I have been a loyal State Farm customer since 1995. When we
opened our policy with Bruce Clifford, we had two vehicles (maybe three)
covered and renters insurance. We were very happy customers and had a great
relationship with his office. Over the years, our needs changed and so did our
agent. Our policy was purchased by Tom Deladvitch when Mr. Clifford retired.
Things were fine, until we actually needed to communicate with his office…until
we actually needed our agent.
I received notice in the mail that State Farm had made an
unannounced visit to our property and found issues which cause a hazard to the
dwelling; therefore, our policy was terminated. Upon receiving the letter, I
immediately tried contacting my agent. The first day he was out of the office.
He returned my call the next morning and left a message on my home phone while
I was at work. When I got home, I returned the call and he was out of the
office for the day. He leaves every day at 2pm. I explained to his office staff
why I needed to speak to Tom, I referenced the cancellation notice, and I let
her know I felt his schedule was not going to give me the opportunity to do so,
since I work and am not allowed to have/make personal phone calls. Her
response: “The man is busy. What can I tell you.”
That should have been my first warning sign to get away from
that office…and I contemplated switching agents, but I am a very loyal customer
(17 years with the same insurance, same cable provider, same plumber, same
septic service…you get the idea). I decided to work through the issues at hand
and see about getting my insurance reinstated. I made arrangements for him to
contact me at work (very much against my principles) and lunch breaks (which I
desperately need)….because his time is obviously more indispensable than mine. He
came to the house and we discussed the key points in the letter and some other
issues which needed to be addressed. He let me know when the issues were
corrected, I could contact him and he would photograph the issues again and
resubmit to underwriting.
So after an extensive amount of work, it was time to have
him stop by. I scheduled the appointment for 9:30 am on Wednesday, June 20. He showed
up at 9am without contacting me first to see if I would even be home. As it
happened, I was just getting out of the shower. He apologized for coming early,
but said he had three visits to make and wanted to beat the heat (heat index of
over 100). I have no problem, whatsoever, with him coming early, IF HE HAD
CALLED. But again, this was another indication that he felt his time/schedule
was more important/valuable than mine. Unacceptable.
After the initial congratulations on the work we had
accomplished, things turned ugly. He pointed out things that were never listed
on the letter, things that he could have, SHOULD HAVE pointed out with his
initial visit a month ago. And then he pointed out things that were
inconsequential to State Farm; things like a small pile of dirt near the back
of the house lying next to a tree in the garden and a stack of mail in a utility
room in the garage. If I had mulch to be laid out in my garden, that pile would
have been higher than the small lump of dirt he was referencing. And as far as
the mail…maybe it wasn’t the most organized stack of mail in recorded history,
but everyone has quantities (filing cabinets?) of papers floating around in their
house. His issue was mail burns, and it is a risk to State Farm because it is
flammable. And what about books? Books
are paper. Paper burns. So I’m not supposed to read books or have a bookshelf,
either? I questioned him on the issue and whether or not he has any himself.
His response, “they don’t look like that”. So, this is the real issue. His house is
neater than mine. His house is more organized than mine. His house is newer
than mine. I’m a slob in a run-down old farm house. THAT’S the issue.
My irritation began to show and he said he could understand
what I was feeling. I told him there’s NO way he could understand my feelings.
Not unless someone was in his face, telling him he wasn’t good enough, and he could
potentially lose everything he worked his entire life for…everything he has
given his family. Only then could he understand my frustration. He refuted my
statement, saying he’d been in the same position with other customers in the
past. Sorry. It just ISN’T the same.
He said he was telling me these things based on his
twenty-nine years’ experience as a State Farm agent. If he were to resubmit to
underwriting, he knows what his company is looking for. He wasn’t about to send
them images and have them come here to see other issues (that were PREVIOUSLY
UNADDRESSED) and have HIS REPUTATION on the line. So I told him maybe I needed
to look for another company. He proceeded to put his camera in his pocket and
was ready (and more than willing) to be finished with me.
He did finish photographing the things he needed to, but
only at my request. And while he did, I sat on my pretty, uncluttered porch and
cried. And when he left, I made a few phone calls and had a new agent by the
end of the day. So long, State Farm. It’s been real. Until I needed you.
(And somewhere in here I should include, in the midst of all
this, I added a new driver. The office staff was supposed to mail me a packet
for a Steer Clear program which would provide a safety discount for my son. I
never received the packet. Until I made a trip in to the office myself for
another reason and asked about it. Her response: “oh, I never mailed that to
you?” Um, no. No you didn’t. You didn’t do much for me.
