My Frustrating Experience with State Farm
I’ve had a rather baffling and frustrating experience with our State Farm agent. They’ve been prolonging our applications, withholding important information about our policies, and, overall, their attitude has been combative and unhelpful. As a result, we’ve decided to switch to All State, where we’ll pay less for comparable coverage and have already experienced better customer service. However, now that we want to cancel our State Farm policies, they have not confirmed anything and seem to be giving us the runaround.
Here’s how we got to this point:
My wife and I became first-time homebuyers at the beginning of this year (yay us!) and closed on our new home in January 2025. Leading up to the closing, we explored various home insurance options and found what seemed to be a good deal with State Farm. Since my wife already had auto coverage with them, it made sense to bundle our home and auto insurance for a discount. I switched my car insurance from Progressive to State Farm, thinking we’d get a better deal.
Our agent guided us through the application process, and aside from a few “Signature required” documents we were told to ignore, everything seemed fine.
Red Flag #1: A month after signing (and paying) for my auto insurance, I still hadn’t received any policy documents. The app showed my policy as “Pending.” When I called the agent, she mentioned that transferring the policy from another agent can take time. I found this puzzling, but she assured me our coverage was effective from the signing date. A bit confusing, but as long as we were covered, I didn’t push back.
Over the following weeks, I occasionally spoke with my agent about potential discounts or changes to our coverage. It seemed like they would have informed us of any issues during our discussions.
Then, late last week, I received a letter from the State Farm Underwriting department stating they hadn’t received a signed document for Uninsured Motor Vehicle Coverage Selection/Rejection, a requirement in Georgia. Without it, my plan defaulted to the highest (and priciest) coverage. Those documents our agent told us to “ignore”? Yeah, those were crucial.
I understand that it’s my responsibility to review paperwork, but when our agent discourages us from asking questions and advises us to overlook critical documents, I feel misled.
Upon checking our Uninsured Motorist coverage, I discovered we were paying about $220 for a 250/500/250 plan, while rates in my state typically range from $20-$40 for a standard 50/100/50 plan. Even after downgrading to 50/100/50, we would still be charged $180, which felt excessively high compared to what others pay. This seemed like a significant area where All State could offer us savings.
While reviewing our policies, I noticed the home insurance policy was missing from the State Farm app. Instead of seeing our home insurance details, there was only a prompt to “Start a quote.” When I called to investigate, I learned that our home insurance application was still pending—after more than two months!
Our agent offered excuses, questioning whether they were waiting for our mortgage company’s follow-up. But we had seen the communications, and all required documents had been submitted. Two months without any updates seemed unreasonable. She suggested that such delays are “normal” for insurance applications, which had me thinking, “fool me once, shame on me.” When I pressed for specifics about what caused the delay, she deflected, stating I should have flagged issues earlier. This felt utterly dismissive, as it sidelined the main issue—her lack of communication and accountability.
At this juncture, I had already begun looking for new insurance, and this interaction reinforced my decision to leave State Farm. Thankfully, the sales rep at All State was very helpful, and we found comparable coverage for significantly lower rates.
It sounds like you’ve had an incredibly frustrating experience with State Farm, and it’s understandable that you’re feeling overwhelmed. Transitioning into homeownership and managing insurance can be stressful enough without adding a lack of communication and accountability from your agent into the mix.
It seems like the agent did not provide you with the support and clarity you expected, especially when it came to the required documents and the timeline for processing your policies. The mixed messages about what to ignore and what needed attention are particularly concerning. It’s not uncommon for insurance policies to have nuances, but it’s the agent’s responsibility to guide you through that process transparently.
Switching to All State, especially if you’re finding better customer service and lower prices, sounds like a smart move. It’s encouraging that the sales rep you spoke with was helpful and that you’ve been able to secure comparable coverage at a more reasonable price. You deserve an agent who is on your side and willing to provide the information you need without making the process feel like pulling teeth.
When it comes to canceling your State Farm policies, it’s frustrating to hear that you’re facing additional roadblocks. It’s essential to keep following up with them to ensure everything gets sorted out. If you’re not receiving satisfactory responses, it may be worth escalating the issue to a supervisor or looking into filing a complaint with your state’s insurance board.
It’s unfortunate that your experience has left you feeling wary of insurance agents in general, especially since they’re supposed to advocate for you and provide clarity during these important decisions. Hopefully, your experience with All State will be much more streamlined, and you’ll feel confident in your coverage moving forward. Best of luck with your new home and your insurance transition!