Farmers Insurance

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As the complaints below indicate, Farmers is not always first in line when its policyholders need help. In Texas, a Farmers subsidiary was fined $20,000 for illegally demanding income-tax returns when processing claims.

Yee-Ping of Menlo Park, CA August 16, 2009

Marianne was my home insurance agent for many properties over ten years. Her quotes were always very high. I got her flyer at the mail. Since I was busy so I didn't try to get the quotes from other insurance agents. But whenever I had time. I requested from other insurance agents. I can get better rates. I changed to other insuance policies in the past several years but kept one.

Until 5/09, I requested Marianne to try to give me better rate for the rental property that I kept with Farmers. But she insisted her rate was lowest unless I increase my deductable. So I requested the quotes from AAA. I got the quotes were 500 less then Farmers. It could be applied to different deductables.

So I told Marianne to cancel my policy with Farmers. She threatened me to charge 140 of the "Short rated" fee if I cancel the policy with Farmers. I refused to pay since I never got or heard about this charge. (I canceled many policies with her in the past, but she never charges me before.) I told her I canceled this policy 10 days before the due day. She should refund me the difference. But she still sent the bill to me in May of 2009 and to the collection service in Aug. 09.

Cindy of Keller, TX August 16, 2009

I had a slab leak under my kitchen sink, which was reported on May 14, 2009. I was told to get an estimate for the repair. I submited two estimates at which time they told me I would need to get more because they felt they were to high. After submiting another, which was higher then the previous they gave me a check to begin the work of pulling my kitchen sink, counter, back splash and cabinet to get to the leak. During the removal of the cabinets they fell apart due to water damage. I contacted Farmer's insurance to inform them of what had happened. The adjustor came back out to my house and left a check to replace the ONE cabinet for the amount of 869. However, she led me to believe they had left me a check for over 5000.

This adjustor was extremely rude and unprofessional with her attitude. I contacted my agent only to hear that this was the second complaint he had on this adjustor so he contacted the District office. I told them I am not happy with the results of their adjustor. By them only wanted to replace the one cabinet, countertop and backsplash my kitchen will now have a mis-match of cabinetry which will depreciate the value of my home.

I was led to believe that my home would be replaced to it's original value and prior to this incident. Now they tell me they are only paying to replace the one cabinet because my cabinetry in my kitchen is not continuous. I argue this fact as my cabinets are continuous, all of which are the same. I have even filed a complaint with the Texas Department of Insurance, which was a joke too. I thought they were there for the consumers, but it appears they are there for the insurance companys too. Why do we pay such high prices for insurance to protect our property when it appears all they are doing is taking our hard earned money and placing it into their pockets.

I was told I could file for an appraisal of my property at my cost and Farmers would have their own.. yada, yada, blah, blah... But, after reading the MANY complaints against Farmer's and how some of you have also gone through these steps it sounds as if it would not only be a waste of my time but more expense out of my pocket as well.

I have posed the questions to the District Office, the adjustor, Denise F, her supervisor, William M as well as the Texas Department of Insurance in Austin where I filed my complaint.. along with many others and I ask you, "if this was your house and your insurance company told you they were only going to replace one cabinet in your kitchen, not the cabinets beside it or above it, Would you be happy with that decission??" Guess what their answer was.... They ALL said a deffinate NO !!"

So then why then will they not take care of this! Now I have to go to further expense of taking out a home improvement load to put my kitchen back to it's original value. I can tell you one thing,, once this is all said and done, I WILL Cancel my insurance with Farmers. That would be my home and my three cars. And before I get another insurance I will be asking alot of questions about what is covered and what is not then verify that I have it in writing in English that we the consumers can understand without all the loop hole garbage...

Meenu of fremont, CA May 26, 2009

I bought a home in September 2008. When i bought the home, i knew that i needed to do major remodeling and extension to make it liveable. I called the insurance agent and asked for a quote explaining to her my intent for extension. She gave me a good quote and also advised me to not ask for a inspection since farmers will figure out that i am doing major remodeling and my insurance rate will go up. She did mention that she is giving me same coverage as with inspection but cheaper.

During the remodeling which took about 6 months, All my brand new appliances (worth 15K) that were stored in a locked up garage were stolen from the insured property. When I filed the claim I was told sorry theft is not covered for properties under remodel. My agent knew the situation clearly and sent me papers that i signed which did not mention any of these. Although later on i did get a 50 page document with lots of fine print listing all the things that are not covered. THEY SOLD ME THE WRONG POLICY WITHOUT TELLING ME RELEVANT DETAILS! I lost 15K worth of appliances and had to live in a kitchen with no appliances for 4 weeks - eating out every single meal.

Robert D Millett of Littleton, CO April 2, 2009

Having wind at speeds over 75 mph I inspected our roof. After noticing substantial damage I contact Farmers claim service. They sent out C. Pewe of their Catastrophic Claims Team I was told that I only had 596.39 in damage. All the while my roof felt is showing. My neighbors next door, behind me, across the street all have new roofs. The roof on my house has much, much more damage. I contacted a roofing contractor, Barrett Roofing Service. They have over 28 years in the roofing business. They inspected the roof and suggested I call Farmers again and have another claims specialist come out. They could not beleive that Farmers had rejected a new roof.

This time Claims representative D. Hendrickson came out and met with my roofing contractor. I was again told that my claim totalled 695.73. My contractor was dumbfounded. I also hired a Professional Engineer who stated that the roof needed to be replaced. I received a letter stating that the the county building code verified the 3 tab roofing met current code. What does that have to do with anything! I decided that I would just go ahead with the repairs. This time I went on the roof. What I saw was horrible. At that point a started calling Farmers again. There is NO way this roof can be fixed!

Everything that my engineer said was true. I contacted Claims Supervisor P. Murray, he promptly told me tough thats our decision Gee thanks Phill. I really felt like you could give flying crap! I felt all we would do is put a band aid fix. I told my roofer to do EMERGENCY REPAIRS. I have always done my due dilegence to protect my property and keep the roof form leaking into the living area. Thank goodness because we had 8 inches of snow a week later and another 3 inches again today.

At this point I have gone into Appraisal. What another joke. The letter states that I need to make written demand for appraisal Problem being where do you send the letter? I have made 6 different letters for demand and I am sending one to each address that I can find! I have been a loyal Farmers customer for over 30 years. I have never put in frivilous claims. I contracted with them in good faith to protect my homes and autos. I have never been treated this poorly. I thought that I was protected. Why do we pay for insurance. Farmers HelpPoint what a joke.

Dean & Deborah Stayner of Walnut Grove, MO March 29, 2009

Last year 2008 we changed our home and auto insurance to Farmers Ins Group because they offered us a better deal than the company we had been with for 20 years. We did get better coverage for less cost in 2008. But now a year later the insurance premiums are arriving for 2009 coverage. We own 2 vehicles and also have our home insured with Farmers. Our rates have risen drastically. We have not had a claim or accident in over 20 years. Our credit rating is excellent so we wonder what is happening here?

When we called our agent he said across the board rates are going up 15%. Ours is up appx 25%. Plus they do not allow monthly or quarterly payments. So we have 2 choices to pay in full or pay a 101.00 late fee, it is not presented as a late fee but that's exactly what it is if not paid in full now. This fee is for only one 1994 vehicle and then they only allow the client to make 2 payments to pay off the entire premium. We have not received the premiums on home and our other vehicle yet, but did receive a estimate of our cost for insuring both vehicles and our home in 2009.

It will be at least 25% more for premiums this year and that's if we pay in full by April 2009. If we do not pay in full by April, fees will be tacked on to each item insured. They do not call it a fee either. They say we can get a discount if paid in full or pay a higher rate in two payments. Now remember this is for a 1994 vehicle that is rarely driven, a pick up truck. Our discounted rate for this one vehicle would be 474.40 if paid in full by April. Our optional 2 payments would cost us a total of 575.40. Now come on, what is wrong with this picture? It smells of robbery to us.

This is how we are treated for never having an accident and never filing an insurance claim in over 20 years. We will be finding another insurance company, but wanted folks that are insurance shopping and will hopefully seek out this site, to know Farmers is not the insurance company you want to go with no matter how great a deal they show you for the first year. It's sad that in a time of such difficult economic times for us all, that this insurance company would take advantage of their clients.

Valerie of Las Vegas, NV March 23, 2009

I received a collections letter from Farmers in the mail. I called to see why I had been sent to collections and Kristen informed me that I had been charged a short rate cancellation fee of 199. I cancelled my homeowner's polciy with Farmers and switched to another company without any lapse in coverage. I sent Farmers a copy of my declaration page. Kristen at Farmers was aware of my plan to cancel because I cancelled my auto insurance as well and to get the auto/insurance discount with the new company I was going to move my home owner's insurance. I cancelled my auto insurance with Farmers because they drastically increased my rates.

Farmers is affecting our credit rating in these very devasting times.

Jonnie of Westminster, CO March 19, 2009

On March 3, 2009, I contacted my insurance agent of 11 years to file a claim for my roof's wind damage. My agent, Rus Moses, tried to tell me I wasn't covered because I have an HOA. I reminded him of our conversation several years ago when, after he spoke with my HOA's office, he assured me my Farmers policy would cover my building and my roof specifically.

His memory was refreshed when he found his notes of that incident. He told me to call Farmers Property Claims Rep. Lee Lipniskis and we would proceed on my claim after she assessed the damage to my roof. I called his office twice, but to this day he has not initiated any communication with me, and I have not spoken to him since that day.

On March 6th, Lee returned my call and said she had spoken with Rus and he told her I was not covered (the oposite than what he had told me earlier that day) so she wanted to cancel my claim without viewing my roof. I told her I'd had two other roofing companies out for estimates and they'd told me the roof needed to be replaced and my insurance company should cover it. She came out on March 12th and after seeing my roof, she said there was very little damage, but told me that she wanted me to get my portion of the deductible from my HOA because she felt Farmers could help get that back for me. She gave me the name of a roofer, Russ Perkins with All In One Contractors, who works with Farmers on wind damage claims. He came out that same day and was on my roof for less than 10 minutes. He told me the roof needed replacing. When I told him Lee had said the exact opposite, he laughed and said Lee didn't even know what to look for. He said he'd e-mail me an estimate. I have yet to hear from him.

While I was getting the information Lee had requested from my HOA, she went right back to her office and canceled my claim. I have been been given the run-around and shuffled from one person to another with two goals in mind - to wear me down and to deny my claim. In these 11 years I have never filed a claim with Farmers on either my house or my auto, and this whole incident has proven them to be both deceitful and incompetent.

I have been informed by Farmers that now that I have become aware of the roof damage, it is my duty to protect the rest of my insured property from further damage. According to all the roofers that means replacement with prices ranging anywhere from 5,000 to 9,600. I do not have the money and that's why I thought I purchased insurance in the first place. Not only is Farmers trying to deny any responsibility, but now they have raised their deductible to 1,000 on those claims they can't get out of. I would like Rus Moses to produce his notes taken during his conversation with my HOA several years ago. My contract says that my building is covered with no exclusions as to exterior, roof or wind damage. I need advice on whether my cancelation on my policy would render my claim moot. I would also like to know if I could request an independant assessor and how to go about that.

Rodolfo of Los Angeles, CA March 11, 2009

On Feb. 21, 2009, I was trying to communicate with my agent Greg S, only her secretary is always answering the phone and I am always leaving a message that I am cancelling my home insurance policy due to I already walked-away from my house because I cannot afford the mortgage payment and utilities due my wife and me lost our job last quarter of last year (2008). Due to this I was trying to cancel my home insurance for a refund because I paid for the whole year. Now, this agent Greg S is trying to avoid to communicate with me.

After three days of calling and e-mails, finally this agent sent me an e-mail saying he received all my messages and e-mails and he cannot answer me back bacause he was busy. Then on this e-mail he said that he would cancel my home policy and it will be processed within a few days.This e-mail is dated 02/24/09. I was wondering up to now that (since his e-mail) there is no news about my home insurance policy being cancelled. Nor Greg S is calling me about this home policy being cancelled.

I called today (03/11/09) Farmers Insurance and the Customer Service(Travis) Looked-up my home policy and he told me that the policy is still active. It's been two weeks now since Greg S promised me to cancel my home insurance policy and he has not done anything yet. This shows how unreliable, unprofessional and not to be trusted people working in this company. They are trying to delay the cancellation of my policy so that they can deduct more money from what I paid for the whole year.

This delaying tactic of the agent Mr. Greg S is to extract or deduct more money from what I paid for the whole year. The more they delayed the cancellation of my home policy the less refund I can get.

Larry De Lowe of San Ramon, CA March 6, 2009

We received a single page 'flyer' that initially looked like an insurance bill, from Farmers. The limits all looked like reasonable amounts for our house in San Ramon. The only problem is that we never asked for a quote from this company! On the opposite side of the 'bill' was the information about the owner of the insurance agency. If I wouldn't have been there when my wife opened up the mail, my wife would have just put this 'advertising' piece with the bills to be paid. I think this is extremely deceptive if not fraudulent and should not be allowed. The agence, at minimum, should be admonished to not send out these deceptive advertisements.

Jack Robert Estes of La Veta, CO February 24, 2009

Theft of business as well as home. The Hartford covered the business and were well versed, informative, consise, and I provided all items that I could reguarding the theft. Farmers Insurance covers the homeowners policy, and they have done nothing except provide excuses, and I've sent 4 sets of property and given information to their investigatior from Denver. They continue sending me form letters, saying they need more information, and I've done the exact same plus more types of information. the only thing I can't supply is the reciepts for the itmes that I purchased. I supplied dates as to when I purchased, a detailed type of items, and where I purchased these items. many were at state convention meeting for Emergency Medicine Service, training materials for teaching, (certified to teach for the state of Colorado in 1993, and everything they've ask for.

I gave a detailed account to the local police, including a false information report given by the insurance company which listed a number of items that were included on my business claim, and Farmers continues to say they need more information. They add to my homeoweners claim by adding extra items, that I didn't have on my homeowners claim, and then send me letters saying they need more information. they have told me that they couldn't find one of the claim forms, and I put everything on a printed computer form, and they refuse those because the list is NOT ON THEIR CLAIM FORM. This is a stalling tactic, and if you go to the FARMERS INSURANCE SCAM PAGE you'll read from people that worked for the company for 12 to 15 years, and list a number of stalling tactics they use.

There on the last of the list with the ON LINE BBB as claim scaming and now they want more money for their coverage, and they contiune to stall on their responsiblity. I know that my rates will go up, but they fact that their stalling from a claim put in September 16, the more they continue to send form letters. I have provided enough information and more to their investigator, I've gone thru 4 claim adjustors, and its just a typical scam by an insurance company that has a rotten claim department. again read what others say about this company from people that have worked for this company.

Loss of all teaching material for Emergency Medical Services, that is give too small rural volunteer fire and ems departments not as a business but as a help for these small departments that can't afford to send people to training because of their finacial situations. I try to give them an alternative since so many of these small departments and towns are in dire straights, and their people are volunteers, and get no pay. I also receive nothing except gas or sometimes they provide a place in the case of an over night set of teaching programs. This cost me hundreds of dollars, for the teaching materials, as well as the items used in programs, and the reciepts were stolen along with the itmes I use, and they insist that they need proof.

If I had the proof I could send it but it was stolen with the items, and most of the itmes were purchsed over 5 years ago, and I've checked with the suppliers and they don't have records that go back that far, and since it was a cash transaction, the relsult it will not be honored with out proof. I've never filed a claim and have been with them for 8 years, and I never had this much problem with the Hartford Insurance Company, and I read from others that tis happens all the time with the FARMERS INSURANCE COMPANY not setteling with their clients.

7 months, hours and much money on certified mail, and they keep saying they need more, and keep losing my claims. If you can help, so I can contiune to help these small towns and their volunteer deparments, I would appreciate it, as I don't and can't put back the items that I spend years in obtaining, it would be appreciated.

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