State Farm® Insurance Agent Joseph DeWaard

"Matthew, we are extremely disappointed by this review because it does not accurately reflect the extensive assistance you received from our local agency throughout both of these claims.

To be clear for anyone reading this review: our office assisted Matthew every time he contacted us regarding his claims, despite claim handling and settlement decisions being managed by State Farm’s Claims Department, not by local agents. Our team repeatedly went beyond the normal scope of a local agency to help facilitate communication, answer questions, and advocate where we could.

Regarding the homeowners claim, our office requested follow-up from Claims and worked to help move communication forward. Unfortunately, there were also multiple attempts by the Claims Department to contact Matthew that were missed, which contributed to delays in communication and action. It is therefore unfair to characterize the situation as our office simply telling him he was “on his own.”

The auto claim is even more concerning to see attributed to our agency. The dispute involved the repair facility performing and/or charging for work beyond what had been approved by State Farm. When Matthew attempted to retrieve his vehicle, the repair facility required payment of additional charges that State Farm had not approved.

Rather than telling Matthew there was nothing we could do, I personally became involved. I spoke directly with the repair facility and spent considerable time working through the dispute in an effort to have those additional charges removed. This was not something our local agency was obligated or authorized to adjudicate, but we stepped in because we wanted to help our customer resolve the situation.

It is also misleading to suggest that I refused to speak with Matthew. Like many business owners, I have a team specifically trained to assist customers and handle day-to-day service requests. When the situation required my involvement, Matthew contacted me directly, we spoke, and I personally worked to assist him.

There is an important distinction between a local State Farm agency, State Farm Claims, and an independently operated repair facility. Our agency does not determine claim payments, approve repair estimates, control claim adjusters, or dictate what an independent body shop charges. Holding our local team responsible for decisions made by other parties is neither accurate nor fair.

We take criticism seriously when we fall short. We take inaccurate criticism just as seriously when our team has spent significant time going above and beyond to help.

Our team has worked hard to support Matthew for years, including throughout these claims, and I stand behind the effort my staff and I made on his behalf. We have asked Matthew to reconsider and remove this review because it does not fairly represent the service or assistance our local agency provided.

We remain committed to advocating for our customers whenever we reasonably can, including when that means helping navigate situations outside the direct control of our office."

"Thanks so much for the 5 star review, Peter! We really appreciate your kind words. Thanks for trusting us with your insurance needs all these years! "

"Thank you so much for the 5 star review! We truly appreciate your support and are grateful for the opportunity to help with your insurance needs."

"Lisza, thank you so much for taking time to leave us such a glowing review! We appreciate your business and look forward to helping with your insurance needs. "

"Bjorn, thank you for your review. We truly appreciate it! "

"Thank you so much for your 5 star review! We truly appreciate your support and grateful you chose our State Farm office. We appreciate the great feedback on James and we look forward to being here when you need help again! "

"Hi Michael, thank you for leaving such great feedback regarding James! We appreciate your business and please let us know if we can be of any help. "

"Maria, thank you for taking time to leave such a nice review! We appreciate your business and look forward to helping you with anything else in the future. "

"Tracy, thank you for such a wonderful review for Rose! We appreciate you and here if you ever need anything!"

"Isabella, thank you so much for this review! Please let us know if you ever need anything at all! "

"We’re sorry to hear you felt frustrated, but we do want to clarify a few things for accuracy. Our policies and coverage guidelines are clearly outlined and are applied consistently to every customer. They’re in place to ensure fairness and transparency, not to create unnecessary hurdles.

Regarding promotional emails, every message includes a standard unsubscribe option that removes recipients immediately once selected. We’re always happy to assist if someone reaches out directly for help with that.

We strive to provide clear answers and straightforward service, and we’re always willing to explain our policies when questions come up. While we understand not every service is the right fit for everyone, we stand by the processes that help us serve customers reliably and consistently."

"Ruomeng, thank you for your review! We appreciate you giving such positive feedback on Rose’s performance! "

"Ethan, thank you for leaving us a great review! We appreciate your business and do not hesitate to reach out, if you need anything! "

"Kathy, thank you for the great review! We look forward to helping you out again in the future! "

"Hi Kristin, we feel your frustration too and have been working the problem for several days as best we can. The auto pay system pulled your payment on the payment original date and we made a request to have that delayed for you. Currently we are working with our technical team to see why our request was not processed by the system. We hope to get you more information on that. For now, the final step is to choose your refund, either to your card or by check. Please let us know if there’s any issues completing that. We are very sorry for the experience you had with the auto pay and we appreciate your patience and feedback regarding this matter."

"Hi Stefano, thank you for your great review! We appreciate your feedback. Let us know if you need anything at all! "

"Hi Wes, thank you so much for the review! Please let us know if we can help with anything at all! "

"Hi Kamsi, thank you for trusting us with your insurance needs. Let us know if you need anything at all!"

"Hi Emily, thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review for our State Farm office! We truly appreciate your thoughtful words and look forward to helping you more in the future! "

"Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that Jin provided clear explanations and exceptional support throughout the process. It's great to know that his professionalism and calm approach during technical challenges helped build your confidence in working with State Farm. We truly appreciate your trust and look forward to continuing to serve you!"

"Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that Jin Noh provided you with thorough, clear, and professional support. It's our goal to ensure every client feels confident and well-informed about their policy. We truly appreciate your feedback and look forward to continuing to serve you with the same level of excellence."

"Hi Corey, thank you for taking time to leave such a nice review! Appreciate your business and look forward to working with you more in the future! "

"James, thank you so much for your review! We appreciate you trusting our office with your insurance needs! Do not hesitate to reach out if you need anything. "

"Alice, we really appreciate your loyalty to our office and you taking the time to review your experience! We look forward to continuing our partnership and serving you the best we can with your insurance needs. "