Can't get State Farm special event insurance rider because the party is not for my family member

Parent Cafe
1

I am at my wit’s end with this one. I am hosting a bridal shower for one of D’s friends next month - D is in the wedding party. It’s being held at a local cultural center that just started opening up their facility less than two years ago for rentals - weddings, parties, etc.

My name is on the rental agreement, and as part of that agreement, the facility requires that I purchase something along the lines of special event endorsement under my home owner’s policy and provide proof. I have to provide a certificate of liability insurance basically. The director told me other renters have gotten them from their homeowner’s insurance companies, usually running no more than $75. I don’t need a liquor liability endorsement because I’m not selling liquor - am serving it, but not selling it.

So a couple of months ago I started this process with my local State Farm agent and his office staff didn’t seem to quite grasp what I was looking for, but called the regional office to see what they could offer. My first mistake at this point should have been to insist on talking directly with my agent and not his office staff; they should have offered to make phone calls to the cultural center, not make me do their homework. We’ve been customers with him for over 25 years and I’ve maybe talked to him once or twice, over 20 years ago. I’ve been a State Farm client for 40 years. But yes, when they had to call the regional office, I should have demanded I speak to him. A few weeks later, I get a call back saying, since the party is not for an immediate family member, they do not have a policy to offer me. If it were a party for one of my daughters, they could offer it. What the hell does it matter who or why I’m throwing the party? I don’t get this, and the cultural center director is as baffled as I am. Anyway, the State Farm staffer gave me the name of another insurance company who could write me a policy for this, so I called him, and he quoted me a price of $225+! I told him what the director had told me, that it shouldn’t be more than $75 max, and he said he didn’t understand why State Farm couldn’t write anything for me since I’m already one of their customers. In the meantime, the director of the cultural center emailed me copies of certificates of liabilities that other people have gotten so I could take it into my State Farm agent’s office and show them what I need. Which I did on Thursday. And once again, I was told by a staffer that they can’t offer me anything unless it’s for one of my family members, but they will check again. I told her to call the director at the cultural center to clarify exactly what they require. I then emailed her (the director) back and told her to expect a phone call, but it didn’t look like State Farm was going to issue me anything, and that I might have to have the rental agreement switched over to the mother-of-the-bride (who is an acquaintance) and ask her to take out this policy, and I will pay for it (I’ve already paid the rental on the place so I absolutely would not expect her to do so - I am the only one hosting the party). When I mentioned this to the director, she basically said, it’s not like we’re throwing a wild party and she could probably get me to sign some sort of waiver not holding the facility responsible if anything happens, and I would take on that responsibility if something did happen. I do have an umbrella policy and suspect if anything did happen, and anyone sued me, I could use it. It’s an older building with a cobblestone parking lot and small steps up and down in and out of rooms we’d be using - I know some to the attendees will be older aunts and grandmothers, so this makes me nervous.

I was sharing this story with a jewelry store owner a couple of days ago (because she’s worked with our State Farm agent when we’ve needed to get appraisals done) and she said since State Farm relocated their headquarters from Bloomington to Texas a couple of years ago, the whole company has just become a big mess. I hate to hear this because we’ve been such loyal customers for so long, but if the company is imploding, perhaps I want to start looking elsewhere for my needs.

Can anyone please explain to me why State Farm wouldn’t issue this rider to me? Or how I can escalate this matter to get State Farm to provide what I need?

2

I don’t know why State Farm is doing this but I think I would do the work around and go through the bride’s mother. This really shouldn’t be a hassle. People buy this kind of coverage all the time.

3

It IS for you. It’s your party. The bride is an invited guest. It doesn’t matter if it is a party for your grandmother or for the senior class or to honor another person - it’s YOUR party, your homeowners policy to offer additional insurance to protect YOU, not the bride.

4

I think I’d start getting quotes to switch companies. This shouldn’t be a big deal. We have done it twice for different events at rental locations and it was only about $50. They never asked who the event was for-that’s crazy! Time to look for a new insurance company.

5

You may get faster response, positive response by hitting them up on Twitter. @StateFarm They have 79,000 followers…who may be watching with interest…
This should not be a major, big deal to them…sounds like some inexperience has crossed your path. Good luck.

6

Great thoughts… I am going to tell them it’s my party and the bride is an invited guest. D1 is excellent with social media (she’s in PR and handles social media for the company she works for). I’m going to ask her tomorrow to help me come up with some tweets; I know she’s done this herself with other companies. Excellent ideas!

7

I work for a State Farm agent in Texas. The company is not “imploding,” but they are restructuring with three “hubs,” one in Texas, Georgia and Arizona. I don’t know why they are saying you can’t add the special events endorsement. It shouldn’t matter who the party honors, but that you are the one who is renting the center. In fact, I’m pretty sure the endorsement doesn’t even ask what kind of event it is. I think your agent’s office has misunderstood what the regional office has told them. I also think if they call the regional office again, they would get a different answer if they talked to a different person. It is Saturday and I’m not at work so I can’t look at a sample endorsement. I have only done a couple of these, one for a wedding venue and one for a reception venue, but I don’t recall even being asked what the event was. I do remember it takes a couple of weeks for the endorsement to get issued and sent to the agent’s office. If you call the direct line to State Farm, I’m pretty sure you will be referred back to your agent. You might call a different State Farm agent’s office and verify what you have been told. I could be wrong. Things could be different in your state, as Texas is a unique animal when it comes to insurance.

8

If you have an issue adding it to your own policy, just search the internet for special event insurance policies. There are some companies that just offer insurance for events and you can purchase directly from them. I worked with a local organization that hosted events for youths/teens in the area and purchased insurance that way a few times. I would not have wanted to add that to my own policy.

9

I’d find a new agent/ins. company.

10

I’m guessing the people who took out the policies were either the engaged couple or parents, so it would fall under what my agent’s office told me, and they would cover it.

The other insurance agent they referred me to, who said he could issue it for $250 said it’s something he’s done on a same-day basis. If I fail to get coverage and it’s the day before, I can call him and he can take care of it.

So earlier this week when the director sent me copies of other certificates of liability, I stopped by my agent’s office to hand them to someone and well, they are only open until noon on Wednesday (their website doesn’t indicate this). So their website also says they’re open Saturday mornings, so armed with all the information provided in this thread, I went over there this morning, and on their door it says open on Saturday by appointment only.

11

What state are you in? I will see what I can find out. You can PM me if you want to.

12

Whatever you do I would not just sign a wavier… If something happens State Farm may say you should have had a policy for this event…

13

@musicmom1215 - I don’t think it’s any big secret here if anyone searched my previous posts that I’m in Illinois. :wink:

14

@MichiganGeorgia - exactly - I’m not going to sign a waiver… and I hate to put it this way, but there will plenty of older ladies there which would absolutely make me a nervous wreck the entire time. They will likely be wearing their ‘sittin’ shoes (meaning heels they bring out for special occasions only, making them a high risk for a fall.

15

I am in the insurance industry, although not with State Farm and not in underwriting/sales. Insurance companies care about risk. My guess is that State Farm told its agents it would issue such riders for personal gatherings but not business/commercial, and that somewhere along the line personal was interpreted by people in the sales chain as gatherings for relatives only. It shouldn’t matter whether the gathering is for a relative or not, as long as it is a non-profit gathering for a personal purpose. I would continue perstering your agent and calling State Farm sales directly if needed. It is likely to be cheaper getting it through a company you already have a relationship with. Good luck.

16

@teriwtt I did think you were in the Chicago area but wasn’t sure if you were still there. I have no idea what the endorsement would cost there, but I think it is $30 here, much better than $250 for a one-time event.

17

Tell them the party is for you, yourself. In a way it is. You are doing this for your own satisfaction, right? It’s to share your own generosity and it will be pleasing to yourself to provide this loving gesture and social mileau. Etc. etc.

18

@VaBluebird - last night that’s what I kept thinking - if I’d just told them I’m just having a party, and not said it was a shower for a non-family member, this would not be an issue. If I’d lied, I would have gotten what I need. The more I’m reading here, the more I’m thinking this can still be done with State Farm and I don’t have to involve the bride’s mother in it.

What makes this awkward at this point, though, is the office staff member I’m dealing with right now (as well as another office staff member there who I deal with) are people who at one time, I considered friends. We all belonged to the same church; one woman (when she was a teen) actually babysat my kids and the other woman’s kids also were babysitters for us. I suspect at the level I’m going to now, one of those women is going to get in trouble for not doing her job and I feel bad for her, but I’m frustrated and angry at the time this has taken.

19

@Tyberius - I completely agree with you. As I’ve been mulling this over today and recalling the first conversation I had with the agent’s office, this is what I recall: I stopped by to inquire about this policy - I did say I was hosting a bridal shower, but didn’t say for who. But because this staff member knows my kids (babysat for them many years ago), she replied, “Oh, which daughter is getting married?” And I said, neither, it’s the friend of D1’s. So that’s how it came to be that I even had to volunteer that information. Had she not known my family well, she might not have even asked who the shower was for, but she assumed it was for one of my daughters, so I clarified.

Update: someone from State Farm has responded to my tweet. They’ve asked for my contact information and policy number. Maybe I’ll get somewhere with this by Monday! (except it’s President’s Day, isn’t it?).

20

State Farm is open on President’s Day. Unless your agent’s office chooses to be closed.