1,000 with two claims against my homeowners. I want to file a complaint. I know this is obviously up to the interruptation of whomever is assigned the claim. I hear different stories from everyone.
Also different stories about the 2,500 they gave us for loss of use of our homes for over a month....different stories about whether or not they will cover our refrigerators and freezers that were full of rotten food and bugs.
Shelly of St. Louis MO (10/17/05)
I am complaining about State Farm Insurance and their premiums for the Elliot Condominium Association's property and liability insurance. We have had SFI as our insurance carrier since 1975 and have had no more than a few small claims, if that. In 2004 our boiler failed and we had to have it replaced. We have always carried insurance coverage for that and State Farm paid as we expected. What we did not expect was they would increase our insurance premium 150%.
We paid insurance for a boiler replacement for 30 years and SFI tells me we now will have to pay this new premium! Our agent, Tom Nagel, is such a nice guy and I have dealt with him for 14 years. I asked him if he could intercede for us, which he did and was told, basically, tough luck. This rate increase is userous. What can I do to fight this?
Sandra of Millington TN (10/03/05)
I had homeowners and flood insurance with State Farm for thre years because I had a Rotweiller and Allstate wouldn't touch me. My Rotweiller had to be put down and Allstate was half the price so I went with them. I was told to show my new policy and get a refund for the months left on the other policy. Two months after doing this, I called to find out about the refind and that is when I was told the policy was still in effect and I could not cancel. Also no refund.
Barbara of Los Angeles CA (09/29/05)
I put in a flood claim for damages in 1/05 to State Farm. An adjuster came from State Farm and denied the claim because they viewed my garage was being used a resident. My garage has drywall but no-one lives back there and there is no plumbing, heating, kitchen, bathroom, etc. Just drywall on the walls (because I hate how the wooden beams look) and boxes, junk, my son's old drum set, etc.
I asked repeatedly for someone else to come out to inspect my property, especially from FEMA, since State Farm claims that it was FEMA who denied the claim. I could not see how FEMA could deny my claim when they NEVER came out to look at my property. One letter from State Farm stated that my policy "clearly states that my garage is to be used only to house vehicles". This language is found NOWHERE in my flood policy! I've had the Dept of Insurance look into this and they were of little help because of FEMA's involvement.
When I requested that FEMA look into this matter; State Farm calls me today to inform me that FEMA agrees with their decision. My claim in only for $2600.00 and that's just for the drywall that had bad mold and mildew from ground waters that came into the garage and caused the damage. I had an attorney look at my policy and he agreed that the policy is ambiguous when it comes to how a garage is a "residence".
I'm not an atty. but drywall and a drum set does not make a garage a "resident". State Farm even "lied" and said I told the adjuster that I converted my garage to a "music room". Since when does a set of 5 year old drums make a garage a "music room". I need help in finding out what is my next recourse.
Dean of Marrero LA (09/18/05)
I was denied coverage on certain obvious hurricane damage. I was met with "the chimney was not built properly", so, my wind and ultimately rain damage will not be covered. (Luck played a big part for the last 9 yrs of tropical storms and hurricanes).
Examples of my two wks of steam (humidity) and water damage are:
-- Double Pane window with water in it. -not covered
-- Water soaked warped doors/frames-clean and paint only
-- Shampoo carpets instead of replacing
-- Wooden Musical Instruments (Super sensitive to moisture) - not covered
-- Furniture swollen in spots from two wks of humidity/moisture damage-not covered
-- Cabinets swollen in spots from two wks of moisture/humidity- not covered
-- Ridge ventleaks- too minor-
-- Paint water marks - behind sheetrock, not a concern
-- Stereo equipment left in humid condition -not covered -
-- The remainder of my 30 yr seal tab roof has lost 15 yrs of life -not covered
-- Batting cage with tree on top of it- not covered
-- Roof on 8x10 shed (new) -not covered but the warped doors are.
-- Suspected electrical surge damage: -Ceiling fan- not covered -lexmark printer- not covered - dryer works on one cycle now- not covered
-- Air conditioner was found with a tree branch jamming the fan motor (Power on). cools at night/morning late in day gets hot-not covered
-- I havn't covered the odor and fridges.
Imagine your entire house a steam bath with blown open doors and exposed to the elements for two weeks what it would effect. I do not want to talk to Mr. Massey again. I paid insurance premiums for 9 yrs. faithfully on this dwelling. Thanks for your ears I'm tired.
Janet Killian of Wilmington DE (09/15/05)
my husband bought me a diamond ring for my 50th birthday, i faxed the receipt and value. i lost the ring and when i tried to put in a claim the agent said he never received the fax, but he would put it in under an employee error. i have been with state farm for over 25 years and never put a claim in prior.
Jonathan of Colorado Springs CO (09/13/05)
Had water damage to my home. I got a claim going right away. 2 weeks later they sent out a contractor to give an estimate on damages. It took 3 weeks before i heard anything back. still no work has been done. they then sent out a carpet contractor to measure carpet that was destroyed. they cut a 10x10 square out of my carpet then left 10 dyas later I have not heard anything. I now have a basement that stinks of water damage. A dining rom carpet with a square missing from it and now one has been returning my calls. State farm never sent out someone to view the damage.
Thomasof Olmsted Township OH (08/28/05)
8/20/05 severe storms caused flooding in our basement. Several hundred dollars was spent to purchase pumps to drain the basement. It took six days for the adjuster to come out and assess the damage, though we have it on video as the flooding was happening. The adjusted dismissed the evidence.
State Farm has been unresponsive, providing nothing back to the communities they are paid to protect. I am waiting to see if they are going to raise our premiums for a claim they never paid out for.
Rita of Port Orchard WA (08/25/05)
We had two fiberglass kayaks stolen from our property during the night, we believe. They were on racks (unlocked) on our boathouse. The value of the kayaks were about $2,500 apiece. We reported the theft to the company and were informed that there was a $1,000 limit on the policy. They waived the $500 deductible.
What was especially frustrating about this is that we had an insurance review in the agent's office last fall and specifically asked if our kayaks were covered under our policy at replacement value and were told yes. We were also told that they were covered anywhere in the world. We often transport them on our car, and paddle and leave them periodically on beaches while we hike or camp. We were told no problem.
Now that we've made the claim we were told about the $1,000 limit and only at our residence. We did not read the policy, at the time we transferred our autos to this company and increased coverage and many things. We have four policies total with them and did not read them all carefully. Lesson learned. Anyway, I would like to bring suit against them because we relied on the agent's expertise but I believe it will be hard to find an attorney to represent us for this relatively small amount and because the limit was listed in our policy I don't know what our chances would be with winning.
Jacki of West Blocton AL (08/18/05)
When lightning hit our outside phone box it got all phones and lines, our computer (that was only about 8 mos. old), two satellite receivers, a tv and a vcr. My husband and I filed a claim. Our claim was denied because the contents belonged to us and the insurance was in my mother-in-law's name (which we had tried to change three years earlier but was told by the agent's secretary that it wasn't necessary).
Mitch & Debbie of Shorewood IL (08/10/05)
May 19, 2005 a very bad hail storm went throught with 1 3/4 inch hail. I substained damage to my roof, fence, fortunately I have a brick home, so just chips happened to that. Well the first thing I did was call my Insurance agency, the damage was obvious, and an adjuster came out the following week.
My roof vents look like swiss cheese, (the storm came out of the southwest) I have 9 vents total on the south and west side of my home, all of which looked like swiss cheese. My husband had met with him, I'm really not sure which adjuster was first, I believe it was Mark Millerburg, but another one came out a week or two later and his name was Josh Mast. But anyway, the first adjuster told my husband that only the west side of the house substained damage and a few shingles here and there.
My roof is only 9 years old and I have a receipt signed and dated. The adjuster told my husband to take the money which was around 2200 and take his family on vacation and wait until the next storm to get the roof fixed because we had a few more years untill we needed a new one, I didn't find that funny. The second adjuster before he even set foot on my roof, his foot only on the first step on the ladder told my husband "If I don't find any hail damage on your roof your just going to have to dispute it".
I am stuck with an old roof, a pitted fence and no help.
Jessie of Flagstaff AZ (08/10/05)
On 9/20/02 the interior of our house was destroyed by a plumbing flood. No one was living in the house at the time and the water ran for days. State Farm accepted the claim and urged us to go on the "premier service program". We were told this meant that State Farm would provide the contractor of their choosing, AND pay the contractor directly. Their contractor promptly demolished the house, tearing out everything, including the walls, except for two bathtubs. Then they left the house to sit for several months, doing absolutely nothing.
The contractor said that State Farm owed them payment for the demolition phase; State Farm said that it didn't. State Farm never once offered to get us another contractor, or made any other attempt to get our house rebuilt. Eventually, they said we, and their contractor, were being kicked off the "premier service program". They gave us a small amount of money to get started and told us to get our own contractor.
We did. The new contractor is well-known in our town, and came highly recommended, having a reputation for both fine work and honesty. The repairs cost $15,000 more than State Farm had given us. We carefully and honestly documented every penny of cost. State Farm refused to pay. We had to borrow the $15,000 on credit cards to pay our contractor. We hired an attorney who cost us another $15,000, which we had to borrow on credit cards.
In July of this year, 2005, our case went to non-binding arbitration--a procedure the courts impose on hapless victims which accomplishes nothing more than wasting the unfortunate consumer's money and fattening all the attorneys involved. The arbiter, an attorney of more than 30 years experience in real estate law, ruled in our favor and awarded us 100% of everything that we asked for--100% of the repairs, 100% of our costs, and 100% of our attorney fees. But because it was a "non-binding" arbitration, State Farm thumbed its nose at us and simply refused to pay, and commenced to bargain with us.
The arbiter told State Farm, at the arbitration, right in front of us, that if they pushed this to a jury trial, they would probably lose even more. I suspect that's the only reason we got as much as we did. Rather than have to borrow another $20 or $30 thousand and wait another couple of years, we caved in and accepted $29,100, allowing them to steal $3500 from us.
Now think a moment, if you will: How many ordinary little homeowners can afford to come up with $17,000 in attorney's fees and costs to go after an insurance company? How many even have that kind of borrowing power? Not many, you say? Well then, those are the majority of State Farm's victims--the people without a voice, without the money to buy justice, the people who have no choice but to give up and go away. Which is, of course, exactly what State Farm expects, and why it is so profitable for them to automatically attempt to cheat every claimant at least a little bit, and some a lot.
Karen of Gloversville NY (08/06/05)
We have filed a few claims with State Farm Insurance, one was for an oil (FUEL OIL) spill in a finished basement secondary to Agway filling the oil tank and forgetting to tighten the cap, and secondly for water damage related to a broken sink drain pipe in the wall. Both claims were denied for various reasons, the finished basement is one big mess from oil and from water damages and my mission is to help inform everyone of how bad this company is in covering any type of damage to your home. They will not cover any claims that are ligitimate, but they will cover fully any damage covered by a volcano eruption!
Thomas of Plaistow NH (07/24/05)
On the evening of June 7th, 2005 during a wind storm a large tree fell onto our log cabin in Plaistow NH. The damage was confined to the roof and chimney of the cabin, as well as the outside deck area. After a lengthy wait, on July 22nd, we finally received a check for the amount of $7.800.00. Earlier we got $2.600 to start repairs on the deck. The adjuster said that they would pay for one slope of the roof, leaving the other slope a different color because of the age of the other shingles. This will look ridiculous.
I told him that because of the tree falling on one side of the roof, this should be in direct relationship and also be replaced. He disagrees, and said I saw an estimate on your refrigerator for a new roof so you will have to take care of it yourself. A guy went around our neighborhood and gave out several estimates to people and we put it on the fridge. This should have no bearing on the case. I believe we are entitled to have the whole roof repaired. Also there are purlins running through out house. Two of the were broken off. He wants to have dowels put in them, and not replace them in the original shape.
Kellie of Seattle WA (07/14/05)
We had a burglary on August 9,2004 at the house that we were remodelling to move into ASAP. More like the neighbor that poisons your pets, State Farm Insurance has treated US like the criminals, wasting over 18 hours of our time in EUO's where, like another complaint alleges, they spent most of the time questioning us about stuff that had nothing to do with the burglary AT ALL!
They illegally obtained bank statements from my boyfriend's BUSINESS account without his permission, costing him $85 in bank charges, which, though they filed as a claim against us, they have so far not reimbursed. Ms. Robinson has sent us no less than 5 letters stating that our tardiness in answering her letters and sending her the information she requests will cause our claim to be denied. I've told her more than once that I only pick up the mail at our mailbox 1-2 times per week, and that since we've moved into this house, our stuff is so disorganized we can't find most of the things she is asking for or it doesn't exist (i.e. business licenses for my boyfriends business that is no longer active.) (Not to mention that the moving company seems to have misplaced a good deal of our belongings, but that's another complaint, altogether!)
So far, no payment for $10,000- $15,000 worth of tools stolen and front door damage caused by this burglary. The really interesting thing about this is that the agent never sent us the policy, just the page of exclusions. She also never got our signitures, so we NEVER agreed to be treated in such a way, nor to be bound by their ideas of what they can demand we provide in terms of documentation. Will we have to go to court to get this resolved? It's been almost a year!
Adonis of Stone Mountain GA (05/06/05)
My home was completely burglarized with all my contents and belongings stolen on or about weekend of March 1, 2005. I have provided State Farm with all documentation within my capacity including receipts for major purchases. It is now May 5, 2005 with no resolution in sight. My family is not able to go back home due to the fact we have nothing. I have been exercising a great deal of patience with the situation because i have been out of state to my grandmother being in her last stage with cancer. Now i am making preparations to return and i have nothing.
State Farm has requested me to do a statement under oath with their attorney. i have complied with all they have asked. I think its completely absurd that even on this date with all my belongings and furniture stolen they are not providing me with any level of satisfaction nor statute of time in which this claim will be handled. I know based on conversation and dialogue with State Farms Attorney that i am being depicted as the bad guy as opposed to the victim i have become in this lost. I have paid my homeowners insurance premium for 5 years with no problems and never has a claim been filed. Now i have been victimized in a burglary and i the insured cant get any satisfaction from State Farm.
The comments and statements from the State Farms' parties involved is such of a racially or demographically based insinuation. As if i am committing some type of fraud. I would like to have this issue addressed and researched to ensure that as an insured consumer i have been treated fairly and rationally without a biased or personal interest by representatives of State Farm Insurance Company.
Jack of Enid OK (9/13/02):
Sometime in April while I was in the hospital, someone broke into our garage. They had us fill out every form they asked us to. They never helped or offered to. They never even tried to settle with us. When I had to go for the examination under oath, it turned out to be a six-hour grilling. They had a lawyer, that asked me all kinds of questions about everything but the theft.
I changed my attitude. I've quit trusting. More so big companies.
An expensive lesson. Anyone with a major claim must -- repeat, must -- be represented by counsel. An individual doesn't have a chance against a giant corporation whose only goal is to pay the smallest settlement they can get away with.
Jim of Plant City FL (7/14/03):
Our pool drain pipe busted, causing all the water to drain from our pool and the walls and floor to bulge. State Farm sent geologists and engineers out to drill. The engineer determined that the breaking of the drain pipe was caused by the sudden collapse of dirt and slurry under the pool caused by an artesian well and limestone. State Farm denied our claim by stating that the drain pipe broke because of "normal wear and tear." We have hired an attorney and are seeking mediation and possible legal action if our pool is not replaced.
Julia of Centreville VA (6/30/03):
I’m not sure of the date, I think it was in 1998 we had a bad hail storm. After months of calls, several per day from contractors wanting to check my roof for hail damage I kept saying no, because I didn’t trust any of them. I finally called State Farm just to ask, if I did let a contractor check my roof, how I could tell if they were being truthful or not? They said no problem, they would check it for me. They sent their inspector out and the next thing I know, they sent me a check for $4,108 on 4/23/99, that I never asked for.
In 2001 my garage was broken into. State Farm made me find the receipts for the items to prove that I had owned them which I did manage to find, other than a few sockets. The police said that the garage down the street was broken into the same night and the same sort of items were taken. They replaced some items and sent me a check for part of the rest. The total was $2,785.
Now this one I really have a problem with. In 2002, I came home from work to find my house full of smoke. It turned out that the neutral was open on the cable coming into my house from the power company, the result of a nick in the cable years ago when it was installed and over time corroded thru. Because of no neutral, my voltage was 30 volts on one leg and 210 volts on the other. It should have only been 120 volts on each leg. The smoke was the result of 2 surge arrestors fried to a crisp from overvoltage. This also caused the failure of my T.V. which was plugged into one of the surge arrestors. The other surge arrestor functioned as designed and my computer was spared. Also this caused a failure of my blower motor in my septic system and a couple of clocks.
I contacted the Northern Virginia Electric Coop about the damage, since they were at fault. They informed me that I had to go thru my homeowners insurance and that the insurance company would go after them. This sounded reasonable because the only auto accident I was ever involved in, where someone fell asleep and ran into the back of me at a light, I didn’t go thru State Farm. I went after the other party myself and State Farm gave me hell for not going thru them. They said that’s what I pay them for. I contacted State Farm about this problem and they informed me that they could not help me because the damage was caused by man-made electricity. They paid me ZERO dollars. Now they are calling this a claim and holding it against me. Why didn’t they tell me they don’t pay for man-made electricity before they filed it as a claim?
State Farm is now cancelling me in July because of having 3 claims in less than 5 years. That's not the real problem, now no one else will talk to me about insurance because of having 3 claims in less than 5 years. I've tried talking to several people at State Farm but no one can remove this claim and I can't find anyone that has anything do with adding or removing claims. Do you know of someone I can talk to? I have contacted the Virgina State Bureau of Insurance in Richmond Virginia, but they say there is nothing they can do about it and sent me a booklet of insurance companies to try to get insurance from. Everyone tells me if it wasn't for that 3rd claim in 5 years it would be no problem.
The first thing Julia should do is sue the electric utility for the damage to her home. As for getting a new policy, Virginia is not a consumer-friendly state (to put it mildly). She will just have to keep looking.
Jason of Yarnell AZ (3/6/03):
A claim was turned in for wind and rain damage to my house on February 13th. A storm blew several sections of roof off. Rain damage left me with soaked insulation, drywall and wood damage throughout the house. I got two contractors' estimates, one contractor looked inside the walls finding in-wall damage. One quote for the work was $31,854.63 and the other with no guarantee was $25,974.05.
The insurance adjuster did come to inspect the damage but just walked through the house and left. I received a call from the adjuster today and was told they would not honor my claim and further more said that State Farm does not have to honor any claim, it is up to each insurance adjuster if they want to pay a claim. I was also told by the adjuster that if I get a lawyer to sue that State Farm would sue me for their time and I would lose my house. I am an agoraphobic and disabled.
The adjuster's alleged threat is hollow. Jason should consult an attorney immediately.
Breanna of York PA (7/11/03):
On June 7, 2003 our basement flooded to over a foot of water. We immediately called a plumber to come help us with the problem. We then called State Farm to ask what we need to do next to get the water out of the basement. (Note: our basement has two big rooms - one furnished, one not). The State Farm rep we spoke with was David R. He "authorized" us to call a company called Service Master to come to the house and start the process of cleaning out the basement.
So we called Service Master and they came over and pumped between 3,000-4,000 gallons of water out of our basement. This is not including what the plumber had already pumped out. Just to remind you, the only reason Service Master is at our home, is because State Farm authorized them to be there. So they continue to do their job and pump out water and take up the carpet. We were never told, by ANYONE, this would not be a valid claim, therefore we assumed everything Service Master was doing was routine procedure. We were told by State Farm (David) that Service Master's services would be free. (And if you listen to the recording State Farm has of that conversation, you will find this to be true).
But when Service Master was finished, they informed us that we were to pay them our deductible ($500) and then State Farm would take care of the rest. So we went ahead and paid them the $500, although it seemed fishy. This all happened on a Saturday night, so we had to wait until Monday for State Farm to call us and give us our claim number. They called Monday and informed us that our claim will not be covered and we have to pay for the remainder of Service Master's fee's (which ended up being over $2,000). Needless to say, I was furious. I called State Farm and spoke with our agent, Trish Howser, and told her of the situation. She was no help at all.
I then spoke to another State Farm Claims rep and she told me that they (State Farm) never told us to call Service Master and also told us that this claim would never be valid. She also said that Service Master told us this claim would not be valid as well. (Service Master never said that - they actually quoted us around $8,000-$10,000 worth of damage - I have that conversation on video tape so I CAN prove them wrong). Everything this lady was telling me was a lie, so I told her the gentleman's name we spoke with and had her listen to the recording of that conversation. She called back and said that I was right and that State Farm did authorize us to call Service Master. But she denies they told us it was free. (Surprise! Another State Farm lie). So she told me they are going to keep the $500 deductible for Service Master but then State Farm will pay the rest. Which they did - over $1500.
The problem is, we have over $10,00 worth of damage to our basement not including our personal belongings, furniture, etc. My question is, how can State Farm pay for some of a claim, but not all of it? How can you take responsibility for half? I just don't understand. I called our rep (Mia B) and told her that this was ridiculous and I expect our carpet to be paid for as well as our electricity bill, at the very least. Service Master ripped up our carpet, put it on their truck, and threw it away. So we have no carpet now. They are only supposed to lift the carpet up and dry it. Not take it and throw it away. I asked Mia why we are not covered for this damage and she told me that sump pumps are not covered in our policy. Nowhere in the policy I have, is there an exclusion for sump pumps.
State Farm doesn't even know why our basement flooded. Mia is STILL trying to get in touch with our plumber who was here that night to see what caused the flood. It has been over a month now and that tells me State Farm is not trying very hard. I call her each week to see what is going on, and she keeps putting me off. I am in the process of writing a letter to the claims department, hoping for a response. How can State Farm say they are not covering a claim without even knowing what has happened? Mia said that she would come out to the house to inspect, but that hasn't happened yet either.
Robert of San Jose CA (3/6/03):
On 12/23/02 I had my home broken into and there were some items stolen, to this date the insurance company has failed to make restitution for the claim; in fact up until 3/3/03 the company failed to even order of a copy of the police report, I have supplied the company with all the information they have requested and still have received no response, all the company continues to telling me is that they are still investigating the claim and will contact me at a latter date. I feel that three months is plenty of time for any company to investigate any size claim big or small.
Also on 2/20/03 I evicted a girlfriend from my home with an emergency move out-order because she threatened my life, I also served her with a restraining order. Sometime between 2/20/03 and 2/21/03 my home had been trashed, carpet was cut up, furniture was cut up, walls were painted and many items were stolen. My home became virtually unlivable for me and my son. The insurance company came to look at the damage and take photos on 2/26/03, after the review and the photos were taken the claims rep. informed me that the items stolen may not be covered because the girlfriend was living at the home and the policy excludes stolen property by a resident.
Well first of all, when this damage occurred she was no longer a resident and secondly, there is no 100% proof she is the one that caused the damage -- it is only speculation on my part. I have requested the company to make a partial payment for the claim so I may have work started on the home so my son and I could quit living at a friend's house and move back to our own home, the company has refused to make any payment until they are complete with there investigation.
Judith of Alamogordo NM (2/12/03):
I had a fire at my home on 31 January 2003 at 12:27AM. I heard the siren of the Carbon Monoxide alarm and I called the gas company which arrived in 10 minutes to inform me that I had a fire. The fire department was called and 3 1/2 hours later they determined it was started by a heat lamp. Even though we never use the lamps at all.
The Fire department came through the garage, attic, front door, tore through the roof in the bathroom, furnace area. Dining room area received a large hole which a fireperson fell through reaching the area the heat sensor was detecting, in the attic. Which created a large volume of smoke throughout the home. The insulation came through the hole in the ceiling into the dining room. The insurance adjuster came to the home on Monday 3 February. My neighbor had to fill in for me due to the fact my granddaughter that I am raising had an appointment for surgery in El Paso that morning.
When we returned we had to stay at our neighbors for 5 days since we were not given authorization for motel stay beyond the weekend. I received a check for $2100.00 to cover all expenses less the $500 deductible and I called the agent Jim and Linda telling them that this is not correct. He came that next day on 6 February 2003 and to this date I have called four times and contacted the adjuster and have not received one returned call letting me know what is going on and I am having a very hard time living in the home with the allergies and I feel I am not being served fairly. I have been with State Farm more than 30 years and feel that I should relocate my business elsewhere. I do not deserve being treated this way.
Santiago of Alexandria, VA, writes:
My mom recently had a fence built around her end-unit townhouse. Soon thereafter, she asked me if I could come over and apply a weatherproof sealer that she purchased from the local Home Depot store. Upon spraying the sealer on the fence, a neighbor approached me and indicated that some overspray had hit her car. Upon inspecting my car, which was parked next to hers, I also noticed the film. Apparently, the a breeze had blown the mist onto some cars.
I gave her $20.00 to take the car to a car wash in an attempt to remove the overspray. However, the neighbor returned and indicated that it did not come off. Soon, two other neighbors approached us with the same complaint. At this point, I advised my mom to call her Insurance Company, State Farm.
At the advice of her agent, Louis Ramos, he suggested that she tell the neighbors to get an estimate and then have her mail the estimates to him. At that point, he would file a claim under her homeowner's personal liability policy and reimburse the body shop(s) to clean up the cars.
Two of our neighbors, including myself, had our cars detailed for a cost of $75.00 to 140.00 per car at various locations. However, the other neighbor came back with an estimate of $500.00. She claimed that the sealer had eaten through her clear coat and the body shop refused to buff her car. When I spoke to the body shop though, they indicated that they refused to buff her car because the car required a paint job due to the age of the car. She has a 1990 Honda station wagon. Anyhow, when the estimates were sent to State Farm, a claim officer called my mom and told her that they would NOT pay for the damages. They claim that because the damages were caused by a non-resident of her home, she could not get reimbursed.
We were led to believe that the incident would be covered by the agent. Now the insurance company has reneged on their promise.
It's unfortunate but if the policy says that it covers only actions by residents of the home, then Santiago and his mom are out of luck. The agent was probably acting in good faith, but the final decision always rests with the claim officers.
Besides, Santiago is a little out of line in both causing the damage and then turning in for compensation as a victim.
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