My Insurance Nightmare
Written: Oct 09 '01 (Updated Oct 22 '01)
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Pros: My agent is wonderful!
Cons: Musical claim's adjusters, no communication, won't pay claims, lost payments with Prematic Service
The Bottom Line: Go with another company - Farmer's Insurance is BAD NEWS
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| jsmorris's Full Review: Farmers Insurance - Auto |
I told myself that I'd wait a bit before I wrote a review on Farmer's Insurance because I was so angry that I was afraid I couldn't be objective. However, the longer I wait, the angrier I become. Then I thought that maybe I could help prevent others from going through the same nightmare in which I'm currently stuck.
It Used to be Good
My husband and I have had Farmer's Insurance for our automobiles and home for over 8 years. We signed up for Farmer's New World Life Insurance in 1993 since we were pleased with the service on our other policies.
For the first 6 years, we were very happy with our service, our policies, and had no complaints. We had full coverage on both automobiles and even stayed with Farmer's Insurance when we moved from Arizona to California. Our "new" agent in California is the reason why I haven't cancelled our policy before now.
Dave Hoag, out of Redlands, California, is everything an insurance agent should be - he's very helpful, knowledgeable, and I couldn't be happier with his service. The problems don't lie with the agent, but with the rest of the company. Dave even called me after my accident to see how I was feeling and to check in on me. That's the only good service I've received lately from Farmer's Insurance.
Problem #1: Prematic Services
Prematic Services is the billing service used by Farmer's Insurance. To sum it up in words acceptable to Epinions, They Stink. Many times I don't receive monthly invoices from them and have to go into the office to pay the bill. This is definitely a huge inconvenience.
Other times, when I receive the invoice in the mail and send in a check, I get a cancellation notice because the bill wasn't paid in time. After checking my records, I've found that it takes an average of 2-3 weeks for them to process the payments. Over the last two years, this has happened about 5 times. I no longer mail my payments and would rather be inconvenienced by dropping by the agent's office than risking a cancellation.
As if the payment problems weren't enough, there's more! I've even received someone else's bill in with mine - not once, not twice, but several times. Isn't that kind of scary? I guess it wasn't a big deal to them because I called and the supervisor seemed very nonchalant about the entire thing each time it happened.
Problem #2: Claim's Adjusters
On July 1st, I was involved in a traffic collision when a sixteen-year-old, unlicensed, uninsured driver ran a red light. My airbags deployed causing damage to my Ford Windstar and my arm. I had my 22-year-old nephew in the car with me at the time of the accident and the airbags caused some minor damage to his knee. After giving statements to the local police department, we headed by private vehicle to the emergency room for treatment. We both felt the injuries sustained didn't warrant a costly trip via ambulance. And so our nightmare began…
My hospital charges, including x-rays, ran just under $ 400 and my nephew's were under $ 200. Since I have uninsured motorists coverage, I assumed the bills would be paid in a timely fashion. Was I ever wrong with that assumption!
The original adjuster didn't have time to look at my van and decided that since the airbags deployed it would be too costly to fix, so he wanted to total the vehicle. The problem was that he only wanted to pay me half of what the van was worth. I had to fight to get them to fix it and not total it. After almost two weeks he gave the ok for repairs to be made. In order for me to get my van back, I had to pay the deductible and await official notification that the accident was not my fault.
After three months, and a heated argument with Danine Molloy, of the Rancho Mirage, CA Claim's Office (the third claim's adjuster to handle my claim by the way), my nephew's bill was finally paid. The argument ensued when Danine implied that I was trying to scam the company for medical bills on a person who was not in the vehicle with me. Seems she was only looking at part of the police report and not the supplemental report as well. Her horrible attitude and assumption that I was a thief was the final straw in continuing with Farmer's Insurance. To be accused of trying to rip off Farmer's Insurance was adding insult to injury.
So after playing musical adjusters, the claim currently sits. My medical bills are unpaid and the body shop has only received partial payment. Finally in September, I received notification from Danine that I was found to be "not legally liable" for the accident (insurance speak for saying it was the other guy's fault). I called to see when I would receive my money back. Hmm… seems Danine has taken a three-week vacation and no one is taking her place. My agent can't even get a response. So, my nightmare continues…
Conclusion
I no longer have any faith in Farmer's Insurance. This accident should have been a simple matter but instead has turned into a catastrophe. I have spent many sleepless nights worried about something happening to our home and trying to make a claim. We pay our bills, so why can't Farmer's honor the claims in a timely fashion? I've never been treated with this much disrespect. As of November 1st, we will have new insurance for both automobile and homeowner's. And the really sad part - I'll save over $ 40 a month with the new insurance from a very respectable company! I'm also currently looking into switching our life insurance policies to another company.
Steer clear of Farmer's Insurance unless you enjoy getting the run-around, paying on time for policies that are cancelled because the payments aren't recorded for weeks, and not being 100% sure you will be paid for a claim. It's definitely a "zero" in my book!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
jsmorris
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Susie Morris
Location: Southern California
Reviews written: 678
Trusted by: 291 members
About Me:
Broken hearts sometimes don't mend...but life goes on.
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