[Roly Poly]

Does anyone know how to find the Registered Agent for State Farm. This is not the sales agent, anyone in legal will know what a Registered Agent is It had a tree fall on my roof in that December storm and they are only going to cover a fraction of the cost. I’ve had two contractors give me estimates. Anyhow, small claims is my only recourse now but I need to find out who the Registered Agent for State Farm is. Thanks in advance if someone can figure it out.

[Chief Joseph]

Can't answer your question but when my Mom passed she had State Farm. I kept it for a year at $1200, thought it was a bit high, went to Farmers and paid a bit under $800. If not for the wildfire danger here in N Idaho, I would not even carry insurance. I also have a friend who's house was damaged in the November storm and his insurance was not wanting to pay saying that the tree that fell was distressed or something even though it wasn't documented. Ins companies are scammers.

[Tom]

If you feel you're not being treated fairly your best bet is to contact your state insurance commissioner. Last thing insurers want to do is deal with them. That said, only will turn out in your favor if you're truly being shafteed. https://www.insurance.wa.gov/file-complaint-or-check-your-complaint-status

[Roly Poly]

Well I’ve paid State Farm premiums for 25 years. Home , auto and umbrella. Contractors gave 12k and 18k estimate to fix roof gutter and structural damage. State Farm is only paying 4k. I’m ditching them for Pemco but also wonder what s the point of home insurance any more if they won’t pay what contractors charge. I’m going to use Small Claims to get the rest. Just need to figure the Registered agent and Washington Corporations name search yields nothing. Nor does Illinois Corporations name search.

[Tom]

How many years you've been with them is not relevant to your claim. They are going to pay what your coverage stipulates. If they estimate it should cost X but you can only find contractors that quote Y, most insurers will say fine, go ahead and hire them and submit the claim and we will pay what you're covered for less deductible. I don't know why you need to talk to a registered agent. You should be able to talk to your adjuster, and like I said, if they're not being reasonable let them know you will be filing a complaint with the state insurance commissioner. If they are in the wrong they will change their tune pretty quickly once you utter those words. Small claims is going to be a waste of your time.

[Chief Joseph]

Not that it's relevant, but I have noticed that the more an insurance company advertises, the higher their rates are.

[Malachai Constant]

There are a attorneys who specialize in what are called bad faith insurance cases for a contingent fee. I remember from my short career as a PI lawyer SF frequently made you sue them to get a proper payment. Try to find a personal referral if possible.p

[Roly Poly]

I found it.

[Roly Poly]

I have no idea about laws. Just need the Registered Agent. And small claims case will handle the rest. Costs $50 and no attorneys.

[Tom]

Insurance commissioner costs $0. I would go that route first.

[MtnManic]

I don't want to get too specific, but I am a licensed insurance agent (working support but not "the agent" in the office), but I'm not sure what you actually want. https://fortress.wa.gov/oic/consumertoolkit/Company/CompanyProfile.aspx?WAOIC=u6Z3U53EjfgBMMLe8DqKLQ%253D%253D - that's from the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, if this helps. In general, a healthy tree that falls on the home is covered by the policy covering the damaged home. If unhealthy, the tree owner's homeowners liability. Debris removal, etc. may have limitations. It sounds like a discussion with Claims is necessary. State Farm claims: https://www.statefarm.com/claims to file or track a claim. If anyone wants to PM me directly, I'll be happy to answer as best I can, but do note that insurance companies do want to pay what the contract says they'll pay and Roly Poly, sounds like some information is wires crossed.

[Roly Poly]

Obviously the health of the tree is not in dispute. It’s about the SF untethered from reality costs of a contractor to fix it. I asked SF to find me the contractor who will do the job for the ridiculous lowball offer. There isn’t one. Regardless, I’m switching to Pemco. Local, way cheaper and presumably tethered to reality. My neighbor had to sue them (properly, using an attorney) for a 12k lowball offer which ended up SF paying 60k, the real cost.

[Chief Joseph]

[Anne Elk]

Somewhat related, although not a home issue: the 2 times I was hit by someone else, I had to fight like hell to get the other company to pay the repair costs because of the age of my pickup. The fact that I kept it in mint condition didn't matter to them. The first time, my own insurance company's adjustor (Liberty Mutual) claimed that the drunk who hit me and ran off didn't have insurance, just so he could quickly close the claim. Then the next day I got a call from a Seattle police detective with that guy's insurance info. So, stay away from LM (which had also absorbed Safeco, I believe). The drunk's insurance company treated me much better (Pemco). So much better that I decided to switch and asked them for a quote for my home insurance. For the same coverage, their price was HALF! That should make you feel good about switching to Pemco. They might not be the cheapest outfit around any more, especially given that they're west coast only and have had to deal with a lot of fire claims. But they're easier to deal with. FWIW those repair estimates both sound outrageous. It doesn't look like that much structural damage. Maybe you can find some small time contractor or repairman (but licensed and insured) who would do it. Inquire around at some small neighborhood hardware store. I've found good people that way. I also agree with Tom - I'd try the insurance commissioner first - less headache if successful.

[Tom]

I had a claim last year and it was a real challenge trying to find a contractor during the pandemic. I asked progressive if they would just set me up with one of their contractors but they didn't have anyone in the area. Basically they told me to get it fixed and send them the bill. They sent me a check for their estimate but my understanding was if the cost was higher they would cover the actual cost less deductible. It's been a year and I've been too lazy to actually find a contractor to fix it. It's just a light post at the bottom of my driveway but they sent me a couple grand and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to fix it for less. I really do think you should follow up with your adjuster just to make sure something didn't get lost in translation and it will help your case if you do need to escalate as it demonstrates you are acting in good faith.