Do not buy insurance from Dave Stewart unless you want terrible service and denied coverage when…read moreyou need it most. Like after a catastrophe. Or if you want Dave to simply call you back when you have a claim. He doesn't.
Easily one of the worst business/customer service/policy holder experiences of a lifetime.
During the power outage in Oakland on January 20th, our 3 basement sump pumps failed with no power provided by P, G and E. As a result, the water accumulated and began to rise, eventually up to over 3 feet deep. Many of the items we had stored floated around, and eventually caught on fire when making contact with the heater.
I was less than a minute away from leaving my house for the day with my 10 year old Golden Retriever locked inside, when I smelled smoke. I acted quickly and made 3 breath holding trips down into the flooded basement with a garden house, eventually extinguishing the flames before the house would have probably exploded with gas lines, a heater and a water heater surrounded by 6 foot flames. I called Oakland fire, who responded with 3 trucks and 10 firefighters in 5 minutes.
I called David Stewart's office right away, where I was greeted by an assistant who insisted on taking my information instead of letting my talk to my agent. After 10 painful minutes of literally having to repeat every word at least twice, I asked her to please have David call right away. He didn't. Not even close.
I needed to find out right away if our policy covered a cleanup organization like Serve Pro to come and help us with the aftermath. His assistant clearly had no clue about how to interpret a policy. We knew that if we were not covered, we would have a group of family and friends help us with the basement. We can't afford Serve Pro on our own.
The next day, the assistant (no Dave yet) called me and promptly called me the wrong name and had the wrong case, and didn't really appear to remember much about me. I asked her to please have Dave call me.
Friday. Standing water damage in the basement worsening. No call.
Finally, on Saturday, I call and get Dave's voice mail, where I had a chance to express my shock and displeasure regarding his complete absence. He calls me later that day to tell my to hire Serve Pro, "whether or not we're going to pay for it."
Serve Pro shows up in one hour, with 7-8 guys, does a fantastic job. They come back every day to check on things, photograph everything, archive everything.
Meanwhile, State Farm's central Catastrophe department is calling me repeatedly to tell me that "an adjuster would be on the case in 24-48 hours." The same thing the next day. And the next. Finally, we get a voice mail on Sunday night 5 DAYS AFTER THE FIRE.
Then on Wednesday, January 27th, said adjuster arrives at our home to tell us we have been denied coverage. Surreal, cruel, and devastating.
We are on the hook for thousands of dollars with Serve Pro. If had left the house earlier and/or not extinguished the flames, our house, with our dog inside, would have burned to the ground. And we would be denied coverage based on a water damage exception.
State Farm is denying the claim based on the fact that water damage to stored contents and physical structure is not covered in the policy. Which only considers the effect, not the cause. When an electrical outage "outside of the residence" (i.e. P, G and E) leads to equipment failure (like sump pumps, which are a means of protecting the house), the case is not just water damage. It's cause and effect. State Farm selects the wording that suits them, denies claims, and keeps the company profitable.
I promise to update this review once our lawsuit is settled, even if we lose. At the very least, we're suing on principle. At most, we want compensation for our losses from a policy we've paid on for 11 years without a single claim.
David Stewart's service was just awful and very insulting in our time of need. State Farm's was as bad or worse.
If I were to make one suggestion to the marketing department, it would be this: It's time to change your jingle/slogan. You know how it goes. Here's my idea for the new one:
"Unlike a Good Neighbor, State Farm is Where?"
