I'm looking for opinions on USAA Auto Insurance.

[Steve P.]

This has been brought up to me a few times now and I want to see if any of you have had experience with them. Good or bad..

[tcs69rt]

My experience was always pleasant, but I saved over $ 400 a year with Geico for daily drivers. I kept USAA for homeowners insurance and I use Hagerty for my Charger. A few years ago I refinanced my home and found a different Insurance company that offered same coverage but at less cost....so I wrote off USAA all together now. No regrets.

I am retired military and know "hard headed" guys that refuse to leave USAA, because they wave the flag and say they supports us vets....it's all good. I just don't like paying more $$$ for the exact same coverage. 

[Ryan.C]

Although they are slightly higher, the customer service is outstanding. I have them for my auto and home owners insurance.

[Bob]

I am also retired military and after 25 years with USAA I have mixed feelings. I've maintained my auto and homeowners policy consistently without one late payment. I was very disappointed with there claims department when it came to my claim on smoke damage from a chimney fire which displaced us for 25 days in a hotel. They were cold and never once offered advice or what steps were to be taken through this whole process. They left it all up to the contractor to communicate what is covered and what is not. Not once did they call me by my name in any of there correspondence. I finally told them I have a name and it's not my policy number. Of course, no response.
As tcs69rt stated I guess I am one of those hard headed guys.
Overall they do ok but don't believe all the hype on TV and radio. Remember, it is a for profit company.
There are companies with lower rates but please read the fine print and compare the policy benefits and what is covered.

Bob

[RECHRGD]

We've used them for everything for decades, cars, house, rental home and even the Charger.  They have a subsidiary called American Modern Insurance that does classics on an agreed to value with very few driving restrictions.  They have been easy to work with over the years.  I say that after having only one small claim on my wife's car.  Like any insurance company they are happiest with customers like me who rarely have any claims and send them plenty of money year after year.  The true test would be if my house burned down or I got sued for a million bucks because a renter fell on ice or something......

[Steve P.]

I know when I was asking around a few years ago, I was talked out of them. I don't remember why, but other than the replies here, I have had many negatives answers. The nutshell so far says: they love to take your payments, but don't like to take care of you if you have an accident.
We've been with State Farm for 30 years and have never been the cause of a wreck. Matter of fact it's been 24 years since I was last hit. Still I pay about $100 per month for just my 02' F-250.. This seems criminal to me.

[mopar0166]

home owners has been great, my auto price is good but my recent claim really pissed me off and they didn't care 

Im still with them for now

[Lord Warlock]

I've used them since I started driving, have never had an issue with them, and they paid claims for me on 3700.00 hail damage on a 5700.00 car, paid it the day after the storm hit, they flew out to our base and wrote AND paid claims on the spot.  I've been hit several times and always had great service from their auto insurance arm.  Last claim was on my 2010 which was hit in a garage with no proof, my low deductible was all I paid, and there was no penalty on my monthly bill. 

When I compared insurances around the year 1990, I called all of the major insurers and often was told as soon as I mentioned who I was with, was told they can't compete.  I've had negative experiences with other peoples insurance paying in a timely manner, but never with usaa. 

If there is one complaint is that the rates don't move much, and rarely go down if you have a perfect history, you'd probably need to call every year to renegotiate rates and quite frankly I tend to stick with what works for me.  My wife agrees with my choice on insurance and spelled it out to the kids that when they move off on their own, usaa is one of the best priviledges we got out of the military experience.  I just happened to get in after viet nam and before gulf war when GI bill was worthless.

We have life insurance through them, but not homeowners.

They were very professional and courteous when I processed a home loan application with them, I chose not to pursue it and give them the intent to proceed only because the fees and closing costs were over 10k more than a conventional.  VA loans are great for new home buyers, not great for refi's.

[Steve P.]

That is probably the best I've heard about USAA here or in another forum. I wonder if they didn't take such good care because you were at a base and no way they could screw that up!!   

I figure it's like everything else. You'll always find people that will complain.. Some scream louder than others and you never really know if you are hearing the entire story..

Thank to all for helping out!!   

[Lord Warlock]

If by chance both parties are usaa, the only issue Is being without a car during the few days its getting fixed.  I don't pay for rental cars in my premium. I grazed someone in a parking lot a few months ago and both of us were usaa, and it went great.  They have accident forgiveness like the others, just don't do it often.  

The only time I've had an issue was when my kid had an accident while at school, her car had no collision coverage and the guys she ran into had a truck and didn't want to claim the accident (at the time) so we didn't report it...wrong decision, a month later the guy decided he needed holiday money and called in the claim, we caught some crap for not reporting it. But we still have them on us and our kids.  

Regarding the hail incident, it was a massive hailstorm that involved hundreds of cars, windows of homes, some siding on houses had holes going through to the inside.  Hail was as big as a grapefruit.  Wish I'd taken more pictures of just the hail stones I saw on the ground in the parking lot immediately after it passed.  I saw a corvette that had holes through the hood, lots of glass broken.  I think they came to the base because of the number of claims all in one location, usaa wasn't the only insurer to do this, I just don't know who the others were because I didn't have them.  They did a walk around, counted the dings or dents (had over 100 on my car) and they handed me a check to go get it done. 

[Steve P.]

Thank again, LW... I hate the idea of leaving State Farm as they have been top notch in anything we have ever had an issue with, but $1200.00 per year on a 2002' F-250 is crazy. We only have 1 vehicle on the road due to the insurance costs here in Florida. I should add that we are both near Clearwater and Tampa. Due to the amount of traffic and vacationers, we pay a higher rate due to higher risk. BUT, we drive less than 7000 miles per year. I'll bet this year I've only put about 4K on the spinner. IF THAT!! I don't want to lose my capability of what a truck brings, but I really need some little shitbox for shitbox type driving.. You know, trips 1.5 miles to the grocery store and 8 miles to the VETS clinic, 4 miles to one daughters house and 8 to the other. All I need for normal stuff is a glorified golf cart. Electric would even be great. If I were able, I'd be riding a bike to do most of these things, but I don't have that luxury. So I am stuck with what is comfortable and will do everything I need it to do with the exception of getting good mileage. 

[Old Moparz]

Thank again, LW... I hate the idea of leaving State Farm as they have been top notch in anything we have ever had an issue with, but $1200.00 per year on a 2002' F-250 is crazy. We only have 1 vehicle on the road due to the insurance costs here in Florida. I should add that we are both near Clearwater and Tampa. Due to the amount of traffic and vacationers, we pay a higher rate due to higher risk. BUT, we drive less than 7000 miles per year. I'll bet this year I've only put about 4K on the spinner. IF THAT!! I don't want to lose my capability of what a truck brings, but I really need some little shitbox for shitbox type driving.. You know, trips 1.5 miles to the grocery store and 8 miles to the VETS clinic, 4 miles to one daughters house and 8 to the other. All I need for normal stuff is a glorified golf cart. Electric would even be great. If I were able, I'd be riding a bike to do most of these things, but I don't have that luxury. So I am stuck with what is comfortable and will do everything I need it to do with the exception of getting good mileage.  

Steve, are you still paying comprehensive on the truck? Is it something you can consider dropping?  

Dropping it can save a lot.

Years ago I was trying to save a few bucks on a policy & deciding if I should just keep liability on a vehicle & called the insurance company. I was concerned about the car sustaining damage that was going to cost more to fix than the value of the vehicle. If that were to happen the insurance company would total it & screw you over instead of fixing it. They refused to tell me exactly how they determine whether they would total or repair it & said they use variables to decide including market value in my area. Anyway, I left the policy the way it was at that time & eventually sold the vehicle so it didn't matter.

Last month I was looking at what my wife's vehicle was worth, a 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor in "good" condition & the Kelly Blue Book price was $2850 which sucks considering the sticker was $33,000 in 2004.  

We switched from Geico to State Farm, dropped the comprehensive on her vehicle & get a discount because of the home policy. That discount was substantial, but I don't recall the amount.

By the way, I had to file a claim with Geico once & it was a painful experience. We had State Farm for the house since 1989 & filed a claim twice & both times it went smoothly.

[Steve P.]

Sadly they all drop like a rock, but that doesn't make buying the new one any easier. In fact, harder.

I just did the KBB check on my 02' F-250 again. Still showing it in the $10K range, but that is for private sale. Trade in is about 3K less, but I still see this truck on different lots and they are all looking for 12K and more. What I don't know is how the insurance company comes to a figure.

The other issue is it being covered by me even though I am not at fault. Being covered by my insurance means that 1) I can get a rental in the event my truck is OOC and 2) means I'd at least have a down payment in the event my truck is totalled.

Final result is that I am paying much more than I think I should be and that they have accomplished their goal of making me too afraid to drop it to save a few bucks...

In somewhere around 2004-5, more than 12,000 permits were given in our county to build private homes. I forget how many stores and other commercial stuff, but a lot. At that time out insurance went up dramatically. Now we are going through this same shit once again. Another 12K homes and 2 shopping malls and gobs of other small stores are permitted as we speak. Pay is as bad as ever, but our local government makes their money on property taxes. So they could not care less..

When we moved to this county, 21 years ago, we lived in a small village with cows all around us for miles. Today you have to drive many miles to find a cow. The ONLY industry that came from all of this was the building industry and that is very short lived. I am of course happy to see people working, but within a few years all that building is done and we now have a ton more people in the area raising the problems of crowding.. With CROWDING comes higher insurance premiums. So all this county has done is to make life worse for all. Not better. And the few real industrial jobs we did have in this county have all moved to places where the taxes were slim to none.. One was a fiberglass body company. They made KIT CARS and employed about 30 people. They moved North to another State.. I spoke with that owner and he said: taxes really weren't bad, but insuring his business was total insanity. Said he was offered ZERO TAXES for several years if he moved to where ever it was. He said that 6 of his people were all moving to where his shop was going..
They get you coming and going and we pay through the ass for all of it.

[RECHRGD]

There is a reason why the biggest office buildings in most cities are owned by insurance companies.....

[ws23rt]

Insurance is one of those things where the market should dictate a fairly even playing field. Prices and service (one would expect) should end up close from one company to another.

Changing coverage by shopping around is I think not a common thing for most of us to do on a regular basis. (Me included).

Could this be part of the problem with high cost and odd area restrictions?   Do most of us just accept what we have as being the way it must be?  Are the sellers of a service like this banking on the hassle it is to shop and change to a better deal?

The subject of taxes is a good example of motivation to move and is very much the same thing.  Their comes a time or cost that moves us to make a change.

[Steve P.]

Agreed ^^^^^.....

Here's a wild one. My aunt moved to Oklahoma. She is in the path of TORNADO ALLEY. Built a brand new home just a few years ago and moved into it when she and my uncle retired out of Rochester, NY.. Since they have lived there they have been nailed by a couple of toronados. Her insurance company has repaired her roof and repaired her bird cage. (Screen room). Then the next one came through and took most of her roof. They put a new roof on her house. Then hail beat the crap out of both of their cars. Insurance paid for that.. They have only been there about 3 years. (In the house).

So my aunt is telling all this to my mother who lives South of me about an hour in Clearwater, Floriduh. After kicking around their conversation she questions my father on size of their home and the cost of insurance. Then she calls me to ask me the same. Here's the result:
My house is a little bigger than my parents and my aunts house is a little bigger than mine. We all have inground pools, but I have a much larger property and a 1280 SF shop out back.. Our area has not been directly hit by a hurricane since 1921, but my aunt lives where many toronado's come through every year.. Mom has never had any kind of claim on either of their homes in 45 years... I had one, but it was my insurance against LOWES CONTRACTOR. (We one).

My mom pays almost 2 times what my aunt pays and I pay about 2.5 times what my aunt pays... Please explain that one to me.......