ED? Captain? Some farm owner???

[Buckrub]

Anyone that has a farm. Help.

Is there ANY competition for Farm Bureau? I'm about as ticked as I can be right now. We have a ton of Farm Bureau policies for the farm. They insure every irrigation well against lightning. The farmhouse is insured with them (hard to do since it's technically unoccupied). My mother in law's old jewelry is on a separate policy. But mostly farm stuff.

Every year, they send some b/s form around. It has a zillion stupid questions, none of which have any impact that I can see regarding insurability issues. This year I noticed at the top a place for "No Changes". We get an identical form for EACH policy, not one per policy holder, which is stupid in itself. But ok. I took too long to send those in this year, I guess. But I did send them in, a week or two ago.

Today, I get a letter in the mail that cancels one of the policies. BAM! It said "You never responded to our 'audit', so you are cancelled for policy GL999999. Call your agent to see about reinstating it".

Here's a list of my problems with this:

1) I have a lot of policies. I don't know which one GL9999 is. You think they might mention it. Nope.
2) Nowhere on the 'audit' forms does it say "If you don't send this in, we will cancel you". Nowhere. Yes, I looked.
3) Their procedure is asinine!! You'd think they'd call my agent, tell him they never got it, and let HIM try to get it first. It's like they don't want their policies to be in force.
4) The letter doesn't mention our agent's name, number, nothing. Just "call your agent". It's a form letter with only the policy number added uniquely.

I have never cared for Farm Bureau. But I don't know of anyone else that insures wells, etc. Is there anyone???????

Ed, who do you use? I KNOW you have irrigation wells.

[Big Muddy]

Okay, first off, I personally, wouldn't insure a gay one-eyed goat with Farm Bureau....they will drop your azz in a nanosecond for blinking sideways, or in your case, not sending in requested policy info. in a timely manner.

What you did, is fail to furnish them an annual audit report on your general farm liability policies.

That is totally your fault for being lazy, and not sending it in on time....actually, they are giving you a chance to reinstate the policies, which really surprises me about FB....normally, they would drop your azz, on the spot.

All you had to do was check the box, which said "No Changes", and mail it back to them, usually postage-free....that's not too strenuous is it??? ;)

This is SOP for all farm liability ins. companies, so FB is not picking on you....for instance, they simply want to know if you installed a new irrigation well-head, or built a new farm structure, etc., since last year....it is a very simple request, but you are trying to circumvent their rules, and make up your own procedures....and, it should be common sense to you that ANY ins. company can and will drop your azz, for the least infraction of their procedures, whether they give you a written warning about it on those audit forms, or not.

Yes, there are other ins. companies who provide farm liability coverage....but, do you really want to go to the time and effort of shopping new ins. companies for numerous new policies???....hell, you won't even take the time to mail in a simple one-page audit form on time!!! ;)

Bad as I hate to say it, you are better off sticking with FB....contact your agent, and do what it takes to get your policies reinstated.

Play by the day'um rules, and you won't have this happen in the future.

I apologize for being so blunt, but you really do bring a lot of this sheeit on yourself.

Love ya, man !!! ;)

[Niner]

We HAD FB on our cars, the house, The Farm, the tractors and implements.....Hell....even the four wheelers.

We wanted to make some changes to the policy....drop the four wheelers (since we'd sold them), and add some other stuff. We tried for weeks (months?) to get our agent to call us back. Finally wife called FB state office and they said they'd have someone call her back. She got a call back...several days later...from our agent.....-.and he STILL didn't make the changes we wanted.

I don't know about everywhere else, but here each county has its own FB office. You have to work with the office of the county your property is in. Well....our house is in one county, and The Farm is in another county. The office where we live is pretty good, with several agents there. The office where The Farm is, has ONE agent. ONE! And he must be one of the laziest folks at FB.

LONG story a little shorter, we fired FB. I may be misremembering right now, but I THINK we swapped all of the coverage over to USAA. I'd have to ask The CFO to be 100% sure.

[Captain]

I have nothing but good things to say about FB. We have everything with them, house, farm(s) both NC And SC, cars, tractors, buildings, etc.
They have never been anything but great. When Hugo came through in 89 they were more than fair in payments and very quick.
Easy to contact and we are dealing with two different offices one in Union NC and one in Cherterfield SC.

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[Niner]

Looks like you've got some good agencies your working with Cap'n.

I'll have to say the office in the county where our house is is OK.
When my daughter was living in GA (in our county), she had a little storm damage on her house. They replaced the whole roof and didn't blink an eye. Our problem was with the One Man office in the other county. If we could have used the same office for both properties, we might still have them. BUT, they don't work that way.

[Chicken Dinner]

I wouldn't give a red cent to the Farm Bureau here in Virginia as they have been the main/most active lobbyist against Sunday Hunting for all these years. From what I've heard, it's hard to beat them on price though.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I wonder what skin in the game they have regarding Sunday hunting? You'd think most interested parties would have something at stake in something like that.

Inersting.

BKB

[Thumper]

I wonder what skin in the game they have regarding Sunday hunting? You'd think most interested parties would have something at stake in something like that. Inersting.BKB

That's the first persact thing that came to MY mind P-hole. Maybe since they cover so many "farms" or unimproved property ... the lack of Sunday hunting would cut some of their liability by 14% if people hunt the land that's insured. (???)

[BarryBobPosthole]

CD, I googled it and did find something on it. I guess the farmer members of the Farm Bureau (sounds like its a coop type deal) vote on that issue every year and the stand they take on sunday hunting is one decided by their members and isn't something that directly affects their insurance business. Sounds like their members vote on this issue every year. Here's a 'fact sheet' from their position in 2011.
http://www.vafarmbureau.org/Portals/Fed/documents/policy_action/sunday_hunting.pdf
BKB

[quercus alba]

I have nothing but good things to say about FB. We have everything with them, house, farm(s) both NC And SC, cars, tractors, buildings, etc.
They have never been anything but great. When Hugo came through in 89 they were more than fair in payments and very quick.
Easy to contact and we are dealing with two different offices one in Union NC and one in Cherterfield SC.

I'm glad somebody has something good to say about them.

[Buckrub]

Their prices are not great. But I don't know of anyone else that insures irrigation wells. This land has been insured by Farm Bureau for over 75 years. Maybe 100. I used to hunt with my FIL and the Farm Bureau agent, both deceased. I don't have a problem with my agent. I just don't think he knows anything about this. Wife is gonna call him and give him a piece of 'our' mind later. I'll let you know what happened. This is just junk, though.........poor company policy.

[Bwana]

I have FB insurance and have never had any problems to date. As to the irrigation wells, what are they insuring, that they don't go dry? Don't collapse?

In short, sorry but I am of no help.

[Big Muddy]

I have FB insurance and have never had any problems to date. As to the irrigation wells, what are they insuring, that they don't go dry? Don't collapse?

In short, sorry but I am of no help.


Designated perils, such as lightening, accidental collision into them, i.e., tractors/equipment, etc., etc.....going dry is non-insurable.

[Chicken Dinner]

That's the big lie Barry. When repeatedly pressed to produce the results of said vote, they can't. It turns out to be more of a we talked to some of the farmers in a particular part of the state and they don't want folks running dogs on their property on Sunday. (The current proposal to allow Sunday Hunting on private lands excludes using dogs.) FB in most states has supported Sunday Hunting from a crop damage perspective.


CD, I googled it and did find something on it. I guess the farmer members of the Farm Bureau (sounds like its a coop type deal) vote on that issue every year and the stand they take on sunday hunting is one decided by their members and isn't something that directly affects their insurance business. Sounds like their members vote on this issue every year. Here's a 'fact sheet' from their position in 2011.
http://www.vafarmbureau.org/Portals/Fed/documents/policy_action/sunday_hunting.pdf
BKB

[Bwana]

BM - thanks for the explanation. That makes a lot more sense.

[Captain]

Bucky I'm not against you on this issue at all but saying " This is just junk, though.........poor company policy." Is just a dumbass comment. You have no clue if it is or not. I'm sure the company you worked for had policies that seemed odd to folks until you learned the reason behind them.
The bottom line is FB is a co-op and as such you agree to certain things such as filling out the update each year. If you fail to do so then that is YOUR fault not theirs. If it don't make sense to you cancel the shit and go get insurance somewhere else. But don't bust on a co-op because of your slackness....

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[Buckrub]

cappy, ease up.

If they want that to be a policy, that's fine. Can't argue that it isn't a policy of theirs. What I said was, the form does not say that. Reading it makes me think they are asking a bunch of sales type questions to find out all about you, so they can sell you MORE insurance on something else. That's what it looks like. NOWHERE does it say "Failure to fill this out will result in policy cancellation". That is a bad policy, and I don't care what company has which policy or rules.........that one is bad.

If it had said that, I'd have filled it out the same day I got it. Besides, I did NOT fail to fill it out. I filled it out, and I mailed it in. I GUESS it got done late (also there was NO DEADLINE listed on the form). That's my sole shortcoming, and I didn't even know when it was needed back.

Those are bad policies, anyway you look at it. I know it's fashionable to point out my foibles around this loving place, but hey........I don't think I'm at fault on this one!!! :)

[Buckrub]

And I still don't know if FB has any legitimate competitors for the type of farm stuff that they insure.

Wife did call the agent. He said this was our General Liability policy. He also said that when they get the form, they'll automatically reinstate the policy. I still say that is crazy. That's my opinion.

[Captain]

cappy, ease up. If they want that to be a policy, that's fine. Can't argue that it isn't a policy of theirs. What I said was, the form does not say that. Reading it makes me think they are asking a bunch of sales type questions to find out all about you, so they can sell you MORE insurance on something else. That's what it looks like. NOWHERE does it say "Failure to fill this out will result in policy cancellation". That is a bad policy, and I don't care what company has which policy or rules.........that one is bad. If it had said that, I'd have filled it out the same day I got it. Besides, I did NOT fail to fill it out. I filled it out, and I mailed it in. I GUESS it got done late (also there was NO DEADLINE listed on the form). That's my sole shortcoming, and I didn't even know when it was needed back. Those are bad policies, anyway you look at it. I know it's fashionable to point out my foibles around this loving place, but hey........I don't think I'm at fault on this one!!! :)
Those are all YOUR opinions that they are bad policies. Not necessarily correct. I'm sure they have millions of other policy holders that fill out the form and mail it back and don't have their policies cancelled. So it would appear the "fault" is yours.
I didn't hear on the news about everyone in Arkieland having their FB policies cancelled. Again I'll say if you don't like the way the co-op works and don't want to have to fill out forms then cancel it and get insurance elsewhere or go without.

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[Buckrub]

Geez man.

I was simply asking if they had a competitor, from someone who might know.

I said they were my opinions! Even those people that fill them out on time (which I've done every other year) might also think so if you asked them.

I never buy the argument "if you don't like it, leave/move/change". I can not like it and try to change it, can't I? I still think it's quite rational to have the opinion on this that I do. I haven't heard any valid argument against my opinion. But I DID FILL IT OUT. You're acting like I said I never did it.

Why am I the bad guy here?

[Captain]

In the past reply or two you just started saying it was your opinion. Which I can accept. Prior you were stating it as fact which I was pointing out was not necessarily so...
Your post came across like the spoiled kids that get caught doing something wrong and want to blame everything and everyone except taking responsibility for the situation.
It's snowing like a bitch wolf here, I can't get out of the house. I need to get to the SC farm and tend cattle but travel is out of the question, I'm bored. Bite me.

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[Buckrub]

OK, well I apologize for saying it wrong. I didn't care for the way they did it. Maybe I'm wrong. If so, fine.

I'm sick of cold too. We had all that not long ago. Now it's gone but not above freezing.

I'm going fishing Monday if it hairlips the Pope.