What’s the point of a State Farm “Insurance Agent”?

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What got me to switch my insurance is I call these people about a quote for flood insurance.

I don’t get any information besides a request for a land survey. I have to go to their office, drop it off. Nobody will talk to you.

I get a quote in the mail. Nothing else.

Just a print out, no follow up.

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Depending on your location and property type, a flood elevation certificate is often needed in order to provide an accurate quote. Judging from the kind of customer you admit to being, you'd be a pain in the arse to explain why the accurate quote came back so different than the outright guestimate that they would have given you without a certificate. Them asking you for the certificate is perfectly normal in some cases.

You being required to drop it off in person then getting a quote in the mail afterwards is NOT normal. That's crappy customer service.

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Lost all 6 lines of my business that day. It’s like $763/mo. Apparently not very important.

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They probably knew how much of a pain in the arse you were and figured it was worth it to see you leave.


To answer your original question, State Farm agents are trained to hire a staff within their office to handle most day to day operations and sales tasks. The agent whose name is on the door and sign outside usually handles the bigger sales, the more affluent customers, and the financial services offered through the office such as IRAs, 401(k)'s, and other investment products.

That said, I'm sure if you had simply called the office and asked to speak directly to the agent and voiced your concerns as well as explained what kind of customer you are, he/she would have given you more personal attention and made sure all your policies were reviewed regularly. Sometimes all you have to do is be honest and communicate. Your lack of communication is not an excuse for that agent to ignore you, though.

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Judging from the kind of customer you admit to being, you'd be a pain in the arse to explain why the accurate quote came back so different than the outright guestimate that they would have given you without a certificate. Them asking you for the certificate is perfectly normal in some cases.

You being required to drop it off in person then getting a quote in the mail afterwards is NOT normal. That's crappy customer service.

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I understand and gave him the documentation they needed.

I’m not really a pain but I have to try and figure out the coverage needs based on half answers from office staff. I don’t call weekly or monthly. Just really at point of service or if there is an issue.

This was out at Chris Gaudet’s office in Lake Charles. They’re apparently so busy they don’t need the business. I wouldn’t recommend him. Too big to deal with people apparently.

If I was him, I’d at least call my customers every fiscal year but apparently that’s beyond him. Even when I said I was switching they left it to the office secretary. Just pathetic.

Edit: I also requested to talk to this guy multiple times and was denied. He was always busy.

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What’s the point of a State Farm “Insurance Agent”?

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I never appreciated (or even spoke to) my actual SF Agent until I had a lightning strike and fire at my house.

This agent I’ve never seen or spoken to was one of the first people at the house. She called several companies such as ServPro to deal with water damage, helped to line up contractors and estimates, and did it all without any immediate cost to me.

I’m not with SF anymore, but I certainly appreciated that service when it happened. If you’ve never had to make a claim then you’re basically just dealing with sales staff and what sounds like poor customer service.

Also, Flood is not quoted or written by SF. It’s by FEMA and it’s set based on flood zone and elevation from BFE. They will handle it for you but it’s not something they do within SF. You will get the exact same quote from any insurance agency.

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My agent was a life saver after Laura. He called and asked how my claim was going and about the adjuster. I told him I was having problems and he said he would take care of it.

That day I got a call saying from the claim department saying my claim was put up for a review and 24 hours later they said they were replacing my entire roof.

Many people think the agent can’t do a whole lot during that process but I had just the opposite experience.

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That is what a good agent does when the need arises and when the claim is a legitimate claim. I had a very similar experience after a hailstorm when I had State Farm years ago. If the claim is legit and it's obvious, the agent will step in and escalate the claim within the claims department. It's never up to the agent to approve or deny a claim, though. They can only escalate it within the claims department for a more thorough review.

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That's exactly what you're doing with this thread.

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Google Reviews and Yelp are Karen territory.

This is some dude commiserating bad customer service amongst like minded gentleman in a safe online community

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that's because they're state farm agents. like the edward jones of insurance

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No, just no. I have a lot of bad things to say about State Farm but they are still significantly picky on who they let become an agent. Not nearly as hard as it used to be but it's not like other insurance companies where almost anyone with a license can become an agent. You're either a very successful agent's son with tons of money or you absolutely killed it while working in another agent's office over the course of a year or more. Either way, you have to show lots of promise for them to offer an agency.

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Wants to know why no one wants to talk to him.

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Because I ask questions? You the one who looks like an actual problem based on your language here.

I have a great relationship with my State Farm Agent and his staff. I think you just had one who was not into his job for whatever reason. Instead of degrading all of the State Farm Agents, you should call, meet with and choose another State Farm Agent who is more to your liking. It’s no different than your doctor, attorney, tax man, financial advisor, yard man or anyone else you do business with.

With the hurricane deductibles I’m not sure why anyone would use State Farm.