While I have finally gone into my own pocket to repair my shower, I have not given up in my fight against State Farm Insurance. Neither, apparently, have FORMER STATE FARM AGENTS....check out THIS nightmare from Fulvio Manetti, a State Farm agent who got royally screwed by his own company:

I am a retired (early retirement because I could not take it any more!!)State Farm agent and I have seen first hand the wrong things underwriting and claim were doing to the public. When I retired, after 25 years, my retirement pay was given, without due recourse, to my ex wife and I was left to survive with my SS income.

They have millions of dollars stashed away in a retirement fund which only the few privileged have access to it.

Arbitrarily they estimate claim reserves to the disadvantage of policy holders.

The powers to be could say that mine are ''sour grapes'' but I have always served my policy holders with integrity and I have always been one of the better agents. I could write a book about the underhanded dealings of State Farm agents and management toward the public.

State farm sucks and should be investigated for their dealings with agents and policyholders.

Fulvio Manetti
Retired ''Satefarm sucks'' agent

Wow, Mark (name witheld by request) reports that State Farm ripped him off in an automobile incident. What's with these people? Read this:

"I was in an automobile accident with one of their policyholders on 3/9/2004. No question that it was his fault, he was issued a ticket citing him at fault. State Farm decided that they would scrap my recently completed 1984 restored Corvette (new motor and all) and offered me $5400 for the car. The NADA book value for a 1984 Vette in average condition is $17,100. I provided receipts for $9000 worth of work done on the car in the past 2 years and they increased their offer to $6000. They towed my car off to a scrap yard without my permission. I am open to suggestion regarding how to make the cheap bastards pay the Fair Market Value for my destroyed car. They do not listen to the fact that you cannot replace a 1984 in like new condition for $6000."

Like a good neighbor, eh?

It's been a tough battle, but people are still sending in their stories about how State Farm sucks. This one is from Amie:

Hi there.

I found your website via Planet Feedback, and I am letting you know that you are not alone.

I canceled my policy with State Farm more than a year ago after they hiked my monthly premiums nearly $100.00. No warning, no letter, no phone call nothing; when I called my agent, she knew nothing about it, and I got the runaround for a month before I finally said "screw it" and found a different carrier.

I am now fighting insurance companies on their practice of illegal discrimination due to age. State and federal law prohibits this, and if you want to help me out with this, or can in any way, please let me know.

Thanks for sharing your story!

Amie Thompson

Back in the saddle after New Years, because it's impossible to get anything done between December 15 and the Super Bowl. Sometimes I think that America has too many holidays. I can't get anything done. Then again, when I see the kind of incompetence at State Farm, it's no wonder. If one of the nation's largest companies can sit there fat and happy without working, I guess everyone else thinks they can.

In the meantime, Mark from Tennessee wrote this heart-wrenching story about what his parents had to endure with State Farm:

My parents live in Hermitage, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. On April
16th 1998, a tornado went through Nashville and Davidson County, causing
extensive damage to my parents neighborhood.

Fortunately, neither of my parents were injured, but they sustained losses
in property. This area has many old, massive trees, which can easily exceed
8 feet in circumfrence. Their detached garage was crushed by a large tree,
roofing was ripped away, and over 10 large trees were twisted, uprooted, or
blown over, some directly onto the house itself. A man down the street had
one crash through his roof and pin him in his recliner until the rescue
squad was able to saw him out, unharmed. There was no power to the area for
days following the storm.

Although I dont have access to the immediate lies that State Farm first gave
them, they were definately NOT a "good neighbor". The REAL good neighbors
stepped up to the plate to help clear the roads and driveways of debris,
etc. State Farm first refused to pay for damage to the garage, but
persistance by my parents got them to pony up a portion of the cost after a
long fight. Then, State Farm would not pay for the removal of the blown
down trees and limbs, even when they obviously were damaged to the point
that they threaten (and CONTINUE to threaten) the roof of the home. My
parents had to foot the bill for much of their damage.

My parents were patrons of State Farm for over 30 years without a single
claim prior to the tornado. Once the storm hit, State Farm seemed to enter
"damage control mode" and was unhospitable to many of the storm victims.

They have many photos of the damage, and the results.

A pox be upon thee, State Farm.