Steve
Kansas City,#2Consumer Suggestion
Thu, January 29, 2004
If the well case was split didnt it have to be replaced? If so then you would have the old well case. You should be able to have it anaylized for lighting damage.
Michael
Chipley,#3Author of original report
Wed, January 28, 2004
Thanks for your input Wade. I am very sorry about this too,also very mad. I always thought Farm Bureau was ok until I made a claim. As a matter of fact my Mother worked for Farm Bureau in Indiana for many years in a claims office. So you could say she was part of the farm bureau national family. I am afraid to say but the agent and manager are just as bad the adjuster. Our agent and the manager have never contacted us, they are in the same office with the adjuster. The adjuster is a senior adjuster, but that is just a title and doesn't denote competency. I do not want to publicly go into my strategy when the complaint is filed but your advice was sound. As things unfold legally I will update this report. Wade, when you were an agent did you ever have any client's wells get hit by lightning? Was the casing ever split? Was their claim denied? One of the strange things is, that one of my coworkers was also hit in that same storm. The same exact thing happened to his well. The only difference was that State Farm paid his claim! As I have said elsewhere in this report, If you have Farm Bureau insurance and you also have a well I would get clarification as to how the adjuster in your county handles it. Once the lightning hits it is too late and you may end up like us.
Wade
West Point,#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Wed, January 28, 2004
sorry this happened, ..As a former Farm Bureau Agent in Mississippi, I understand your frustration. I must say though, FB was there for my family when our home burned(prior to me becoming an agent). Some things you might want to do before you go into court: find out how long the adjuster has been employeed, his expertise in such claims(proof of other claims handled by him that involve wells,etc.).Subpoena his manager as well. Most of the time your insurance is only as good as your agent. Why isn't your agent fighting for you? I used to fight for my customers when I felt FB adjusters were making the wrong judgement. What about the agency manager? My manager had some backbone, believe me, she was tough. You see the adjusters and agencies operate on seperate ground. An adjuster can have an attitude adjustment if your agency manager will step up to the plate and make a phone call. Another thing, go ahead and subpoena all parties involved with FB: agent, agency manager, adjuster, adjusting manager, Mr. Evers, and even Mr. Loop. Believe me, when they see those subpoenas they will jump straight down the adjusters throat. It may sound ridiculous or extreme, but, it works. FB is a good company, and I have seen them literally writing checks the next day on the spot after tornado damages to many families before estimates were given by contractors. The customers were told, "this should cover the costs, if it doesn't let us know when your contractor gives you an estimate, maybe they will find other damages. If this is more than the costs, keep it and buy your family something nice." Good luck.
Michael
Chipley,#5Author of original report
Tue, December 02, 2003
Well we went to mediation. To be perfectly honest it was pretty much a waste of time. If our mediation is the norm I would only say to those going to mediation in the State of Florida that is run by the Insurance Commission, "Don't get your hopes up" First of all there was not a mediator in our county that was available so we had to drive 50 miles into Panama City. Because of this our our well man was unable to attend the session, travel time etc would have caused him to be off his present jobsite for over 4 hours. It looks like our only other alternative is to file a lawsuit. Of course this takes time and in the meantime we plan to get a bit more vocal in public to draw attention not just to our plight but to any unsuspecting present insured or future insured. Anyone signing up or presently insured with Florida Farm Bureau Insurance should get a clarification on how their claim may be handled should the same thing occur to them.
Michael
Chipley,#6Author of original report
Fri, November 07, 2003
Just to clear one thing up from the original report. Florida Farm Bureau Insurance headquarters are in Gainesville Florida. Our property is in Chipley Florida and we purchased our insurance through the local chipley office. Nothing else new to report, just waiting for a mediator to be assigned and a date set for mediation.