Berkeley Parents Network: Insurance Agents

Berkeley Parents Network

Insurance Agents

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Insurance > Insurance Agents

See also: Insurance Brokers . Also see reviews under the various types of insurance on the main page.

June 2007

Hi there - I would like recommedations for a good Farmers insurance agent. We have a house now and we want to consolidate our insurance coverage. We'd like to work with a knowledgeable, thoughtful agent. Not sure if it matters but we live in Alameda. Thanks. EA

We live in Alameda and use Joe Mikels of Farmer's as our insurance agent. He was my hubsand's families' agent and we have used him since getting married (thus he's been with my extended family for a very long time). I've been very happy with his services; he is very responsive to my calls and tries to find the best policy fit for our needs. He also has quickly responded to getting things fixed and handling disputes, answering all questions, etc. His office is in Richmond but that hasn't been a problem as things are all done by phone. His number is 222-3200. Ariana

The only Farmer's agent I would ever use is Tom Madden in Lafayette. He's impossibly good at what he does, plus he and his wife treat their clients like family. If he can't save you money, he tells you. I've had many people use him and they are all grateful they met him. (925) 284-7105 Julie G

Mark Gaskins is a Farmers agent who serves the entire Bay Area. He is a very friendly and helpful agent. He is also not pushy, he is really interested in giving you what you need and want. He is very flexible and a family man. His phone number: 510-846-3777; his email: insuranceman4u@sbcglobal.net. Hope this helps! Denise B

Michael Reidenbach is an agent for Farmers and is located in Alameda. He is both knowledgeable and caring and will work with you to make sure you get your needs met. You can reach him at 510 523 3677 or by cell-415 509 2494 Sydney M

I highly recommend Jim Cowen. I keep being pleasantly surprised by my experience with him - —very different from my previous experiences with insurance agents. When we considering a risky home renovation project, Jim spent a great deal of time talking to me, offering me helpful and unbiased advice. Jim was very knowledgeable and patient. Another great thing-- our auto insurance forms said that we drove our car x number of miles per year. Without any prompting from us, Jim reviewed the records and determined that the number was probably too high. He pursued us despite a few unreturned messages on our part to verify our mileage and make sure we were not overpaying. The extra bonus is that he is very personable and remembers many more details about my family than I would expect. Basically, itÂ’s been a pleasure doing business with him. Jim Cowen Insurance Brokers Farmers Insurance Tel 510-222-7890
Eliza

i had to respond to a previous post about a Farmer's agent named Joe Mikels. My step-father had used Joe for more than a couple of decades. So when i graduated college and returned to the Bay Area 15 years ago i got my insurance through Joe. At that time he was one of Farmer's top 5 agents. Then Joe had a MAJOR accident and his business fell apart. My mother and step-father left Joe and told me they saved A LOT of money when they moved their insurance. We stuck around for a while and tolerated a number of little problems. one being i made the mistake about calling and asking about a bump in a parking lot where there was NO CLAIM and NO LOSS, and Joe's office reported it, and then completely failed to follow through and get it removed when i asked why i lost my preferred driver status and my rates went up 20%. I have repeatedly called his office over the years to correct mistakes on our policies, which he failed to do the majority of the time. i dealt with Farmer's directly to get the corrections made. years later i got into an auto accident. Joe returned my phone calls (it is required by law that agents log and return all phone calls), but he never answered my questions about the accident. I sent him an itemized letter of information i wanted. Joe called to awknowledge its receipt, but never answered my questions. i got sued by the other party. Joe never provided me with the name and number of the claims adjustor. Farmer's did handle the case just fine. Three years after the accident I moved our homeowners, auto and umbrella policies to Allstate and have saved over $3200 a year. All of the policies have arrived without a single error. Any answer my agent needs to research i have received within 24 hours. Happy Allstate agent: Jan Hannah Allstate Insurance 415-255-0224 At the very least, please choose a different Farmer's agent. Julia

May 2007

Insurance madness ... you gotta have it, but ... Our Allstate insurance agent we've been dealing with for years left, and his replacement is awful. Does anyone know of a helpful, easy to talk to insurance agent for home and auto? Do you know if we can just ask to have our current policy transferred to another Allstate agent? Thanks! desperately seeking insurance agent

My family has had very bad experiences with Allstate. My aunt was killed in a head-on collision (drunk driver going the wrong way on a freeway). Both cars were insured with Allstate. My aunt's policy was for $25,000. Allstate refused to pay. My uncle sued them. Just before it went to court Allstate offered to settle out of court for $5,000. My uncle refused. Part-way through the case Allstate offered to pay $10,000 for an out-of-court settlement. My uncle refused. Just before the judge was to give his verdict, Allstate offered $15,000. My uncle refused. The court awarded my uncle the entire $25,000. The only reason my uncle could spend so much time in court is he was on disability, didn't have a job. My cousin's house in Colorado was insured with Allstate. A forest fire destroyed nearly the whole town, including my cousin's house. Allstate refused to pay. My cousin sued and won. I've had good luck with State Farm. They've paid promptly, even when it was expensive (broken sewer line that had to be replaced--the county broke it but denied they did it so State Farm sued but lost the case). Happy with State Farm

Susan at Allstate is wonderful! In Rockridge Strahan Ins. Svs. Inc 450-9050 5940 College Ave #A Oakland, CA 94618 anon

For an easy to talk to insurance agent, call Gregg Brown at (510) 524-8812. What I like so much about Gregg, is he knows how to find great policies at the best price. But the best thing about him is, he'll help you anytime there's a problem and he'll help you take care of it, which is really an added benefit. Lynch.l

I highly recommend Tom Madden with Farmers Insurance. He and his wife are very easy to talk to (Tom used to be a teacher) and are fun to be with. They are also extremely good at reducing your costs while having coverage remain the same or better. Call them at (925) 284-7105. You will actually enjoy the experience! Julie G

Susan Bernosky is an Allstate agent in Rockridge. I have been very happy with her: she's responsive, congenial, and knowledgeable. A big improvement over our last agent! Carrie

I want to recommend Phuoc Khong of State Farm. His office is on Solano Avenue in Berkeley, and he is not only thoroughly knowledgeable, he is a really nice person to work with... I think of him as a really good friend. You can call Phuoc at 527-2000, or email phuoc.khong.ngov@statefarm.com David

We have Allstate homeowners insurance. Our agent, Tyler Johnson, is fantastic. He totally helped me out of jam on my late father's house. Long story, but the end result was that Tyler and his assistant were on top of everything and were very responsive. His dad was our agent with our first home, but he retired and Tyler took over his clients. We are in the third house we've insured through him. We have never been disappointed. His office is in Walnut Creek, and the number is 925-933-3100. Another advantage for you is that he is with your current company, so the transition might be pretty seamless. Tyler Fan

When I changed Allstate agents, I had to ask my old agent to ''release'' me, so that I could switch to the agent of my choice. My understanding is that your current agent is not obligated to release you, even at your request, so sometimes people end up being stuck with an agent they don't like, but my old agent released me with no hassle. I switched to Tyler Johnson in Walnut Creek, 925-933-3100, and have been very happy with him and his assistant Katie. I've used him through a move from Oakland to Berkeley, and was a little worried about his being located in another county, but it's never been a problem. They are always friendly and available by phone, and they work quickly and accurately. I've found them to be very helpful. Good luck! Daria

I highly recommend Les Adler; he is also an Allstate Insurance agent. When I moved to Berkeley in 1992 I picked a random Allstate guy on Solano Ave to insure our cars. But when we bought our house I wanted to make sure I had a good agent. I got Les Adler's name from my previous agent in a different state. He has won numerous awards and is one of the top 100 agents in the country. Although he is in Santa Clara it doesn't matter these days since everything can be done over the phone or online. After some bad experiences with our car agent I finally had our cars transferred to Les as well. I think I had to write a letter saying I wanted my policy changed over to him. Over the years his business has grown, but all of the people that work for him have been very friendly and helpful. His number is 408-764-0230. Hope it works out. nyejulie

Dec 2006

I have worked with someone for years and when I finally need him he's nowhere to be found.... I need an honest, professional, reliable person. Thanks! Zahava

After working with Jill we will never need another insurance person again (knock on wood)! Jill Cash (ph. 510-843-8300) is a State Farm agent with an office on Telegraph in Berkeley across from the Rose Garden Inn. We have been insured with her for several years and have been incredibly satisfied. We've collected on several claims, all of which went very smoothly. We have multiple policies with her: car, home, liability (for our business), disability and life. She is very knowlegeable about financial planning issues and can really help you identify how to protect yourself and plan for the future but is NEVER PUSHY. She met with us for hours at our home to talk the first time about our needs. Then she put together a proposal for different types of insurance which we reviewed and chose from. She even spent time helping us evaluate health insurance plans that weren't through State Farm. She believes in giving you information and encourages you to shop around until you're satisfied. I loved this attitude! We love Jill and hope you will give her a call. Please tell her you saw a recommendation from me on Berkeley Parents! Rachel M

I know a great insurance person... if you are looking for general auto, home, etc.,,,, his name is Gregg Brown, G F Brown Insurance Service LLC, gregg@gfbrownins.com, (510) 524-8812. He is a really good guy, very sincere EM

Feb 2003

I would like a recommendation for an insurance agent (preferably independent) to provide me a quote on a complete package of insurance for my family (home, auto, life, etc.). I did not see any recent recommendations on the web site. Thanks! Susan

Re: Insurance, I have 2 cars, 3 properties and an umbrella policy through one independent agency and I'll bet a buck he's the lowest price quote you get: Lance Brick, Brick Insurance Agency in Concord: 925 687-6262...good luck tim

Jan 2000

My wife and I have home insurance through State Farm. Unfortunately our agent died a while ago and we haven't been assigned to a new agent. Does anyone have a State Farm agent in Berkeley that they are happy with? Michael and Phyllis

My family has been using Dave Shiller in downtown Berkeley for over 30 years. We are happy with their service and the office staff is nice and responsive. Samantha

We've been happy with Cynthia Blumgart, 510-848-2132. Her office is near the Andronico's on University, I think. Dawn

State Farm agent: I've been happy with Mark Canessa in Montclair. He was very helpful and fair after the Oakland fire. His office staff are always very helpful with info, and they return phone calls promptly. Linda

From: Nicole (12/98)

Reply to the person requesting an insurance agent referral: We have been very happy with Larry Annis at Cook, Disharoon & Greathouse, based in Oakland. Tel is 510-437-1900. He works both in Oakland and Pleasanton. I co-own a duplex and he was the only agent, of several I called when renewing our policy, who was creative and experienced enough to arrange the specific combination of policies required by our unusual situation (one policy for the building and two more for each of our households). Subsequently, we switched some of our other insurance policies to him (e.g. car). I have never actually met him, but he is very responsible about returning calls and sending paperwork promptly. (I should mention that several months after our house was insured, apparently the carrier did an unannounced inspection, and Larry called to tell us some things that had to be "corrected" or the policy was in danger --!! Needless to say, we corrected them (fixing garage doors, etc.) by an agreed-upon date, and haven't heard back.)

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