How is Farmers Insurance rated for customer service?

Editorial team Published on

Farmers Insurance receives mixed to average customer service ratings, scoring around 3.7 out of 5 stars on platforms like Insurify, but lower marks on consumer review sites like Trustpilot and WalletHub.

📊 Industry and Consumer Ratings

  • Insurify Customer Service: 3.7 / 5 stars
  • J.D. Power Auto Insurance Study: 809 / 1,000 (slightly below the 818 industry average)
  • NAIC Complaint Index: 0.71 to 0.88 (meaning it receives fewer official state complaints than the industry average for its size)
  • Better Business Bureau (BBB): A+ financial/accreditation rating, though individual customer review averages on the platform are low
  • AM Best Financial Strength: A (Excellent)

✅ The Positives: What Customers Like

  • Local Agent Network: Policyholders frequently praise individual, local Farmers Insurance Agents for being attentive, patient, and helpful with custom coverage.
  • Claims Filing Ease: Major publisher surveys (like U.S. News and Insurify) note that a solid majority of users find the initial process of filing and resolving claims straightforward.

⚠️ The Negatives: Common Complaints

  • Inconsistent Support: Some customers report long hold times, unreturned calls, or feeling bounced between local agents and corporate customer service reps.
  • Billing and Rate Hikes: Negative reviews frequently point to steep, unexpected premium increases and friction regarding automatic payments or billing explanations.

Is Farmers considered a good insurance company?

Farmers Insurance is generally considered a solid, reliable carrier with top-tier coverage options, but it tends to be more expensive and receives mixed customer service reviews.

The Pros: Strength and Coverage

  • Financial Stability: Farmers earns an A (Excellent) rating from AM Best, meaning it has the financial strength to pay out large claims.
  • Extensive Add-ons: It ranks very high for customization, offering a wide array of policy add-ons like accident forgiveness, new car replacement, rideshare coverage, and customizable home insurance tiers.
  • Discounts: Farmers provides numerous discount opportunities (such as bundling, safe driver, and paperless discounts) that help offset higher base rates.

The Cons: Cost and Customer Feedback

  • Higher Prices: Rates tend to be higher than average compared to major competitors, making it rarely the cheapest option.
  • Mixed Service Experiences: While local agent support is often praised, users on platforms like Reddit reach a consensus that customers frequently experience frustration with billing transitions, unexpected fees, and communication hurdles.

What insurance company has the highest customer satisfaction rating?

USAA has the highest overall customer satisfaction rating in the insurance industry, though it is available exclusively to military members, veterans, and their families.

For the general public, mutual insurers like Amica Mutual and Erie Insurance consistently rank highest in customer satisfaction for auto and home insurance.

Top Insurers by Customer Satisfaction

How good is Farmers Insurance at paying claims?

Farmers Insurance has strong financial backing to pay claims, but customer satisfaction scores rank slightly below industry averages for both auto and property claims.

Financial Strength and Payout Speed

  • Financial Rating: Farmers holds an "A" rating from AM Best, meaning the company has the financial resources to pay out large amounts for claims.
  • Payout Time: The average time to receive a payout is about 30 days.
  • You can check more details on their overall performance through WalletHub and the analysis on Is Farmers Good at Paying Claims?.

Customer Satisfaction and Industry Scores

  • Auto Claims: Farmers scored 809 out of 1,000 in J.D. Power studies, which is slightly below the industry average. It ranked 17th out of 20 companies in overall claim satisfaction.
  • Home Claims: Farmers did not place in the top tier for property claims satisfaction.

What Policyholders Experience

  • The Positive: Most users on Facebook agree that Farmers handles standard vehicle and house claims effectively. Many customers praise their easy online filing tools and responsive local agents.
  • The Negative: Some policyholders report that property damage offers can fall short of actual repair costs. Adjusters sometimes rely on automated software to calculate payouts instead of local contractor estimates.

What are the top 5 worst homeowners insurance companies?

Based on recent industry surveys like J.D. Power's property and satisfaction studies, the lowest-ranking homeowners insurance companies for customer satisfaction and claims include Universal Direct, Tower Hill Insurance, National General, Homesite, and Foremost.

Lowest-Ranking Home Insurers

  • Universal Direct: Ranks at the very bottom of major customer satisfaction and claims surveys due to slow response times and service issues.
  • Tower Hill Insurance: Frequently scores near the bottom for overall customer experience and policyholder satisfaction.
  • National General: Scores poorly on consumer satisfaction metrics regarding communication and payout handling.
  • Homesite: Routinely lands at the bottom of J.D. Power claims satisfaction rankings for property coverage.
  • Foremost: Receives below-average customer satisfaction scores for handling claims and policy value.

Farmers Auto Insurance Review: What You Need to Know Before You Buy

9 related questions found

What are common complaints about Farmers Insurance?

Common complaints about Farmers Insurance often focus on rising rates, claim handling delays, and unhelpful customer service.

Claims and Payout Issues

  • Denied or low payouts: Customers frequently report that Farmers Insurance denies valid claims or offers low actual cash value (ACV) settlements for total-loss property and auto claims.
  • Slow processing: Reviewers note long delays in receiving payouts or getting repair authorizations after an accident or property damage.
  • Policy cancellation after claims: Users on public forums mention being dropped or facing non-renewal after filing claims, even for routine issues.

Billing and Pricing

  • Unexpected rate increases: Many policyholders complain that premiums jump significantly at renewal time, even with a clean driving or claims history.
  • Hidden or unclear fees: Customers report unexpected charges, double billings on auto-pay, or difficulty obtaining prompt refunds for overpayments.

Customer Service and Agent Support

  • Unresponsive agents: Reviewers frequently express frustration with local agents who fail to return phone calls, answer emails, or assist with policy adjustments.
  • Long hold times: Reaching corporate customer support over the phone or getting clear answers on policy changes is a common pain point.

Who is Farmers Insurance's biggest competitor?

State Farm is Farmers Insurance's biggest competitor based on overall market share and industry standing in the U.S. property and casualty market.

Major Competitors

  • State Farm: Holds the largest market share in the country and directly competes with Farmers in home, auto, and personal lines.
  • Allstate: Operates a very similar captive-agent business model and targets the same traditional personal insurance customer base.
  • Progressive: Competes aggressively on auto insurance pricing, digital tools, and telematic discounts.
  • Liberty Mutual: Matches Farmers closely in overall size and multi-line property and casualty offerings.

Which insurance denies the most claims?

Oscar Health denied 25.3% of in-network claims in 2024, representing the highest denial rate among major national ACA marketplace health insurers.

Health Insurance Denial Rates

  • Oscar Health: Denied 25.3% of marketplace claims.
  • Molina Healthcare: Denied 22% of claims.
  • Ambetter (Celtic): Denied 21% of claims.
  • UnitedHealthcare: Denied 20% of claims (down from 33% the previous year).
  • Kaiser Permanente: Recorded the lowest national rate at approximately 6%.

Homeowners and Auto Insurance Denial Rates

  • Allstate and USAA: Frequently flagged by public reports and consumer data for closing roughly 40% to 50% of property and homeowners claims without payment in high-risk regions.
  • State Farm: Reported home insurance denial rates exceeding 41% to 59% in catastrophe-heavy markets like Florida.

What not to tell your insurance company?

Never say I'm sorry or admit fault to an insurance adjuster, as these statements can be used to reduce your payout or deny your claim.

✅ What Not to Say or Do

  • ❌ Admitting Fault: Saying "I'm sorry" or "It was my fault"
  • ❌ Downplaying Pain: Saying "I'm fine" or "I'm not hurt"
  • ❌ Speculating: Guessing speeds, distances, or timing
  • ❌ Recorded Statements: Agreeing to give a recorded interview
  • ❌ Early Settlements: Accepting the first check right away

💡 Safe Communication Strategy

  • 🗓 Report Promptly:
    • Contact your insurer within 24 to 48 hours
    • Provide only date, time, and location
  • 🗒 Stick to Facts:
    • State what you saw without opinions
    • Decline to guess causes or blame
  • 🔎 Protect Medical Info:
    • Do not sign blanket medical releases
    • Get checked by a doctor first

What insurance company has the most complaints?

In the United States, large national auto insurers like State Farm, Progressive, and GEICO often record the highest absolute volume of consumer complaints due to their massive market share, according to data tracked relative to size by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). In the UK, data from the Financial Ombudsman Service and analysis reported by Insurance Post show that companies like Admiral, Aviva, and Direct Line Group log the highest raw numbers of general insurance complaints.

Key Details on Insurance Complaints

  • Raw Volume vs. Ratio: Large companies get more complaints simply because they have millions more policyholders.
  • Complaint Index: Regulators use a ratio (comparing a company’s share of complaints to its share of the market) to fairly judge customer satisfaction.
  • Common Triggers: The majority of customer grievances across major carriers involve slow claims handling, communication delays, or disputed payout amounts.