Stolen RV recovered but trashed
Some Call Me Tim
facility in Asheville, NC on 1 June 2003 by a "professional" thief.
Apparently he had a dealer's master key. Today (6/6/03) I found it was
recovered in Tennessee. That, supposedly, is the good news. The bad
news is "most" of the appliances and fixtures have been recovered. I'm
really afraid to see the damage.
If that isn't bad enough, my insurance company (USAA) is insisting
that if the interior and system damage repair costs less than 75% of
the replacement cost then they will MAKE ME have it repaired. I told
them I don't want it back regardless of what I get out of it, but they
are being real SOB's about it.
Anyone ever get stuck in this position? How in the devil do I convince
them a stolen RV isn't like a stolen Toyota?
Up until today USAA has been the best insurance company in the world.
Now I'm not so sure.
Roadwarrior
Sounds to me like junkyard-dog lawyer time. Insurance companies are in
the business of taking-in money, not giving it out, and they do it day
after day, so know how to play you like a fiddle. You need an advocate
who can understand your insurance contract (policy) and the applicable
law.
As for legal fees, the contract may state (enforceably?) that the
loser pays the winner's fees as awarded by the court. Else, you might
offer the lawyer a split of the extra amount he/she gets for you, over
the amount already offered. Could be a 50/50 split.
Good luck.
--RW
JEB
> <tim.ga...@att.net> wrote:
>
>> I had my 2001 Four Winds 31S stolen out of a locked, secure, storage
>> facility in Asheville, NC on 1 June 2003 by a "professional" thief.
>> Apparently he had a dealer's master key. Today (6/6/03) I found it
>> was recovered in Tennessee. That, supposedly, is the good news. The
>> bad news is "most" of the appliances and fixtures have been
>> recovered. I'm really afraid to see the damage.
>>
>> If that isn't bad enough, my insurance company (USAA) is insisting
>> that if the interior and system damage repair costs less than 75% of
>> the replacement cost then they will MAKE ME have it repaired. I told
>> them I don't want it back regardless of what I get out of it, but
>> they are being real SOB's about it.
>>
>> Anyone ever get stuck in this position? How in the devil do I
>> convince them a stolen RV isn't like a stolen Toyota?
>>
>> Up until today USAA has been the best insurance company in the world.
>> Now I'm not so sure.
Here's a short story about USAA. I was pulling my Explorer when the rear
tire blew out and caused $2000.00 damage. I had full coverage and USAA
fixed it. A month later I got a letter from them saying that the "accident"
was my fault and they were raising my insurance premium 18%. That was my
first claim in 18 years with them. I told them the tire blew out and they
said that I must have hit something or hadn't checked the air in the tire so
it was my fault. USAA said tires don't just blow out for no reason. I
said "Explorer blows tire at high speed for no reason." so familiar. Didn't
Firestone try to say it wasn't the tire's fault too?
Anyway I filed a complaint with the Maryland Insurance commission and
protested with USAA. Finally after several months their arbitrator called
me. He said that they could not prove it was my fault so they were
reversing their finding and calling the accident "no fault" and since it was
"no fault" I would have to pay for the cost of the tire, an additional
$180.00. What a joke! I won and it cost me more money! I believe USAA is
on the ropes financially. Wait and see.
Jack
BD (Dave) Thompson
news:ve1s58r...@corp.supernews.com...
>
> I believe USAA is on the ropes financially. Wait and see.
>
>
>
> Jack
>
On the ropes financially? Where in the world did you get that one? They
have consistently been rated by AM Best as A+ which is the strongest
financial rating an insurance company can get.
--
Dave
USAA member since 1967
Mike F
time theirs is damaged by 50%, the price of insurance would double. OTOH,
proper, professional repairs should leave you with a new interior. Isn't
that a GOOD thing? Two years of wear and tear ... erased by your insurance
company.
But I "hear your pain" (God, but I hate quoting that man), as every time I
whine about the fact that car thieves in my state are not punished until
their SIXTH CONVICTION, or about the fact that no insurance will replace the
6-8 man-months of work I've put into modifying my motor home, it falls on
deaf ears: "Your insurance will cover it". NO, IT WILL NOT. That's why the
damn thing will soon bristle with several anti-theft measures, including an
armed and pissed owner who 1) is seldom far from his MH and 2) WILL stop any
thief by ANY means required. I'd like to inform my state legislature that a
theft attempt of any of my vehicles will NOT be a simple "missing vehicle"
report if I am within a hundred yards when it goes down, to motivate them to
pass and enforce some tough laws against vehicle theft, but that might
constitute premeditation, so I won't do that.
That brings up a question: What alarm and anti-theft systems did your
vehicle have? I'm getting mine installed soon, and will want to use a
different system than you had.
Mike
"Some Call Me Tim" <tim.ga...@att.net> wrote in message
news:t2i1ev46002gd37s3...@4ax.com...
Mike F
damaged ones?
Mike
"Roadwarrior" <NoS...@All.com> wrote
Mike F
insure me because I owned a motorcycle. They came right out and admitted
they just didn't want to insure people who owned motorcycles, even a simple
trail bike.
Mike
"JEB" <berndt at berndtmd dot com> wrote in message
news:ve1s58r...@corp.supernews.com...
> > On Fri, 06 Jun 2003 17:09:32 GMT, Some Call Me Tim
> > <tim.ga...@att.net> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> Up until today USAA has been the best insurance company in the world.
> >> Now I'm not so sure.
>
> Here's a short story about USAA.
snip
Ralph Lindberg & Ellen Winnie
Some Call Me Tim <tim.ga...@att.net> wrote:
....
>
> Up until today USAA has been the best insurance company in the world.
> Now I'm not so sure.
>
You need to look into USAA, while they used to have among the highest
customer satisfaction ratings in the country, they don't any more.
--
Ralph Lindberg personal email n7...@amsat.org
RV and Camping FAQ http://kendaco.telebyte.com/rlindber/rv
If Windows is the answer I would really like to know what the question is
GBinNC
<rlin...@kendaco.telebyte.com> wrote:
> Some Call Me Tim <tim.ga...@att.net> wrote:
>> Up until today USAA has been the best insurance company in the world.
>> Now I'm not so sure.
> You need to look into USAA, while they used to have among the highest
>customer satisfaction ratings in the country, they don't any more.
Can't help wondering if their profits are going up. Might be an
inverse correlation there somewhere.
GB in NC
JDavis1277
I've been a member since 1966. USAA, per Consumers Union, has one of the top
three satisfaction ratings in the US. Per AM Best they are amongst the top
companies in financial strength.
When I had a tread separation on my F-250 they paid for the repairs minus my
deductible and the cost of the tire. When it happened again six weeks later
the result was the same. There was no quibbling nor whining. My rates were
not raised as a result of the two claims.
As a member and policy holder of USAA I'm very pleased they refused to "total"
the damaged rig. That helps keep the premiums in line for those members and
policy holders who are reasonable in the demands they make for settlement.
One can always take the settlement check, sell the damaged property and start
over if desired. USAA will never insist the repairs be made. Of course if
there is a mortage involved the mortage holder may well insist the rig be
repaired or the balance be paid. Sounds reasonable to me.
I suggest you quit whining and get on with your life. BTW, please cancel your
USAA policies and find another insurer. I'm unsure if we can afford you.
Butch
BD (Dave) Thompson
"GBinNC" <GBi...@yahoooo.com> wrote in message
news:sp62evo5m0aaem123...@4ax.com...
Since USAA is member owned, increased profits just reduce my premium costs.
--
Dave
GBinNC
<daveth...@ask.forit> wrote:
>> Can't help wondering if their profits are going up. Might be an
>> inverse correlation there somewhere.
>>
>> GB in NC
>Since USAA is member owned, increased profits just reduce my premium costs.
Yeah, I wasn't complainin', just speculatin'.
I have no connection with them anyway...
GB in NC
Timothy Gallaway
complaining about USAA not totaling the vehicle, I'm complaining about USAA
FORCING me to repair the vehicle and not ALLOWING me to sell it for salvage
and use the REPAIR costs to put a downpayment on a new one. If they want to
do that, then they can buy it! It's mine, not theirs, for heaven sake.
When I say the interior is "trashed" I mean the appliances were RIPPED OUT,
not removed. The entire electrical system is probably fried, etc. etc. ....
AND they haven't even LOOKED at it yet! They are making a decision without
any working knowledge of what has happened. They haven't even spoken to the
police who recovered it (though I have).
Also the lean holder does not have a right to insist it be repaired either.
The only right they have is, if they insist the balance be paid, they can
salvage it themselves.
As to USAA, what no one has mentioned is that USAA is a NON-PROFIT Insurance
Association. They don't make a profit, we, the share holders, own the
company! At last count they have a bank balance for claims only of $45
million. It is no skin off their nose how this plays out, the adjuster I'm
working with is just being an SOB for no reason. And I was wondering if
someone else has had the same problem, not a sanctimonious bitch fest from
some guy named Butch!
"JDavis1277" <jdavi...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030606192947...@mb-m07.aol.com...
Jon Porter
"Some Call Me Tim" <tim.ga...@att.net> wrote in message
news:t2i1ev46002gd37s3...@4ax.com...
> If that isn't bad enough, my insurance company (USAA) is insisting
> that if the interior and system damage repair costs less than 75% of
> the replacement cost then they will MAKE ME have it repaired. I told
> them I don't want it back regardless of what I get out of it, but they
> are being real SOB's about it.
Let's find out what the damages are first. Then fret about the insurance
company if need be.
You can sell it after it gets fixed, if that's what happens.
Jon Porter
"BD (Dave) Thompson" <daveth...@ask.forit> wrote in message
news:CF6Ea.145972$eJ2.133963@fed1read07...
Dad has been a member of USAA all of my life, which is a significant amount
of time. He is still getting checks *from* USAA as part of the profit
sharing that they do. I don't think they would be sending them out if there
wasn't a profit to be had.
Jon Porter
"Mike F" <iso...@urxSpamDam.com> wrote in message
news:P07Ea.8330$5A1....@fe01.atl2.webusenet.com...
> I dropped USAA two decades ago when they wanted 500% more than State Farm
to
> insure me because I owned a motorcycle. They came right out and admitted
> they just didn't want to insure people who owned motorcycles, even a
simple
> trail bike.
That does make some sense. USAA insures those who have a preferred rating.
They don't do high risk.
Jon Porter
"Mike F" <iso...@urxSpamDam.com> wrote in message
>
> That brings up a question: What alarm and anti-theft systems did your
> vehicle have? I'm getting mine installed soon, and will want to use a
> different system than you had.
I'm not speaking for me, but the most common ones that I know of are:
Alarm - dog.
Anti-theft - owner with a gun.
Jon Porter
>
my
> deductible and the cost of the tire. When it happened again six weeks
later
> the result was the same. There was no quibbling nor whining. My rates
were
> not raised as a result of the two claims.
>
I had better luck with rates. Last year, I had bashed door replaced on my
Class B. My rates didn't go up with the next premium, and the premium that I
just got a few days is about $110 *lower* than the prevuios one! I'm not
complaining, not me, no sir!
Mike F
don't know about where you live, but I pass motorcycles every highway trip I
take in my motor home ... in cruise control. Those guys are S L O W and v
e r y cautious. I mean they hold up traffic.
Mike
"Jon Porter" <jpo...@netwalk.com> wrote in message
news:3ee14462_1@newsfeed...
JDavis1277
separation causing damage to my truck. They did pay for the truck repairs
minus my deductible per our contract.
To my knowledge USAA does not insure tires against failure nor do other
insurance companies.
If the tirse had been damaged due to an accident they would have been covered
by the insurance.
Are your tires insured against tread separation by your automobile policy,
Canoli?
Butch
JEB
I've been a member for 18 years and haven't received a check in two years.
If Daddy has, then something stinks! When is the last time anyone else has
received a check from USAA? Just curious...
JDavis1277
SSA is so fat that it goes over the payment threshold every year. Also, USAA
has all my insurance business so my premiums are in the thousands.
Check with the web site, but I believe that the deal is that when your SSA goes
over a certain dollar amount you get a check.
If you feel you may have been overlooked call USAA and discuss it. Sometimes
mail gets lost or something gets overlooked. However, I promise you USAA is
not trying to cheat you. They are the most up front, honest, fair company I've
dealt with.
Butch
JEB wrote: >I've been a member for 18 years and haven't received a check in
BD (Dave) Thompson
"JEB" <berndt at berndtmd dot com> wrote in message
In April, 2003 my premium refund and SSA check showed up on time like it has
every year.
--
Dave
JEB
> I get a check virtually every year because I've been a member since
> 1966 and my SSA is so fat that it goes over the payment threshold
> every year. Also, USAA has all my insurance business so my premiums
> are in the thousands.
>
> Check with the web site, but I believe that the deal is that when
> your SSA goes over a certain dollar amount you get a check.
>
> If you feel you may have been overlooked call USAA and discuss it.
> Sometimes mail gets lost or something gets overlooked. However, I
> promise you USAA is not trying to cheat you. They are the most up
> front, honest, fair company I've dealt with.
>
> Butch
>
I always felt that way too Butch. But now I believe that USAA has undergone
a dramatic change in philosophy in the past two years. My wife works for a
credit union (and has for many many years) and she agrees that USAA is
exhibiting the signs of a company that has sustained significant losses or
over extended itself. Maybe it's not true but I think it is. I think that
USAA is enjoying a reputation that they rightfully deserved from years past
but not currently. Time will tell. This is not a slam to anyone, but the
low default rate they claimed was when they only allowed officers to be
members but they opened their membership to almost all ranks a couple of
years back. Do you know what their CURRENT default rate is? I don't but
I'd like to know. Let me know what you think.
As far as motorcycles and motor homes go, they are not competitive and they
admit it.
Jack
BD (Dave) Thompson
Where are you and your wife getting this?
AM Best says they are top notch.
Fitch Ratings says they are top notch.
JD Powers consistently rates USAA in the top 5 in customer satisfaction.
--
Dave
JEB
<snip>
> AM Best says they are top notch.
> Fitch Ratings says they are top notch.
> JD Powers consistently rates USAA in the top 5 in customer
> satisfaction.
Again, do you know what their CURRENT DEFAULT rate is on loans/CC?
BD (Dave) Thompson
"JEB" <berndt at berndtmd dot com> wrote in message
Sigh... You just WANT them to look bad, right?
From the 2002 Annual Report:
"In 2002, USAA grew its net worth, increased owned and managed assets, and
kept its ratio of debt to total capital below the industry average. Our
statutory operating expense ratio was reduced for the third consecutive
year. Each business and staff agency achieved the best operating performance
in the association's 80-year history while satisfying the needs of our
members, ensuring the well-being of our employees, and maintaining USAA's
financial strength.
Loans and Credit Cards are an exposure of USAA Federal Savings Bank, a
wholly owned subsidarary."
USAA increased its net worth in 2002 by $528 million. Yet, they still were
able to return $405 million to policy holders in premium reductions and
Subscriber Savings Account returns.
USAA Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Group realized $127 million in
pre-tax income, thanks to our ability to better match insurance rates with
risks, lower-than-expected catastrophe claims losses, and more efficient
handling of claims in the face of rising non-catastrophe claims costs. P&C
continues to maintain significant competitive advantages due to the loyalty
of our members, efficient operations, our efforts to mitigate risk, our
financial strength, and our unique market position of providing financial
services to the military community.
USAA Federal Savings Bank is a wholly owned subsidary. From the Annual
Report the bank performed admirably. The 2002 pre-tax income was $350
million. To have such income...
USAA Federal Savings Bank earned $350 million in pre-tax income, due largely
to increased loan volumes, strong credit card sales, and the favorable
interest rate environment. The bank also returned more than $91 million to
members through a variety of benefits: ATM surcharge rebates, debit card
rebates, and MoversAdvantage program rebates; credit card cash-back
programs; and Eagle Points program rewards.
The Annual Report is public information and is available from their offices
in San Antonio or any USAA regional office.
--
Dave
JDavis1277
Current default rate? Are you talking defaults on loans? If so, you are
talking about the USAA Savings Bank which is separate and distinct, I believe,
from the insurance side of the business. I'd be amazed if the bank is not doing
well, but don't really care as I do not use the bank except for a credit card
which I pay in full each month.
I certainly agree that one can buy motorhome insurance for less. But my
comfort level with USAA at this time convinces me to pay a bit more for a LOT
MORE service and the knowledge that I'll be treated well in any claims
situation.
Motorcycles are, IMO, very high risk items to insure. Consequently the rates
would be high relative to auto insurance. I believe there are insurers
specializing in motorcycle insurance. These companies have a very broad base
and tons of experience that may allow them to both charge less for insurance
and make a profit. Probably the same with motorhomes, so I can't argue about
the price of insurance for these two catagories of vehicle.
Butch
JEB
> JEB,
>
> Current default rate? Are you talking defaults on loans? If so, you
> are talking about the USAA Savings Bank which is separate and
> distinct, I believe, from the insurance side of the business. I'd be
> amazed if the bank is not doing well, but don't really care as I do
> not use the bank except for a credit card which I pay in full each
> month.
>
> I certainly agree that one can buy motorhome insurance for less. But
> my comfort level with USAA at this time convinces me to pay a bit
> more for a LOT MORE service and the knowledge that I'll be treated
> well in any claims situation.
>
> Motorcycles are, IMO, very high risk items to insure. Consequently
> the rates would be high relative to auto insurance. I believe there
> are insurers specializing in motorcycle insurance. These companies
> have a very broad base and tons of experience that may allow them to
> both charge less for insurance and make a profit. Probably the same
> with motorhomes, so I can't argue about the price of insurance for
> these two catagories of vehicle.
>
> Butch
>
The fact of the matter is that I am still with USAA except for my motorcycle
and motor home insurance. They still have very good rates as long as you
don’t make a claim against them, at least that’s been my experience.
Recently, there are a few things that really bother me about USAA. And
these are facts not “how I feel” or that “they have always been good blah
blah..”. I placed a claim with them – the FIRST – claim in 18 years over a
blown tire and the damage it caused. To make a long story short, they
claimed it was my fault and tried to raise my rates 18% - for the FIRST
claim in 18 years. I have the documentation to prove it. The state of
Maryland would not let them raise the rates (I protested through the
insurance commission) and eventually I had to go to an arbitrator to get the
finding reversed about the accident being my fault. I can prove all of this
if someone thinks I am making this stuff up.
The second thing that bugs me is that they raised my home owners premium
without my permission. They sent an electronic document (I elected to
receive them that way) and the document stated that my home owners premium
was being increased because they were increasing my coverage and if I agreed
then I should do nothing, otherwise I’d have to contact them. I wonder how
many people didn’t bother to read their policy and got the increase without
knowing it. After calling I got some bull about how they are using new
software to estimate the replacement cost of my home and that it indicated
that I needed more insurance… It all just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Sigh… some people will never admit that a company that was once very good
may be headed down hill like that other guy that posted his thoughts. You
said that you are treated well in all claims situations. When did you last
file a claim? I have had several bad experiences at least in the past year
or two. Hopefully I am wrong about USAA and maybe the people that handle
claims on the east coast are not the norm.
I have always liked USAA but I ‘m not married to them. I would like to have
other’s thoughts on claims they have had in the past two years. How were
you treated? Has anyone else read their homeowner’s policy to see if it has
been increased without your consent?
Thanks
Jack
JDavis1277
I've had no claims within the past two years. I probably average a small clam
every eight or nine years. Oops, call me a liar.... I've had a couple of
windshields replaced under the comprehensive part of the policy and one of
those was within the past two years. It was on my old 90 F-250. Truth is I
should only have liability on the truck as it has such a low replacement value.
My homeowners policy has not had a premium increase without my approval. But
as the natural process of increasing home value proceeds we can expect to pay
higher property taxes as well as higher premiums.
I hope your personal relationship/experience with USAA improves. I was not
overwhelmingly happy with some of the policy changes made in the last few years
as I expected the cost of insurance would increase due to new exposures. Seems
I was wrong, knock on wood, so I remain happy with the association.
Since USAA is predominately an insurer of military personel it is facing a
declining market as the geniuses like our dear SECDEF continue to reduce the
size of the force to dangerous levels. The poor soldiers in today's force seem
to almost never spend any time in the US with families. I did over 35 years of
AFS but don't know if I could handle the current OPTEMPO and small force size.
This is obviously OT, but I'll betcha retention is going to become the number
one readiness issue in the near future.
BTW, did you read Dave's note on the financial strength of the association?
Butch
JEB wrote: >The fact of the matter is that I am still with USAA except for my
BD (Dave) Thompson
> >
> The fact of the matter is that I am still with USAA except for my
motorcycle
> and motor home insurance. They still have very good rates as long as you
> don't make a claim against them, at least that's been my experience.
>
> Recently, there are a few things that really bother me about USAA. And
> these are facts not "how I feel" or that "they have always been good blah
a
> blown tire and the damage it caused. To make a long story short, they
> claimed it was my fault and tried to raise my rates 18% - for the FIRST
> claim in 18 years. I have the documentation to prove it. The state of
> Maryland would not let them raise the rates (I protested through the
> insurance commission) and eventually I had to go to an arbitrator to get
the
> finding reversed about the accident being my fault. I can prove all of
this
> if someone thinks I am making this stuff up.
>
> The second thing that bugs me is that they raised my home owners premium
> without my permission. They sent an electronic document (I elected to
> receive them that way) and the document stated that my home owners premium
> was being increased because they were increasing my coverage and if I
agreed
> then I should do nothing, otherwise I'd have to contact them. I wonder
how
> many people didn't bother to read their policy and got the increase
without
> knowing it. After calling I got some bull about how they are using new
> software to estimate the replacement cost of my home and that it indicated
>
> Sigh. some people will never admit that a company that was once very good
> may be headed down hill like that other guy that posted his thoughts. You
> said that you are treated well in all claims situations. When did you
last
> file a claim? I have had several bad experiences at least in the past
year
> or two. Hopefully I am wrong about USAA and maybe the people that handle
> claims on the east coast are not the norm.
>
> I have always liked USAA but I 'm not married to them. I would like to
have
> other's thoughts on claims they have had in the past two years. How were
> you treated? Has anyone else read their homeowner's policy to see if it
has
> been increased without your consent?
>
> Thanks
>
> Jack
>
If you are dissatisfied with USAA, cancel and go elsewhere. There is
absolutely no reason to stay with a company you have lost faith in.
I have had actual cost replacement insurance on my home for over ten years,
but that is immaterial. USAA does renewals the same way with all policies.
First the member is notified of any changes and the anticipated premium with
the option to change things. Secondly the policy/binder is sent and finally
the bill is sent.
Let's see if we have this right. You chose to not read a renewal notice and
now bitch it's USAA's fault that you did not do your job. Right?
The cause of tire destruction is always a matter of judgement. You went to
arbitration and won. What's the beef?
Rate raise due to a chargeable accident is not a result of your accident.
Risk analysis clearly shows that a person who has had a chargeable accident
is much more likely to have another as opposed to the long term safe driver.
It's almost universal in the auto insurance industry.
Policy claims:
April, 2003: Roof damage from wind. Adjuster on site the next day. Check
to my satisfaction the day after.
October, 2002. Unknown perpetrator backed into car in parking lot causing
$2,000 in damage. USAA had an adjuster there in 20 minutes. The car was in
the shop the next day and repairs were completed to my satisfaction in three
days.
--
Dave
JEB
You're happy with USAA fine. You misread my post and made several incorrect
assumptions and seem like the argumentative type. Not worth any more
effort. Have a nice life...
Jack
BD (Dave) Thompson
"JEB" <berndt at berndtmd dot com> wrote in message
> Dave, I'm not going to waste any more of my time on this subject with you.
> You're happy with USAA fine. You misread my post and made several
incorrect
> assumptions and seem like the argumentative type. Not worth any more
> effort. Have a nice life...
>
> Jack
>
No problem.
However, you are the one that intimated that USAA was on the ropes
financially. I have been a member of USAA since February, 1967 and tend to
feel a little posessive. I don't feel I was being argumentative. I was
just responding to your observations and experiences.
Rest and be comfortable with whatever you choose.
--
Dave
Barrie Brozenske
jdavi...@aol.com says...
> I certainly agree that one can buy motorhome insurance for less. But my
> comfort level with USAA at this time convinces me to pay a bit more for a LOT
> MORE service and the knowledge that I'll be treated well in any claims
> situation.
>
>
>
package either, especially when I decided I wanted a hi $ liability add
on.
I went with metropolitan many years ago when USAA just told me they were
very conservative with their underwriting risk evaluations, and would not
compete on premium. I found no problem with my company's settlement of
claims so far, and we've gone through a vehicle total wreck, a resulting
civil trial they defended against successfully, and replaced our
motorhome windshield last fall at no charge. I'm happy with them!
I'm not sure insurance discussions can be very meaningful, as SO MUCH
depends on individual circumstances and each company's interpretation of
them.....
Regards,
Barrie B
Barrie Brozenske
<daveth...@ask.forit> says...
> The cause of tire destruction is always a matter of judgement. You went to
> arbitration and won. What's the beef?
>
>
won would send me elsewhere FAST. What a PIA...that is not service, it
is BEING serviced! :-(
My strong opinion!
Barrie B
Bob McNabb
Since the tire failed, why wasn't that insured with the rest of the
vehicle?
Canoli, an auto (RV) insurance policy is not a warantee of products (
product: tire). A defective tire (cause of accident) would be entirely
excluded from a settlement. If, however, a new tire was ruined BY a
collision, the settlement would be the depreciated value of the tire,
less the deductible.
The case here is whether a collision, where "fault" could be an issue,
was within the control of the driver. Hitting a sharp metal curb might
be one case, but our poster claims it was a (defective tire) blowout.
He called it right, but so did the insurer by denying any coverage for
the defective tire.
One can't gain the advantage of both versions, and I'd surely not want
the one where "fault" was held.
(53 years in the insurance claims salt mines)
Bob McNabb
Tom Marik
Bob McNabb >>
Bob,
How did you get out alive after 53 years?
Tom
Bob McNabb
How did you get out alive after 53 years?
I bought my "release"
Bob McNabb
JEB
result was from the claim. USAA paid for all the damage to my vehicle
including a new tire but also listed the accident as "at fault" meaning me.
The claims person said that either I hit something in the road or I did not
do tire maientance. Therefore the accident was my fault.
My position was, first, a Ford Explorer has a high speed blowout, does that
soud familiar? Firestone... remember? Second, the blowout was on the rear
tire. How could I have hit something with the rear tire severe enough to
cause the tire to disenergate and not the front tire? Her reply was that I
swereved and missed it with the front tire. Something that I said was
impossible to do at 70 mph.
So the whole thing went to arbitration. USAA called me and said that I won
the arbitration BUT... and this is rich! They said since it was
comprehensive accident or whatever, they cover the damage but not the cause
of the damage.
Well, I said "I'm just a country boy and you'll have to explain what that
means to me". The USAA guy said, you won the arbitration but that means
that you'll have to pay us back for the tire, $120.00. So there you have
it.... I won and it cost me an additional 120 bucks.
Note: to USAA's credit, they did not in fact make me refund the cost of the
tire.
Jack
Tronmech
1) Re: the recovery of the stolen motorhome. If the vehicle was a Toyota truck,
and had been similarly stripped, the same requirement would have been in place.
If it's significantly cheaper to repair than replace, they will want to repair
it.
2) Re: the Ford explorer blowout and resulting insurance fun. If a faulty or
misinstalled part is the cause of an accident, I've found that my insurance
(Progressive) will cover everything but the cause of the problem. I found out
that one of the window seals in my coach was misinstalled, causing water to
leak into the sidewall. I found out about this leak when the water infiltration
lead to wood rot. (This was the only indication of the problem. Water *never*
appeared on the inside of the coach.) Progressive paid for the repair (minus
deductible) of the wall, but not the window repair.
3) USAA: Don't much care at this point. Wait and see WRT annual reports though.
Enron's were glowing, up to the last. If they have to issue any restatements,
then worry.
Mike F
less money (I own a motorcycle, so I'm on USAA's black list), and State Farm
has treated me like a king for the last 20 years, guess who gets my
premiums?
Mike
"BD (Dave) Thompson" <daveth...@ask.forit> wrote >
Mike F
insurer. I'll give you FABULOUS service (i.e., nice brochures) as long as
you 1) keep sending money and 2) never file a claim.
I've totalled a snowmobile and a boat, gotten a dozen windshields free,
gotten a new roof for my home, and had 3-4 auto damage claims handled by
State Farm with 120% satisfaction in the 22 years since I blew off USAA ....
and SF was cheaper when I switched and is still so inexpensive I haven't
even looked at USAA's rates since then. Not only have I never had my rates
increased, I've been guaranteed in writing their lowest rates available for
5 years at a time for over a decade now. And I actually have an ... you know
... one of them guys who actually HELPS me file claims and gets me taken
care of right ... an AGENT, that's the word I'm looking for.
Mike
"JEB" <berndt at berndtmd dot com> wrote
> I am still with USAA ... They still have very good rates as long as you
> don't make a claim against them.
JEB
you still get the lowest rates. But you said you haven't even looked at
USAA's rates in 22 years... If you don't compare rates how do you know SF
rates are so low?
Just curious.
Jack
Mike F
fell off a passing truck, snowmobile hit solid ice and went out of control
down a mountainside, car hit my car and left the scene, car hit wife's car
and left the scene, boat motor mount broke off and resulted in sunken boat,
wind damage to house roof, windshields were from living in the desert SW
where sandstorms and rock damage are endemic, etc. If a loss is not our
fault, they can't raise our rates. The primary legitimate excuses for
raising rates, as I understand, are losses caused by us or frequent claims;
mine were spread out over a couple of decades, and involved different
policies (home, auto, boat, and snowmobile were all different policies and
departments). One agent handled most of them, but no one policy hit any
thresholds.
I don't know whether SF is still cheaper now that I own no motorcycles, but
I'm willing to bet USAA would not have treated me as well as SF did, and the
few times I have checked rates the difference wasn't worth giving up State
Farm's hands-on service. My real, live, local hands-on SF agent played a big
part in taking good care of me. What good's a policy if we're afraid to use
it? OTOH, the little ding that rock did to my RV last week won't go to SF;
at $500 I'm not going to bother SF with it; endless small claims do hurt our
rates.
SF did write me many years ago and say they would not renew my ins "because
of all my accident claims". I had never had a chargeable accident, so I
asked them what they were talking about. They were counting windshields ...
on a vehicle that gets a new crack every few weeks (Chevy Astros go through
windshields like grease through a goose) and several sandstorms per season.
I pointed out that a) none of these involved accidents and b) I had paid
them MANY times in premiums what my windshield claims cost them (I tallied
my payments to them and theirs to me). "What part of PROFIT do you not
understand?", I asked them. The result? My first letter guaranteeing no
premium raises for any reason for five years
Which reminds me: I haven't even met my new agent yet (I moved three years
ago). His office people seem very efficient and professional, but it was my
personal contact with my past agent that really made SF click all those
years. Think I'll pay the new guy a visit one of these days. But, man, if SF
ever bumps my rates or whines over a loss I didn't cause, they're history.
Mike
"JEB" <berndt at berndtmd dot com> wrote in message
news:vef2db4...@corp.supernews.com...
JEB
> snip
> I don't know whether SF is still cheaper now that I own no
> motorcycles, but I'm willing to bet USAA would not have treated me as
> well as SF did, and the few times I have checked rates the difference
> wasn't worth giving up State Farm's hands-on service. My real, live,
> local hands-on SF agent played a big part in taking good care of me.
> What good's a policy if we're afraid to use it? OTOH, the little ding
> that rock did to my RV last week won't go to SF; at $500 I'm not
> going to bother SF with it; endless small claims do hurt our rates.
>
Well as far as I am concerned, I check rates and coverage ever so often.
Some people believe USAA is the BEST insurance company ever - but they
haven't verified that for many years. I was a career officer and USAA was
the only insurance company to have if you were going to ship and drive your
vehicle in another country.
However, I have had a couple of bad experiences with USAA and that causes me
to look closely at how their policies have changed and how they effect me.
Companies change and evolve over time and sometimes that's not good.
Jack
smokeyan...@gmail.com
It's a 2007 Sierra forest river 315bht 5th wheel 37ft stolen from Austin tx.
I have the title m regreatration, proof of purchase, everything. I need my home back..its all I have