This is a disappointing review to write.
I've been a State Farm customer from birth. My parents were customers. Our agent was a friend. As I started to take on responsibilities of my own, I stayed with the company -- seeking out either the closest agent or the one with the best reviews. Eight cities and in every one of them, I was a State Farm customer. So, it was to be the same in Miami.
Things started out well. Upon my arrival to Miami, I found Iris Lopez's office and Suzette. Suzette was a phenomenal agent rep. After eight cities and [redacted number of] years as a customer, I had encountered many. Suzette was knowledgeable, friendly and TIMELY! Little did I know back when we first met that these were characteristics not wide-spread amongst the business population of Miami. During the course of my stay in the 305, unfortunately, Suzette left Iris Lopez's office. I was pretty bummed at the news but I wished her well and kept it moving. After all, I'd never really needed my insurance. It was just there as... insurance.
Fast forward to my last week in Miami. I made it; I was getting out. But the city wouldn't give up without a fight. Literally, a week before I was scheduled to fly out, a series of events led to me losing my car -- my prized vehicle of 21 years that had seen me through most every stage of my life. A loss like that was devastating. Adding insult to injury was the fact that when I actually needed my agent... she was nowhere to be found. I called. I emailed. Nothing. I was leaving in a week. My car's status was unknown. I didn't know what was happening... and I received no service. No help. After being a brand-loyal customer for [redacted number of] years. What was happening? #Miami
It just so happened that I *was* moving and being the Type-A individual I am, I already had an agent in my new city. Even though this agent had nothing to do with my current mess, I called her after not knowing what else to do. You know what she did? She handled the situation. She three-way called with me. She cc'ed me on emails. She got dates, numbers and information for me. She wondered (aloud) why I wasn't getting these answers from my people on the ground in Miami. She was my godsend. But for her (my current Nashville team), I would have been sunk. But even with her, I found out that my Miami office sent my car to a chop shop, rather than a dealer or mechanic for inspection. My Miami office gave me inaccurate information. My Miami office didn't call me back nor did they email me back with full answers to my questions. The claims office that 'handled' my car was just as unresponsive and unhelpful as my local counterparts. The entire situation was troubling. I'd never had such a frustrating, troubling and non-responsive insurance experience in my life. Not to tell tales out of school, but my Nashville rep/agent was confounded over what was happening in Miami. They even went so far as to offer to take the whole thing over even though it had nothing to do with their office.
In my time of need, I did not have a good neighbor. No one was there. And, things just got worse. I suppose it's fitting that my last experiences in Miami as a local were so bad. It really put the cherry on the [redacted] sundae that is that the Magic City. read more