Carlo S.

First and foremost, let me start off by stating I've had Farmers Insurance for many years (10-12), and this was my first experience with Farmers filing a claim against my primary residence. After the experience I recently went through, I requested my policy be canceled and went through Progressive after this experience.

On the week of February 20th, our city and throughout southeast Michigan, had a wind and ice storm which impacted the durability and integrity of our roof. A few days following the storm, we noticed staining on the interior ceiling within our house. It appears the storm may have deteriorated the integrity and protection provided by the shingles, and corresponding infrastructure, allowing water to proceed beneath and enter our homes interior. Our roof has held up against the elements – protecting the interior of our home against the snowstorms and rain we've had since owning the home. It wasn't until the storm on the week of the 20th that we faced this problem. Please note our homes roof is free of trees, branches, leaves and debris which generally accelerates the deterioration and longevity of roofs.

On Monday, February 27, I secured the opinion of their roofer, asking him to inspect our roof as well. The roofing company climbed atop our roof and identified the vulnerabilities, ice/wind related caused deterioration, and areas which may have contributed to the leak. The roofing company's opinion is there are certain material items which are no longer effective and used in the industry, vulnerabilities in the valley, lifting of vents because of the ice/wind, and identified areas where water could have gotten underneath resulting in leaks within the home. The roofer made a few corrections to ensure the leaks don't happen again while I work through the claims experience.

When filing the claim, I asked the CSR whether the roofer should be present during the Farmers adjuster visit and they said no. On Sunday, 3/5, Farmers sent their first adjuster out who didn't go on the roof, inspected the damage via insider the house, and claimed the issue was because of ice damning. He then closed the claim without letting me know, stating the repairs are below the deductible so nothing will be paid. I called and talked to Farmers, questioning why the claim was closed without any follow up or communication. They indicated the status isn't really closed, ice damning isn't covered, and the claim can open back up at any time should more evidence become available. I then requested a contractor, through Farmers, come out an inspect the roof since the initial adjuster didn't go on the roof. 1.5 weeks went by before the Farmers contractor arrived. He went on the roof and said he couldn't find anything, likely because the roofer corrected the issues.

I then filed an appeal in which three individuals came out this morning, 3/22. Farmers sent another adjuster, the adjuster's manager, and another contractor to support the roofing inspection. After 20 minutes, the manager came down and said there's nothing visible with the roof that they can see that caused the issue and its likely due to the construction of the house (the pitch/angle differs by 10 degrees above our kitchens peak) and the way the shingles were put doesn't provide adequate protection against leaks. The managers conclusion was the initial adjuster was wrong, and that the issue likely existed for many years, but never made its way down to the inside of the home (shocking speculation). His claim was that the water likely got beneath the shingles and made its way to the roofing board but dried up before making its way inside. Also, if it made it way inside previously, likely absorbed by the insulation.

All in all, I'd like to state that if you're in the market for home owners insurance, DO NOT go with Farmers. They're quick to qualify you for insurance but when you're in need of their support for a claim – find reasons to deny the claim than to honor it.