Farmers Alliance Insurance Company Reviews

We have had Farmer's Alliance for our farm policy and our auto policy for a number of years. In Jan. of 2018, we had an attic fire caused by the double walled pipe going through the attic from our fireplace. Farmers had sent us a big fire extinguisher a year or two before this. We called the FD and our son, who lives close. He came up, grabbed the extinguisher, pulled the stairs to the attic down, climbed up and stood on them while hitting the fire with the extinguisher. He did this 3 times, having to come down to get air, because the attic was so full of smoke he couldn't see or breathe. By the third time, the rural FD was there and finished up getting it out quickly. It never burned through the roof, although it scorched 7 of the 4 X 8 plywood panels in the roof. Our adjuster was there within 2 days and told me to call Serve Pro to clean up the insulation mess in the attic and the 2 rooms with some minor smoke damage. We found a contractor, who came out the following week to start the work and we were back in our house in 5 weeks. We had a new roof, new wiring, new central heat and air (furnace was in the attic), plus a few other minor things. We had our first check within 2 weeks, and more checks followed quickly. $67,000 later, we were back in the house and good to go. I was perfectly happy with the service, but our rates did go up 42% the following year.

Farmer’s Alliance is the worst insurance company with which I ever have had to deal. Our home sustained water damage September 7, 201.8. We had a Farmers Alliance adjuster assess the damage. She seemed professional, bright, and very experienced. I had high hopes the claim would be processed smoothly. Because Montana is a matching state, my husband and I asked that Farmers Alliance adhere to the provisions in our state. We pay extremely high premiums to Farmers Alliance; and, in turn, we expect stellar service when we sustain damage. We did not expect to pay expensive premiums and be offered cheap repairs. Farmers Alliance hired attorneys, who demanded they be allowed into our home, to determine the scope-of-work, before they would progress forward with the claim, second-guessing the assessment already made by Farmers Alliance’s own seasoned adjuster. In truth, the company hired attorneys to try to mitigate their own scope-of-payment. By hiring attorneys, they hoped to intimidate and bully us into accepting less expensive repairs to our beautiful home. To bring in a law firm to assess the damage is reprehensible. The attorneys have no expertise in determining the damage or scope of work. Would Farmers Alliance hire an adjuster to argue a case of theirs in court? Of course not. Why, then, would they hire attorneys to come into our home, as they demand to do before they will move forward with our claim, to assess the damage and determine the scope-of-work, by-passing the assessment already made by the company's own trained and competent adjuster? Our previous insurance company, Cincinnati Insurance, insured not only our primary home, but also our vacation home. Farmers Alliance insures only our primary home, which is an elegant, upscale home that has been featured in numerous publications. Between our two homes, throughout the years, we had a number of claims with Cincinnati Insurance. They were an absolute dream to work with, and we never had one problem with them. Not one! Unfortunately, Cincinnati left Montana because of the state’s matching provisions. I never thought I ever would say I loved an insurance company, but I made an exception for Cincinnati Insurance. The people representing them were professional, thorough, and kind. After our last claim, from hail damage, the state-wide Cincinnati adjuster wrote me a lovely letter, complimenting me on being so easy to work with. I wonder what he would think of the excruciating experience I am having with Farmers Alliance over a claim that is but a fraction of the Cincinnati claim, which progressed so easily. I cannot imagine Cincinnati Insurance using attorneys to intimidate their clients, like Farmers Alliance is trying to do. Farmers Alliance needs to borrow a few chapters out of Cincinnati’s customer service book. Another example of a good insurance company is the one we use for our vacation home, which had some water damage last summer. Our insurance company, CBIZ, paid for it, immediately, and were so very easy to work with. There were no problems. They paid that claim within 30 days! Thank God we didn’t let Farmers Insurance insure our vacation home. We still would be wrangling with lawyers! Farmers Alliance needs to stop putting profit above good customer service. They didn’t mind taking our expensive premiums, but when the time came when we needed the company to be our champions, they were our biggest nightmare, and provided every obstruction possible in order not to have to pay the claim. Today, I received an email from their lawyers saying they now want an architect to visit our home to assess the scope-of-work, in addition to the lawyers! This is another example of their obstructing the progress of our claim. This is our first claim with Farmers Insurance and it is the smallest and least complicated claim we have had with any insurance company; yet, it has been an absolute debacle dealing with Farmers Alliance. I have nothing positive—not one single thing—to write about Farmers Alliance. The loss we sustained was three months ago. Thus far, no progress has been made. It has been an unnecessary, painful battle every single step of the way. Never did Cincinnati subject us to this type of treatment! I am at my wit’s end. We have a daughter recovering from the most pernicious form of leukemia there is, acute myeloid leukemia. Our stress level is beyond imagination. They know this and are trying to wear me down. Shame, shame, shame on Farmers Alliance for what you are putting our family through! If you are looking for an insurance company with corporate integrity, one that will be your partner throughout the claim’s process, and you see an ad for Farmers Alliance, run very fast. Then, call Cincinnati Insurance, and be sure to tell them I miss them!

No complaints. They seem good to me.