And like a good neighbor, State Farm is ... facing criminal charges

[tazinib1]

Blatant roof damage claim denials could lead to criminal charges

 

Many of our bad weather prone Texas Huddlers might wanna read this.

Edited September 7, 2012 by tazinib1

[lkirc]

I am a State Farm agent in Georgia and this type of report is hard to defend. I fight tooth and nail for my customers to get legitamtely damaged roofs replaced and always believe that, while we are tougher than some companies on roof claims, we pay what we owe.

While the Agent sometimes has to get involved to make the process run smoothly, it usually works out in the end.

 

Maybe in Texas, that is not the case.

[The Holy Roller]

I :heart: insurance companies.

[SEC=UGA]

I am a State Farm agent in Georgia and this type of report is hard to defend. I fight tooth and nail for my customers to get legitamtely damaged roofs replaced and always believe that, while we are tougher than some companies on roof claims, we pay what we owe.

While the Agent sometimes has to get involved to make the process run smoothly, it usually works out in the end.

 

Maybe in Texas, that is not the case.

 

 

In GA, over the past couple years, it has been seemingly too easy to get roofs replaced. We had a storm a few years back and a rash of "roofing companies" popped up and it seemed like everyone was getting a new roof. Well, recently a number of those companies have been forced out of business and are being prosecuted for defrauding insurance companies. Hope they electrocute the crooks, driving my insurance rates up.

[matt770]

In GA, over the past couple years, it has been seemingly too easy to get roofs replaced. We had a storm a few years back and a rash of "roofing companies" popped up and it seemed like everyone was getting a new roof. Well, recently a number of those companies have been forced out of business and are being prosecuted for defrauding insurance companies. Hope they electrocute the crooks, driving my insurance rates up.

 

My realtor mentioned this when we were buying this house, said American Family and Nationwide are really good about paying for a new roof when hail damage reaches a certain threshold. She specifically told me to avoid State Farm because they are notorious for refusing claims.

[Footballjoe]

I have had State Farm auto insurance since I was 18. I added homeowners insurance when I was in my 30's. I had prudentail prior to that since a good friend of mine was an agent. I ahve never had trouble with State Farm. In fact, thay paid for hail damage to my roof about 12 years ago.

[lkirc]

A lot of companies were replacing roofs without even inspecting them. They were taking these storm chasing roofers' word for it. Eventually, these companies started to see it on the bottom line, so they strated getting tougher. Unfortunately, the people who now have legitamate claims are having to jump through more hoops to get what they are entitled to.

 

I am sure this practice wasn't common just in Georgia. We have had a ton of hail storms in the last 2-3 years.

 

I will say this. A good agent who is willing to go to bat for thier customers is the key to this whole process.

[Big John]

In GA, over the past couple years, it has been seemingly too easy to get roofs replaced. We had a storm a few years back and a rash of "roofing companies" popped up and it seemed like everyone was getting a new roof. Well, recently a number of those companies have been forced out of business and are being prosecuted for defrauding insurance companies. Hope they electrocute the crooks, driving my insurance rates up.

 

After one storm, I was getting bombarded by roofing companies, and my roof was not damaged.

[Double Agent]

I'm an agent in Texas (not State Farm). Every carrier is cracking down on roof claims. Lifted shingles that breaks the seal is a covered peril but gone are the days of getting a new roof because one side of the house is hit. Rates have more than doubled in the past decade and carriers are still losing their ass in the homeowners market. Roofers are a big part of the problem. They are getting insureds to file claims just to see if the carrier will pay. Roofers are also submitting fake invoices to the carrier to offset the insured's deductible. I almost always take the side of my customer but I'm seeing some shady stuff going on. And we're all paying the price with increased premiums.

[Azazello1313]

couple years ago we had a pretty big hail storm, and the roofers swarmed our neighborhood like cockroaches -- us in particular because apparently we have some old kind of shingles that they don't make any more so any damage means a whole new roof. I had been up and seen that there was no real damage. finally one of them convinced my wife to just let him go up and look....well, he convinced her that it was a slam dunk deal, insurance would have to replace the roof. he just said make sure to tell him when the adjuster was coming, so he could point out the "damage", blah blah blah (he probably wanted to slip the adjutser $50, but who knows). I was skeptical all along, but figured what the hell, worst they can do is deny the claim. so the adjuster came out, roofer didn't show, and he found that there was no damage whatsoever.

[buddahj]

I have had State Farm auto insurance since I was 18. I added homeowners insurance when I was in my 30's. I had prudentail prior to that since a good friend of mine was an agent. I ahve never had trouble with State Farm. In fact, thay paid for hail damage to my roof about 12 years ago.

 

I've also had State Farm for 14 years or so (auto/home/plus a few other policies) & have never had an issue with them. Our agent is great & has always gone to bat for us.

[nuke'em ttg]

2 State Farm agents have retired on me they were great guys, this new young buck is a dikhead company man nothin like the old guys talked to another young statefarm dude and he was a bigger dikhead, statefarm has been good to us but these guys ain't cuttin it, we're lookin

[cdrudge]

After one storm, I was getting bombarded by roofing companies, and my roof was not damaged.

 

Obviously you don't know what you're looking at and it takes a trained expert at a roofing company to notice the damage.

 

We replaced our roof a few years ago due to hail damage. I had several companies come out and "take a look". Only one actually got up on the roof. The others said they could see the hail damage from the ground and just gave me a quote without looking and measuring. It was funny as all the damage was on the opposite side of the roof and the side they could see from the ground didn't have any.

[Clubfoothead]

My friend owns a roofing company. I put his sign in the yard after big storms and everyone leaves me alone. I guess the sign tells otehr roofers I am already someone else's bitch.

[stevegrab]

Have been a State Farm customer for over 20 years, home/rent, auto, several motorcycles. Never had any real problems with a claim. My agent is ok, but seems to be one of those names only, never talk to him when I call (if I even get through to his assistant/staff).

 

Anyway few years ago remnants of a hurrican (Ike maybe) comes through our area, knocks a tree down in my hard. Lands on the edge of house, but no real structural damage. I call a roofer that came recommended from a friend, guy doesn't even go up there (tree has since been removed), but there are no holes, just some scraped up shingles. He says that edge where the tree fell is damaged, and recommends the back half to be replaced. Adjuster comes out later (part of a large group handling storm damage claims) climbs up there and checks it out (while raining) and agrees.

 

Since the roof was pretty old, and I plan to live there a while I paid the other half and got a new roof. Had some issues with the roofer being way over what insurance was allowing, but got that handled with a "hmm, let me see maybe I'll get another estimate" bit.

 

 

What this tells me is that large corporations will take actions to screw their customers to make more profit (or otherwise improve their bottom line). They'll try to cover it up, and hide this from everybody. Truly shameful, but it isn't going to make me drop State Farm, as I doubt any other major insurance company is above similar actions. Now if they screw me directly, don't handle a claim right, etc. that could get me to drop them.

[SEC=UGA]

 

What this tells me is that large corporations will take actions to screw their customers to make more profit (or otherwise improve their bottom line). They'll try to cover it up, and hide this from everybody.

 

 

What?

[stevegrab]

What?

 

 

Don't trust big companies, they only care about profit. (This story didn't really teach me that, just reinforced it.)

[TimC]

I wouldn't go with State Farm because they bombard me with solicitations from every agent within a 100-mile radius...or they have 100 agents within a mile radius. They never stop mailing stuff. I started sending it all back with a note telling them to remove me from their mailing list. It's stopped somewhat.

[SEC=UGA]

Don't trust big companies, they only care about profit. (This story didn't really teach me that, just reinforced it.)

 

 

Adjuster comes out later (part of a large group handling storm damage claims) climbs up there and checks it out (while raining) and agrees.

 

Since the roof was pretty old, and I plan to live there a while I paid the other half and got a new roof. Had some issues with the roofer being way over what insurance was allowing, but got that handled with a "hmm, let me see maybe I'll get another estimate" bit.

 

Why I am asking, "what?", is because there is nothing in your post to indicate that "big corporations" only care about profits.

 

1. The adjuster came out and said you needed part of your roof replaced. I'm assuming this was an adjuster either hired by or working for State Farm. State Farm did not deny your claim.

 

2. The roofer gave you a quote higher than the what the insurance company was willing to pay, initially. But, upon you telling him you were going to get other quotes he evidently lowered his number. It seems to me that the roofer was attempting to either A. gouge you or B. gouge the insurance company.

 

To demonstrate how greatly roofers pricing may vary I'll offer this. In my rental house a leak appeared about 2 months ago. Called roofer A and had him come out and look at the area that needed to be reroofed and flashed. He looked at it and sent me a quote for $4,300 and change. Roofer B, equally licensed and bonded, offering to do the same scope, sent me a quote of $2,800.

 

I called roofer A back to tell him that he did not get the job. He asked "why". I told him his pricing was incredibly high. He told me he had some room to work with and could do it for around $3K. I asked him why he didn't throw that out at first and he stated that, well he was busy that week and needed to make it "worth it" to send a crew out there.

 

I fully understand what he is saying, my pricing will vary depending on my workload. If I'm busy I will bid projects higher, if I get it great, if not, there is no issue because my crews are out working anyway.

 

But, anywho, I'm still trying to figure out how your roofing situation is an example of State Farm trying to screw you.

Edited September 12, 2012 by SEC=UGA

[lkirc]

I wouldn't go with State Farm because they bombard me with solicitations from every agent within a 100-mile radius...or they have 100 agents within a mile radius. They never stop mailing stuff. I started sending it all back with a note telling them to remove me from their mailing list. It's stopped somewhat.

 

 

In the future, just call the agent's office listed on the mail and ask them to remove you from the marketing list. Then the mailbox packing will stop altogether. At least from State Farm. I do this for people all the time...

[stevegrab]

Why I am asking, "what?", is because there is nothing in your post to indicate that "big corporations" only care about profits.

 

1. The adjuster came out and said you needed part of your roof replaced. I'm assuming this was an adjuster either hired by or working for State Farm. State Farm did not deny your claim.

 

2. The roofer gave you a quote higher than the what the insurance company was willing to pay, initially. But, upon you telling him you were going to get other quotes he evidently lowered his number. It seems to me that the roofer was attempting to either A. gouge you or B. gouge the insurance company.

 

To demonstrate how greatly roofers pricing may vary I'll offer this. In my rental house a leak appeared about 2 months ago. Called roofer A and had him come out and look at the area that needed to be reroofed and flashed. He looked at it and sent me a quote for $4,300 and change. Roofer B, equally licensed and bonded, offering to do the same scope, sent me a quote of $2,800.

 

I called roofer A back to tell him that he did not get the job. He asked "why". I told him his pricing was incredibly high. He told me he had some room to work with and could do it for around $3K. I asked him why he didn't throw that out at first and he stated that, well he was busy that week and needed to make it "worth it" to send a crew out there.

 

I fully understand what he is saying, my pricing will vary depending on my workload. If I'm busy I will bid projects higher, if I get it great, if not, there is no issue because my crews are out working anyway.

 

But, anywho, I'm still trying to figure out how your roofing situation is an example of State Farm trying to screw you.

 

 

It isn't. In fact it is an example (as I've had in all other claims with State Farm) of them doing the right thing.

 

When I talked about what big corps do, I was referring to the initial story that was posted in the thread, about them having shady practices to deny certain claims.