USAA question...

[GuinessGuy]

Their service is top notch.......and the rental thing......it must vary from state to state. I have a three bdrm townhouse in PA with oil heat and an underground tank and it cost me 60 a month.
I insure my primary residence, rental property, two cars and have a 529.......

 

[Slim]

I have USAA for homeowners and auto. My life insurance is with First Penn Pacific Life Insurance. When I retired from the ARNG, I asked a neighbor to help find a replacement for SGLI which would also cover my flying. He found it...$250,000 at $118 per quarter.

My parents had problems with USAA in 2003 when Hurricane Isabell(?) went through Virginia. I went over to help out and discovered an oak tree resting on their garage and lying over the sidewalk leading to the front door. Dad called USAA and was told his coverage for hurricane damage was terminated. They told him he was sent a letter cancelling the coverage at the same time all other members received the same letter.

My brother and I are also USAA members. He lives in a hurricane area (TX) and I don't (OH). We never received a similar letter and told USAA as much. Once they realized we wouldn't back down, they started cooperating.

I also use their credit cards but don't use them for auto loans. PFCU has been better for auto and HELOC loans.

 

[gern_blanston]

...if your home is so far underwater that you have little choice but to walk away, USAA will hound you to your grave and beyond.

I would hound you to your grave too if you borrowed money from me and signed a contract and then refused to pay it back.
It's a crime, plain and simple. Why is that so hard for some people to understand?

 

[CatfishVT9]

I would hound you to your grave too if you borrowed money from me and signed a contract and then refused to pay it back.
It's a crime, plain and simple. Why is that so hard for some people to understand?

Agree 100%!!!!! If you can pay but walk away just because you are under water, then you are an orifice where excrement comes out.

......and ditto on the fog lights!

 

[jet2work]

I have had mixed results with USAA. I have been with them over 25 years, and in that time I have never had claim that was my fault. About 15 years ago, my relatively new car was hit by someone else (no fault state), and suffered what looked like minor damage. USAA decided to total the car and then gave me crappy comps. The comps they gave me were for different vehicles that were poorly equipped (one was a black car without factory A/C in Phoenix - no kidding). I went round and round with them for a month, and was treated like a thief by them the whole time. This was pre-internet days, and finally a dealer gave me a list of comps to show USAA. I ended up getting $5k more for my car than their previous final offer. Once the accident was attributed to the other driver USAA sent me my deductible back.

I had two home owners claim in 25 years. The first time I had a minor claim, and they treated my like a criminal, and gave me the run around for two weeks. Fortunately I told the independent adjuster they sent to look at the damage about the treatment I had recieved from USAA and he took care of me. The next year I got a letter in the mail threatening to drop me because of my claim history ( 1 claim in 15 years) The next homeowners claim they practically just sent me a big check???

So know I don't know what to think about them. They have been pretty inexpensive, in the past, and they always get high ratings. Many of my other buddies with USAA have had multiple claims with them, and never get hassled (maybe they just bend over and accept whatever USAA offers). I don't know why they used to give me such a hard time, and now they don't. I'm sure I have sent them close to $50K over the years that I have been with them, and all in all, they have returned about $20K.

 

[ip241au]

USAA is a business. Don't let them tell you otherwise. I have been a member for 28 years and I'm thinking of finding another carrier.

Mistakes on my policies, not really competitive loan rates, all paint a picture of just another insurance company. Shop around you will be surprised.

BTW, USAA monitors this forum and others to get a feel for what customers think about their service.

 

[Skimatic]

Consumer Reports, Clark Howard.com, etc are in love with USAA. I've been shopping around lately and finding better rates for homeowners/auto policies. I've been with them many years (40 ?). They have quibbled with me on three claims (home stuff) in 40 years. Not much money involved but I resented the hassle. I don't file false or immaterial claims, I have better things to do.

When my garage roof collapsed several years ago after a massive northeast snow storm, I didn't even want to put a claim in with them. My wife (who has worked in a state insurance department for 2 states as a regulator) took the ball and beat them over their heads. We got something.

You may want to consider Amica. I am looking at them hard for my next renewal. I was with them for 1 year and very pleased because guess what: somehow my entire file with USAA was "lost" and they "couldn't" renew me. Several months later they found my "file" and wanted me back. This and other administrative screw ups with their insurance and credit cards have prompted me to "look around".

 

[JimNtexas]

One nice thing about USAA is that every December you get a dividend check from them that represents your share of the profits, since USAA is a mutual insurance company.

When I had two teenage drivers on the policy this check was very large, on the order of ~$1K. Now that those drivers are out on their own its been running around $300-400. I have three cars, a house and some other miscellaneous policies from them.

 

[jonjuan]

I would hound you to your grave too if you borrowed money from me and signed a contract and then refused to pay it back.
It's a crime, plain and simple. Why is that so hard for some people to understand?

Completely agree. Some people are disgusting in regards to their personal obligations and commitments. What's even worse is the "well corporate America does it, so why shouldn't I" BS.

 

[RoughAir]

Correction to my post of Oct 18 about USAA selling my mortgage loan.

They sold it to GMAC not Bank of America. This was done about 45 days after I closed on it in Aug 2009.