Do not Interview for job positions at Famers...It's that bad.

May 18, 2007

I walk into a Farmers insurance branch office in Long Beach looking sharp and ready to interview with an HR manager. She tells me I have to take a timed test that could take up to 2 hours and the after I might interview with a human being. I proceed to take the test and finish 1 hour and 45 minutes later. I find her and then tell her I have finished taking the test, she said “I’ll be with the in a couple of minutes”. She walked in a few minutes later to inform me that “I am not qualified to work at Farmers Insurance”. I asked her what I scored and that I wanted to see my test results? She responded by saying “I don’t have access to that information”; even though the test was given on a lap top computer and the results were e-mailed to her computer as soon as I finished the test. She told me that she was “Sorry”. Thanks for wasting 2 hours of my dad which I had to free up from school and work to interview with your “deranged company”. How do you like that for grammar skills!? Do not interview for a job with Farmers insurance, or entrust your hard money and valuable time either.


Thanks for reading, and take my advice.

Sincerely,

James A.

Obviously _no_ company is going to give out the test results. It can only be used against them. If you did not do well on the test, move on. It's called life. It has it's ups and downs.

What I'd like to add is that Farmers is not a great company to work for. They require their automobile liability adjusters to have Bachelor degrees. Not their property adjusters... just liability. As if making a liability determination can only be done by someone who has a 4 year degree. It does not matter is you've been handling complex claims for 20, 30, 40 years... no 4 year degree... no job.

They also pay their adjusters extremely low wages. Right now I'm in an area where adjusters would easily make 40k/year. Farmers pays around 33k/year (I'm using actual wages... not made up numbers). So how many people who have invested their time and money in 4 years of higher edjucation think $33k is a great paying job?

This is the _real_ problem with Farmers. They hire inexperienced people who cannot find good jobs and expect them to handle complex liability claims. The only way to do this is to have their supervisors breath down their necks each second of the day and use computer models to guide their actions.

James,

Thanx for the advice. I applied for a job with them 3 weeks ago, to find out today I was not selected. Though I possess 20+ years of experience in IT working for a well known defense contractor, and a County government agency.

It would be better if the damn economy gave you a choice to where to work. But that twisted GWB idea of capitalism has sent our jobs overseas. I'm even wondering if its worth filing a discrimination complaint against them, based on age. For I found proof that they indirectly discriminate, by hiring college grads to do jobs that us boomers have more experience than these windows gurus.

excerpt of text below, followed by link.

And it's not easy to find people with mainframe expertise.

"You don't really learn this stuff in colleges anymore," Berger said, so Farmers does the teaching itself, with assistance from IBM. "We take people out of college...and train them to be mainframers.

[news.cnet.com]

What advice can you give on the contracto value, having to pay taxes on it? It is not earned commission.

Thank you,

Amen! I worked there for 7 years and was a Supervisor and your correct! The Supervisors are made to do the dirty work of the Managers instead of taking care of business. If that manager doesnt like a call associate the Supervisor is to ride them about anything everything. I had enough of their stupid and childish games. I want to make a difference and not have a job to do nothing but jerk someone around day in and day out. Its all about numbers. Not about the emp. or the customer.

Good article and contains lots of valuable information. That is the experience that you shared with us. Thank you so much.

My nightmare "began" the day I felt I could actually trust AND respect Farmer's Insurance. What a mistake! After 34+ years in the business world (after completing college), I can honestly recommend looking at other insurance companies. As a middle-aged man I wanted to finish off my business career in helping others. For the past nine years I sacrificed income to help others. Farmer's Insurance seemed to be a good place, since they are located at almost every major intersection. What I experienced over a two (2) month interviewing process was filled with lies, constant delays, false information, on-going testing, miscommunications, and the ultimate "bait & switch" routine. I jumped through so many hoops they made me feel I was in the circus! What started off as a potential exciting career opportunity turned into an experience I would soon like to forget. NEVER have I witnessed such incompetent and devious work attitudes as I did with them in 2011. The position I wanted, applied for, and was willing to be trained & licensed for was as a Claims Representative in Albuquerque, NM offering them years of experience with customer service. The final straw was when I completed a "local" telephone interview (BBI) with a single (never married) “30 something” that stated that her "only concern" was the recent number of companies I have been employed with. I explained that the economy has not been the best. Once this interviewing game was completed, I felt I should call her back and explain that my last employer had THREE Parent Companies in THREE years, which is not a job-hopping strategy but rather the way things sometimes go. Pretty sad for them. My comments were ignored, this position remains vacant, yet their multiple mail and communications keep arriving to "invite" me for a Sales Career. I realize that without hard working, dedicated employees that offer honesty and integrity, businesses will not survive. I firmly believe that their game plan was to "bait" the position of choice and attempt to "switch" me into a position that would make them a great deal of money! LOSERS. I will NEVER do business with this outfit, should they someway, somehow, stay in business!

These are very interesting arguments, Iam not sure if I have a real negative message, I can say that I was treated with respect, although I had one problem with a new and unfimilar sales manager. He(Sales Manager) cut a nice deal for himself, which gave him a slight upper hand in the interveiwing and hiring process, because sales managers who work for companies that pay them based on his agents production and not salaried, would be more hungry to get licensed sales people with experience in sales, nice personalities and they themselves would have nicer and kinder attitudes, and not attitude and personalities of strait face, critical, and less socialable then the operations person.

Sales Managers with the agents are the driving force of any insurance company, my experience with Farmers insurance Agency Manager personal was a bit challenging, but one person wihout the know how as a sales manager is no going to make or break me. One would just hope that the person will learn the know how as a sales manager wih a personality.

looking to get into the insurance game. Def. not going to interview with them thanks for the info. i wonder if farmers has seen this page and if they care.

This stuff doesn't surprise me. I was friends with a guy whose wife is a mgr at Farmers in Tulsa. They asked for financial help many times and I always helped them, then the last time they decided to screw me and I'm having to sue them. He's always been a little sketchy but I thought for sure she'd be honest and take care of their obligation but it turns out she's as much of a scumbag as he is. This is a person who has a lot of power over others and in making decisions at a major insurance company. I guess I should have been suspicious about her integrity when she told them she had a masters when she was actually several classes short, in order to get a promotion years ago. I don't know how she got away with it since you would think they would want proof. Apparently Farmers encourages a negative attitude toward their fellow man with a very cut-throat environment. Bet she's not very well liked around there and people are probably on edge once they figure out they can't trust her. I also used them for car insurance way back in the 80s and early 90s before I started comparing rates and found out their rates were way higher than most. Live and learn.

I worked for Farmers as a Reserve Agent back in 2006, even though I had many years of prior experience. They just forced you to start at a low level status, irregardless of past experiece. My commission level for Life policies was low also. This and the fact that they have a very inefficient underwriting/issuance system, caused me to leave them after 1/2 year or so. I own my own agency now and hire other agents, who have access to many carriers that give them a diverse choice of products to place their clients with. Due to my own experience & what I am reading here, I want to personally disuade any persons considering becoming an agent with Farmers.

Does anyone who has recent experience (2012) with Farmers know what they pay in starting commission to new Reserve Agents for Life sales? I want to pass this on to anyone who I encounter who is thinking of joining them. Hopefully we can show them a much better direction & save them all the future misery they will be in for!

Thanks everyone for the heads-up on Farmers. I was looking for a career in insurance and can cross Farmers off my list.

Now ya'll have got me real curious about going to talk to these people about a job. I recieved a call from them stating that they had seen my resume and that they would like me to come to work for them as asales manager. I am really curious to how they have gotten my resume in the first place as it is posted in a whole different work area. The oilfields!!!! Hmmmmm. Thank ya'll for the above info. I am considering what ya'll have said.

I have been on a tentative reserve agent track at Farmer's in Los Angeles the past few weeks but GUESS WHAT? AFTER READING THESE POSTS, I RUN SCREAMING FROM ANYTHING TO DO WITH FARMER'S. NAZIS AND WORSE EVIDENTLY. GAHHHHHH! As a newbie agent, you are told you will need to spend money to hire telemarketers, yet more money for their other "promotions" and you need to network your natural market and any others. TO DO WHAT? YOU DON'T KNOW JACK! HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY SELL PRODUCT YOU HAVE NO WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF?

Whew what an unholy blast on Farmers. Who could imagine a company that size is that corrupt. That is their power, their apparent legitimacy. Here an entire forum devoted to their agent-screwing ripoffs. Incredible. I am absolutely, positively out of that dungeon.

I've recently went through an interview with Farmer and it was a baloney. Recruiter DM tricked candidates into believing the company will give/match the quota income which is an obligated subsidy program; not explaining it's a form of loan which need to be pay back after a period of time of employment with the company. He said he gives those $$ to assist agents when they become career. This is why most agents end up owing so much money. Money that need to be pay back is not give; it's a loan. And why make loans to agents when they are working hard for the company with such low commission? And why do agents need to do their own marketing and provide their own supplies while working for the company? All these companies are very greedy and selfish. They make it sounds like agents are working for themselves base on the commission because they don't want to pay a base salary and because they know it's hard to sell and if agents don't sell they don't get pay. Agents commission for fire 20%, auto 10%, life 40%. And life is the most difficult to sell therefore it's the highest. This world is getting greedier and this is why government owing so much debt...

peace Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've recently went through an interview with
> Farmer and it was a baloney. Recruiter DM tricked
> candidates into believing the company will
> give/match the quota income which is an obligated
> subsidy program; not explaining it's a form of
> loan which need to be pay back after a period of
> time of employment with the company. He said he
> gives those $$ to assist agents when they become
> career. This is why most agents end up owing so
> much money. Money that need to be pay back is not
> give; it's a loan. And why make loans to agents
> when they are working hard for the company with
> such low commission? And why do agents need to do
> their own marketing and provide their own supplies
> while working for the company? All these companies
> are very greedy and selfish. They make it sounds
> like agents are working for themselves base on the
> commission because they don't want to pay a base
> salary and because they know it's hard to sell and
> if agents don't sell they don't get pay. Agents
> commission for fire 20%, auto 10%, life 40%. And
> life is the most difficult to sell therefore it's
> the highest. This world is getting greedier and
> this is why government owing so much debt...

Thank very much for all. It help me to think about for my ideals.

Tks again and pls keep posting.

I just got a call too yesterday and will be going in for an interview tomorrow; I am now interested to see what happens.

Thank very much for all. I want share some my subject.

Tks again and pls keep posting.

I was a Farmer's agent for about a year and a half. I consider myself pretty good at sales, but working for Farmers was a joke. I advanced past the reserve agent training and through the mandated monthly numbers very quickly. I secured a nice investment because I was advancing so quick and turned my office into a machine. I had 5 agents working under me, 4 telemarketers working at night, and a great secretary. We were blowing up the numbers. I thought things were great (super naive, believed everything my district manager said), till I realized I was spending my whole day alongside my secretary fixing accounts. Farmers has the WORST billing platform. They will change your clients' bill during the middle of the month and they will drop every discount you secured for the client.

I have family members and close friends that I am still paying money to and apologizing to for the way Farmers treated them. They don't care about your clients at all. They have 19,000 agents and they figure if they lose you they will just use up one of they other 19,000 agents' family and friends to fund what they lost with you. I shut the business down so quick because I didn't want my reputation ruined and now I have a bill sitting on my desk for $8,503.45. How do I get a bill for working for you? They say I didn't last two years, so as part of my contract I owe them. Biggest scam I have ever encountered. I hope they go out of business. DO NOT APPLY FOR A JOB.

I applied for a Customer Service Rep position with Farmers in Irvine Ca this summer and just got a call 3 months later for an interview. I went there and the 2 people who interviewed me seemed to steer away from directly answering my questions. They didn't even know what my daily job duties would be and all they cared about is how much sales experience I had and how I felt about cold calling. I'm a college graduate with 5+ years of professional experience in Finance and a cold calling sales job is the last job I'd ever take. They kept saying "this is a great opportunity for you," as soon as I heard that I knew there was something fishy and this will not be my future job. Thanks for confirming my gut-feeling about this company.

It is all about office politics and nothing about your strengths. They give chances to people who let them down and can't do their damn job moving back to the same position they were in before they were promoted and look over other people. It is just a bunch of office politic bullshit!

Thanks to advice! It's really helpful for the job seekers. I also got help from Michigan insurance recruiters to get job in insurance field.