James B Lavelle

Insurance can be aggravating and I’ve always had the easiest time with this office and the people that work there. They are very efficient and don’t waste your time with nonsense. I have recommended this office to others and would again. Joanne Devine is always especially pleasant to talk to.

Buyer Beware. As unprofessional a company as I have ever witnessed. Clearly Lavelle and his group do not care about his clients and it shows. Rarely if ever did I receive an email/​call with regard to any concerns with my policy. Bills were botched each and every month for 6 months requiring hours of calls to the main office to clear the mess. To top it off, I was being billed for an additional policy I had not even signed up for. I am moving on starting tomorrow. And if I could enter zero stars I would.

Awful agency, just posted the same review on google, only good to collect, if you have a claim, they are not helpful at all, despite several attempts to engage Jessica and James. Look elsewhere!

I just had the easiest experience getting my renters insurance and the price was very fair. Joanne Devine was so pleasant to work with and I was done in under 10 minutes. I highly recommend

Excellent, responsive customer service; taking a while to get revised policy, but not a problem at this point. I have used this State Farm office for more than 25 years, first for a Co-​Op and then for a house. Have dealt with a few different agents and found each one helpful. Have filed a few claims over the years, which were paid in a reasonable amount of time.

James B Lavelle’s office has been our Insurance Agent for about 20 years and I look forward to another 20 years! Every time you call the staff are courteous and attend to your needs promptly. State Farm also has the best rates in NYC.

Agree with the 1 star — horrible, horrible — Lavelle could not care less about his clients — time to change!
Dawn who works for him gave me all kind of stories as to why my insurance went up months ago. Never found /​trusted what she told me.
Tried to talk to Lavelle who was on vacation at the time. I did not hear back so I called again. He did not really care!
So today I switched to a new agent and got action right away.
My son was covered by Lavelle. Dawn cancelled his insurance because he moved from Williamsburg to greenpoint near the «water»!!
I love and give a lot of great reviews when deserved. Not here for sure! A disaster!

Knowledgeable and fast.

In an era where personalized customer service does not exist, it is so nice to be able to call my state farm office and have everyone that works there be familiar with me and my account. Whatever my needs or questions are they take care of it in an efficient, timely, and friendly manner. I would highly recommend James Lavelle and his team.

I have been a customer of James Lavelle’s for several years now. I have a Life Insurance and Renter’s Insurance policy with them, and I have been more than satisfied. The customer service is great, and my agent Joanne, is the absolute best! I would highly recommend them to anyone for your insurance needs!

I just like the James Lavelle Agency. Why? Because of the people. I’ve been dealing with the same super attentive and couldn’t be nicer Jessy for approximately a decade now and I couldn’t be happier. She always solves any small problem with a policy, explains everything and genuinely seems to care. She’s been a one stop solution for me during my entire time as a customer, but I have interacted a little with others there and everybody has been professional and responsive. What more could you want?

I have used State Farm for about 10 years now– I have multiple policies with this office. Each policy and service they offer is explained thoroughly. The Sales reps even go the extra mile to explain things in such detail they will give you examples and scenarios.
The customer service at this office is exceptional– I always feel confident and conformable when making an important decision.

A few weeks ago I was in the market for purchasing renters insurance for my very first apartment on recommendation from a close friend I was referred to this office and I am so thankful I was! Throughout the entire process I was treated warmly and kindly by the knowledgeable insurance agent I dealt with. She went above and beyond to take the time and make sure I completely understood the policy and coverage options I had available to me. This being my first insurance policy experience the process could not have been made easier or smoother! I will definitely be returning and referring friends to this office regularly.

Just the worst. At best, this office is unprofessional, incompetent and uninterested in assisting clients (with basic policy information, nothing complicated). Customer relations is exactly what this job is… If you cannot interact with and assist clients or answer basic questions about what the policy covers, what good are you as an insurance broker? That’s your job description!
I was a client with a renter’s insurance policy for several years (maybe 6?) and I had the nerve to inconvenience them once after 6 years of paying for their services with questions regarding my policy details. I was moving and wanted to make sure my policy was still appropriate, and update/​potentially add more coverage.
Jessy Caballero is the employee my questions were forwarded to, and she either was not able to answer my basic questions regarding coverage limits, jewelry coverage, and how reimbursement would be made in the event of a claim, or just didn’t feel like it. We exchanged 27 emails back and forth. In those 27 emails, I did not get a single answer to any of my questions about my policy, but did manage to change my address (which took 17 emails). Most of the emails I received from Jessy were single, incomplete sentences complete with emoticons.
I lost all trust for these people, as they refused to answer any basic questions over email, insisting I come into the office or call, because Jessy «felt more comfortable that way». At that point, I could only assume she either did not intend to answer my questions honestly or didn’t know the correct answers, which is why she would not answer over email. Sorry, but I no longer feel comfortable believing anything you tell me.
James Lavelle did not feel the need to get involved himself (when the going got rough I cc’d him on all communications) as his employee floundered her way through losing him business. I have transferred my policy to John Garfinkel’s office, and Magdalena has been nothing but professional and helpful. She has answered all my questions over email promptly and professionally, and is truly the only reason I did not cancel with State Farm altogether.
This entire office should be ashamed of themselves, and State Farm should know how badly James Lavelle and his staff reflect on them.

Was looking for rental insurance and a friend recommended this State Farm office. I found the emplyees to be helpful and knowledgable; helping me select a rental policy with additional coverage for jewelry, etc at a very affordable rate. Worked with Bridget and couldn’t be happier with my choice.

Very knowledgable staff, no hold times, prompt service, and they make placing life insurance very easy. They take the time so you understand the products, no pressure sales. Very happy with my choice in James Lavelle’s office.
Very easy to get renters insurance

AWFUL AWFUL!!! This office should be closed due to crimes against insurance. This guy hires young people who have no idea about insurance policies or process. I guess they must be cheap to hire. Wasted four months to get a life insurance policy, with me doing all the agents leg work. After no joy, switched to liberty mutual and got same coverage and premium within 5 weeks:-) this state farm office sucks.