Avoid State Farm at all costs!!!

Nicole Nguyen71 said:I finally signed the paperwork, and it’s been about twenty days now. I gave them a call to check in, and they assured me that the funds should hit my account sometime next week...
I’m really holding out hope that I won't have to resort to knocking on doors to get what's mine, especially since they've actually been quite pleasant to deal with so far, even if I was a bit skeptical at first!

The payment finally cleared after 25 days.

Honestly, if you’re looking at insurance, stay far away from State Farm, Liberty Mutual, or GEICO. Just steer clear of them at all costs.👎

Hey everyone!

So, here's why I don't think State Farm is such a big deal. Look, accidents happen to the best of us—I've definitely been there. In my case, the person at fault was insured by Allstate, and after the assessment, they actually cut me a check within three weeks, which felt surprisingly fast compared to my experience with Allstate. You shouldn't really worry about State Farm itself, but rather their parent company, EuroHerc, who tends to take like a whole year to pay out. As for State Farm, they seem way faster, even though they're part of the same group; the people there just seem more down-to-earth.
Best,

Joseph Ramos11 said:I was in a car accident about three months ago, and the guy who hit me is actually a client of State Farm. I was supposed to have my claim settled by the 16th of this month, but every single time I call their office, it’s either someone is out on vacation or they just give me the runaround saying I'll be paid "next week"... I'm wondering if these thieves pull this same stalling tactic on everyone else, and how it's even possible for this to happen in what we call a "rule of law" country?

file a formal complaint: www.complainthelp.com

The people running that site basically live to drag various companies through the mud in the press...

They actually forced the local city parking authority to 'forgive' a several-hundred-dollar fine recently...

Brand image matters immensely to these corporations; once something hits the news cycle, things tend to get resolved a whole lot faster.😉

neo, did you actually realize you’re replying to a post from like, a year and a half ago? 😛

Well, here we go 😂 my concentration has been totally shot lately..

About two years ago, there was a fatal accident involving a motorcycle that was insured through State Farm. In this specific incident, another car was indirectly involved—the bike slid out from under the rider, causing a car to collide with them, and the owner of that vehicle ended up filing a claim against their policy to cover the damages. As the legal heir of the deceased, I’m wondering if I have any standing to claim damages from the insurance policy in the event of a fatality, and if so, what the actual process looks like?

You really have to wrap your head around how insurance companies actually operate...

At State Farm, they’re dealing with a massive backlog right now because they’re short-staffed—which leads to everything else falling apart... It basically boils down to the fact that the legal rep at the local branch in a place like Columbus just has way too much on their plate to get through the paperwork!

I know, I know—you’re all going to tell me they just need to hire more people... and look, you're not wrong. But ultimately, getting your claim paid out rests mostly on your shoulders; once you receive your settlement agreement, the payout deadline is 30 days...

I also realize everyone has their own opinion on what's fair, but in my view, it's pretty standard for an offer to cover the basic costs. Anything beyond that—the extra stuff you end up fighting over in court—that should be on you. Whether you decide to file an appeal, a lawsuit, or whatever else is entirely your call...

besides the fact that this whole thread has been sitting here gathering dust for almost a year now
do I actually need to hire a lawyer?
and why would I?
the thing is, the lawyer gets paid by them, and honestly, he’d probably even squeeze a bit more out of them for lost business—since the car that got totaled was a company vehicle and we couldn't get back to work because of it—plus, the loser of the lawsuit is the one stuck footing the bill for the legal costs anyway
and if they can't keep up with the workload, well, they could always just hire more staff
I’ve never once dealt with State Farm... we have all five of our vehicles insured through Allstate, and we haven't had a single headache with them so far

Joseph Ramos11 said:I was in a car accident about three months ago, and the guy who hit me is actually a client of State Farm. I was supposed to have my claim settled by the 16th of this month, but every single time I call their office, it’s either someone is out on vacation or they just give me the runaround saying I'll be paid "next week"... I'm wondering if these thieves pull this same stalling tactic on everyone else, and how it's even possible for this to happen in what we call a "rule of law" country?

Maybe you should contact the National Association of Insurance Commissioners if you can't settle this dispute and ask them for advice.
Address:

National Association of Insurance Commissioners

Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright, Ombudsman

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, New York City

Tel. + 1 212 555 0199

Fax + 1 212 555 0188

E-mail ombudsman@naic.org

Maria Brown6 said:You really have to wrap your head around how insurance companies actually operate...

At State Farm, they’re dealing with a massive backlog right now because they’re short-staffed—which leads to everything else falling apart... It basically boils down to the fact that the legal rep at the local branch in a place like Columbus just has way too much on their plate to get through the paperwork!

I know, I know—you’re all going to tell me they just need to hire more people... and look, you're not wrong. But ultimately, getting your claim paid out rests mostly on your shoulders; once you receive your settlement agreement, the payout deadline is 30 days...

I also realize everyone has their own opinion on what's fair, but in my view, it's pretty standard for an offer to cover the basic costs. Anything beyond that—the extra stuff you end up fighting over in court—that should be on you. Whether you decide to file an appeal, a lawsuit, or whatever else is entirely your call...

I seriously don't get it, why should the policyholder care if some big corporation doesn't have enough employees on payroll? What kind of logic is that? You pay your premiums to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners standards and the law mandates coverage, so when something goes wrong, am I supposed to just shrug and say, "Oh well, too bad they're understaffed"? Are we seriously talking about this right now??????

Stay far away from State Farm and Allstate—especially when you're looking at collision coverage.

Alexander Sanchez33 said:Stay far away from State Farm and Allstate—especially when you're looking at collision coverage.

Don't even bother wasting everyone's time with posts like this if you aren't going to back up your claims with actual facts and logic.

Kimberly Nguyen said:Don't even bother wasting everyone's time with posts like this if you aren't going to back up your claims with actual facts and logic.

I think enough has already been said. I’ve worked for several insurance companies—not specifically Aetna—and they were almost always at the bottom when it came to industry reputation. I know high-quality agents who get approached by all sorts of firms looking to poach them, yet these same professionals refused to work with State Farm or Allstate regardless of the incentives offered. There’s just too much shadiness: under-the-table deals, unnecessary legal battles over payouts, and bizarre workplace dynamics. I once saw a manager literally pull cash out of his wallet to pay an agent because a reimbursement was late. It's a mess of broken laws and old-school cronyism, especially back in the day when they had political connections that made them untouchable. They essentially wrecked the whole system by starting this trend of handing out baseless bonuses. In short, it’s just a bunch of shady, semi-legal maneuvering.

I wanted to jump into this thread and share my own situation—maybe someone here has dealt with the same insurance company and can give me some insight:
Basically, one of their policyholders rear-ended me about four months ago, and the damages were assessed at $3333.
I actually received a notice at my house stating that the settlement would be paid out no later than 01.06.2009. Well, today is 15.06 and I haven't heard a peep from them, let alone seen any money. (Side note: apparently, I can't just have the funds sent to my usual checking account; the guy handling our settlement told me State Farm only does things by opening a specific account at a credit union to process the payout, which isn't really the main issue here, but still...)
Look, I’ve learned that when you're dealing with big insurance giants, there's this incredibly common—and frankly, rude—pattern where they drag their feet on payouts. It’s funny how it works—when they need you to pay a premium, suddenly everything happens in one day, but when they owe you? Suddenly, time doesn't exist. I guess that's just how things run in this country.
So, I'm wondering, has anyone else run into this kind of headache?

The payout window is at least two weeks for us, so I assume there's some legal timeframe they have to hit once a claim is closed. (I can't double-check right now, honestly). As for this whole account opening thing, I'll admit I haven't heard that one before. My colleague mentioned—and since I don't work in sales, I’m a bit out of the loop—that they've actually started doing this recently, probably due to some deal they struck with the bank. I'm skeptical about whether they can just force that on people; half of these "requirements" are usually just smoke and mirrors. For instance, we've seen plenty of cases with bank obligations, like leasing, where they try to mandate insurance through a specific provider, but our clients often dig their heels in and refuse. It would be smarter to run this by a lawyer, though, because Liberty Mutual generally tends to drag its feet on payouts. They prefer pushing for settlements—which works for smaller amounts—rather than paying out actual invoices, even though that's rarely the best move for most people unless they're operating under the table. Regardless, don't just sit there. Give them a call, ask about the status of the claim, and find out why the money hasn't moved yet.

Andrew Gomez95 said:I wanted to jump into this thread and share my own situation—maybe someone here has dealt with the same insurance company and can give me some insight:
Basically, one of their policyholders rear-ended me about four months ago, and the damages were assessed at $3333.
I actually received a notice at my house stating that the settlement would be paid out no later than 01.06.2009. Well, today is 15.06 and I haven't heard a peep from them, let alone seen any money. (Side note: apparently, I can't just have the funds sent to my usual checking account; the guy handling our settlement told me State Farm only does things by opening a specific account at a credit union to process the payout, which isn't really the main issue here, but still...)
Look, I’ve learned that when you're dealing with big insurance giants, there's this incredibly common—and frankly, rude—pattern where they drag their feet on payouts. It’s funny how it works—when they need you to pay a premium, suddenly everything happens in one day, but when they owe you? Suddenly, time doesn't exist. I guess that's just how things run in this country.
So, I'm wondering, has anyone else run into this kind of headache?

Well, I’d look at this from a slightly different angle. It's true that claims can drag on, but it really depends on the company and the specific situation (sometimes there are surges in claims that stretch resources thin, but hey, that’s not my department, so I'm just talking out of turn). 😁 That said, I often see clients complaining without much ground to stand on because they expect more than what the policy or the law actually allows. Or they simply don't provide the necessary paperwork—even after multiple calls and formal letters—and then act surprised when the check doesn't arrive. In certain areas, police reports might also get delayed during peak seasons because local authorities prioritize tourists who are about to head home, which makes sense. But the insurance company can't move forward until they have that report or a court ruling. Of course, there are cases where the company is clearly at fault, but in my experience over the last few years (I won't name names to avoid looking like an advertisement), client complaints have been relatively low. Personally, I'd say those complaints are about 50/50 between company error and client wishful thinking.

You also have to consider the value of a good agent. It’s usually worth paying a little extra if you know your agent is reliable, professional, and someone who will actually look out for you when a claim hits, rather than just showing up to take your money. Plus, top-tier agents and agencies carry weight within their firms because of the business they bring in; they can actually advocate for you if a problem arises (which happens all the time due to simple misunderstandings, not necessarily bad intentions). Sometimes, that person is more important than the corporation itself.

Personally, I’d probably steer clear of Aetna. I remember Allstate used to have some quirks too, but things seem better now. I can't think of any major red flags with others off the top of my head. For everything else, I’d focus more on finding a solid agent than obsessing over the company name, unless the actual products are vastly different. With liability coverage, you aren't even dealing with your own provider—you're dealing with the other person's company—so it matters less, though a good agent can still give you advice or pull strings through their connections elsewhere.

My experience with State Farm has been a total nightmare, and honestly, I don't have enough time to go into all the gritty details. Long story short, they screwed me over for more than $77. After my fifth attempt at just trying to reach a fair compromise, they basically told me, "go ahead and sue us, lawyers are pretty slow right now anyway."
With everything they put me through...
-they stole my policy info (when I filed the claim, they took my paperwork for "copying" and never gave it back)
-they even threatened the agent who sold me the plan, telling him he'd lose his job if he didn't help cover up the whole thing

So, I'm saying this with zero hesitation: the whole mess is clearly linked to that Agram creative entity.

I suppose I should take a moment to offer some praise here. Last year, I ended up breaking my leg—quite a nasty ordeal. My employer carries coverage through MetLife, which was a lifesaver. Even though the accident happened well outside of work hours, the process was seamless. Once my medical leave wrapped up and I had all my reports organized, I simply scanned everything, filled out the claim, and hit send. They reached out within just a few days—asking for a couple of extra documents, of course—and then sent over a settlement agreement. I signed it, returned it, and the payout arrived three days before the actual deadline (if I recall correctly, the limit was two months). Honestly, I was quite pleased; at this point, I wasn't even expecting such efficiency.

On a separate note, I carry collision coverage through Allstate—primarily because when I purchased my car, the woman at the dealership happened to be their agent and offered me a 50% discount right then and there. I actually had to use that coverage about two years ago, and I couldn't be happier with how they handled it. After a minor fender bender, I took the car straight to the shop, reported the damage, and an adjuster came out to inspect things. Within ten days, the service center called to tell me my car was ready for pickup. They settled the remaining costs among themselves behind the scenes.

Maybe I’m just an outlier in this regard, but I truly don't have a single negative thing to say about either of them.

I’ve actually had some pretty good luck with State Farm.