Experience with Brownstone Agency and other Insurance Companies

Hello, I’m looking to switch from Liberty Mutual to a different insurance company, as their prices have gone up by 44% in the last year. Any recommendations? I am very interested in Brownstone Agency for the competitive price, but heard on Brownstoner that they are not as good when it comes to coverage payments. Any negative experiences with them? I am not interested in postings by agents who are promoting their own company which has happened regularly with one participant who works with Brownstone. Please, just customer reviews. Thank you.

househunter

in Insurance 10 years and 10 months ago

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bedstuytownhouse | 10 years and 10 months ago

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State Farm is competitively priced but you don’t get what you don’t pay for. I had them and DID file a claim and it was an absolute nightmare and Rodney Shannon’s agency in particular is awful – got HORRIBLE advice from his staff when we were submitting the claim which, had we followed it, would have had no ground to stand on with respect to collecting any money plus they don’t return calls. Example of what the insurance adjuster offered us following a storm damaged roof which leaked: $14 to paint the entire hallway, $36 to paint an entire bathroom. I eventually went to the state insurance board and they lobbied on our behalf to get us the money we were due. AVOID unless you never, ever plan on filing a claim.

asimplenoise | 10 years and 10 months ago

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I had a good experience with state farm for my 3 family building. Prices were competitive vs brownstone agency. Have not had to file a claim thus far (knock wood) so no feedback in that regard.

resident2 | 10 years and 10 months ago

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I have insured all my buildings; my home and investment buildings with the Brownstone Agency for more than 30 years. At the beginning it was because they were the only company that would insure Brownstones in Fort Greene at the time, but since then because their policies are specifically for historic buildings and many other companies in the fine print will have exclusions for any electrical wiring more than 25 years old for example. In a fire, an investigator will always be able to find a piece of old wire from the 1900’s in the rubble. Who takes it out the old wire from behind the walls when you are re-wiring? I have only ever had one claim and it did not go well, but it was for an investment building and the building was not insured for burglary (as an investor you cannot insure for burglary) and they determined that as the metal thieves that broke in and stole all the copper and brass out, took it with them it was burglary. They did eventually pay some for the “vandalism”, but not the whole cost of replacing all the plumbing etc…. but that was back in the day….. I have seen more people not get payouts from fires due to the above noted, fine print exclusions in other company policies. All insurance companies are a pain when it comes to paying out. I will stick with the Brownstone Agency.

sunbury | 10 years and 10 months ago

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I also had the same problem a couple of years ago. Got a recommendation on this site for Narrows Insurance Agency. I dealt with a gentleman called Theo. He was very helpful, gave me a choice of three policies and explained each one to me. I believe I finally chose Naragansett(?) Insurance. Half the price of Liberty.

BobMarvin | 10 years and 10 months ago

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I’ve been insured through Brownstone Agency for nearly 40 years and have been quite satisfied, BUT I’ve only had one small claim, >30 years ago so I can’t comment meaningfully on their service. In the early years of the “brownstone revival” B.A. was really important. Old houses were greatly undervalued and the cost of repairs to damaged original details was so much higher than the market value of a house that most traditional policies could use their “coinsurance clause” to pay just a small percentage of a claim. Brownstone Agency substituted an “agreed value” clause avoiding that problem. Back when I bought my house they were the ONLY source of practical insurance for old NYC houses and all the “brownstoners” I knew used them. Actually many traditional companies wouldn’t even insurance old city houses (and, if they did, that coinsurance clause could make their policy worthless in the event of a claim). That is no longer the case now, with house values so high, but I’ve remained loyal. Who knows if I made the right choice? At least their rates are relatively low.