ComplaintsforIndiana Farmers Mutual Insurance Company

• Initial Complaint

  07/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On August 8, 2019, I called Indiana Farmers, my homeowners insurance company, to inquire about my deductible for damages to my home from fire. They told me my deductible is $5000 for the $20,000 worth of damage sustained by the fire. I opted to NOT file a claim, and instead, had work done very slowly over time and covered all expenses out of pocket. Yet, Indiana Farmers filed a claim anyway. I have tried to switch to a new insurance company in hopes of finding one that is supportive, respectful, and trustworthy. However, the inaccurate claim on my record is preventing me from switching to a better company and making my premiums higher than they should be. After contacting them, I was told that theres nothing they can do now, other than send me a letter saying they never paid on the fire claim, which is inaccurate because I never filed a fire claim.

  

  Business response

  08/08/2023

  Indiana Farmers Mutual Insurance Company (***) has insured ******************** since August 15, 2017.

  On August 8, 2019, ******************** contacted *** to report a fire at her house.  She said she was cooking on stove top, pan caught on fire. There is damage to the stove, microwave and wall above stove. She called the fire department, they responded, got fire put out and got smoke smell out of house. She reported that the house is livable, they just don't have stove. It was apparent that there was soot in the house and that cleaning would be required.  ******************** reported that she did not have any immediate needs. *** would contact her to set up an inspection.

  Later on August 8, 2019, the *** adjuster called ******************** and left a message with his contact information and requesting a return call to review the claim filed.  The adjuster advised her that she could contact a restoration company for any emergency needs, cleaning and/or air purification, etc.  Confirmed $5,000 deductible that would apply and requested that ******************** return the call so that *** could review the claim details and schedule an inspection. 

  ******************** contacted the *** adjuster on August 12, 2023.  She explained that there was a cooking fire on her stove last week, which caused some minor damage to the kitchen.  She advised that the range had been damaged along with the microwave and the wall behind the range.  She also indicated some smoke/soot on the cabinetry but wasnt sure if that would come clean or not. 

  The *** adjuster reviewed the applicable homeowners coverage with ******************** including coverage that would apply for direct fire and/or smoke related damages, including replacement of damaged/destroyed items and cleaning of other items throughout the home.  The adjuster confirmed that there was a $5,000 deductible that would apply and how it would be applied.

  ******************** advised that she did not think that the damage repairs would exceed $5,000.  She advised that she would not have the $5k deductible to pay should a contractor come in to assist with the cleaning/repairs.  ******************** requested that the claim be closed, confirming that there was no need to proceed further with the claim due to the amount of damages involved and deductible that would apply. 

  The *** adjuster confirmed his understanding and advised of the closing letter she would receive.  The *** adjuster invited ******************** to follow-up should anything change or should she have any questions.

  At the time of the claim/fire, ******************** was receiving a discount on her homeowners insurance premium of 7%.  Because nothing was paid on the claim, that discount was not affected and she continued to receive that discount in subsequent years until she suffered another claim due to wind damage to her home on September 20, 2022.  That claim resulted in total damages of $9,501.93.  After this claim, ************************ premium discount was reduced to 2% due to having incurred one loss.

  Along with many other insurance companies, *** participates in the ************************ Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE).  This is a database where insurance companies report losses.  Participating insurance companies are obligated to report losses to LexisNexis CLUE.

  It is true that nothing was paid by *** as a result of the fire that occurred at ************************ home in 2019.  However, that does not mean that the fire did not occur.  *** has accurately reported the loss to CLUE and also that nothing was paid by *** on the loss.  

  When ******************** was shopping for new homeowners insurance, she states that she found out about the fire loss being reflected on her CLUE report.  She spoke with the *** adjuster on July 25, 2023 and said that she never wanted to file a claim.  As exhibited by the narrative above, a claim was filed and discussed with the *** adjuster, but ultimately not pursued due to the amount of damages.  The *** adjuster sent ******************** another copy of the claim closing letter confirming that no amount was paid by *** as a result of the fire at her home in 2019.  

  *** handled ************************ 2019 fire loss promptly, courteously and appropriately.

  ******************** may dispute what she believes to be an error on her CLUE report by calling *********** at **************.

  Customer response

  08/08/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  [Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************************
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩