Question re USAA

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Jax84
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Question re USAA

Post by Jax84 »

I live in Florida and am considering changing automobile and umbrella policies to USAA while leaving my homeowners with the present carrier. USAA will write the automobile policy, but the umbrella would be written by United States Liability Insurance Group through the USAA General Agency which is a wholly owned subsidiary of USAA. From what I have read in the past USAA is a good company, but have no previous experience with them. Will appreciate any comments. Thanks.

Jax84
afan
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Post by afan »

I have had good experience with USAA and their reputation is top notch. You almost certainly will save money by having your auto, home and liability with the same company. Have you priced moving homeowners to USAA?
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Jax84
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Post by Jax84 »

Thanks for the reply. Since I live in Florida and have a long time homeowners policy with another good company, I'm not going to tamper with it at this time. Probably will check it out later. If I were to get the homeowners through USAA it would be written by their General Agency not by USAA because it is Florida and they will not write one here at this time.
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klneutral
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Post by klneutral »

I do some business with USAA and think they are a good strong outfit, although I am not nearly as impressed with their efficiency and trained repesentatives as with Vanguard.

They have given me quotes on auto and homeowners insurance over probably the last 20 years and have not once been competitive with other companies, so I have never purchased from them. I think military officers get around 20% kickback each year and that is about what it would have taken to make them competitive. If I got the deal the officers get, I'd probably be insured by them.
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Sally
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Post by Sally »

If it is your primary home, if you don't have other "coastal" properties insured with USAA, and if you are military, you might want to ask if are a candidate or eligible for a waiver? You will need to speak to someone authorized to request and process a waiver request (to being referred to the General Agency). You don't have to drop your old insurance until you find out if the waiver will be granted and what the quote is.....

USAA has top-notch customer service, and handles claims fairly.

Sally
john94549
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Post by john94549 »

My wife and I have been with USAA since I was a boot Ensign, some 41 years (and many pounds*) ago. USAA is top-drawer.

Our children are both "legacies" with USAA.

*I'm referring to me, not my wife. She can still fit into her wedding dress. I threw out my dress whites years ago, since I knew I would never be able to wear them again.
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BTDT
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Post by BTDT »

Great insurance and banking, but can't beat Vanguard for investing. 43 plus years with USAA and no problems- knock on wood
If past history was all that is needed to play the game of money, the richest people would be librarians.
InvisibleManWalkingDrunk
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USAA Great Banking but CRAPPPPPPPY Insurance

Post by InvisibleManWalkingDrunk »

Hi,

Well we can say the Banking part of USAA has been awesome!

Insurance home and car keeps going up but as well but not do to any accidents.....have had problems with usaa and car insurance.

Was involved in a car accident (not at fault), our car 2006 Saturn ION and accident in 2008. Car was supposedly tested by dealership and USAA. Well we picked up car and it had NO breaks. Dealership was a butthead because they said USAA already cleared it, after speaking with USAA I was told the USAA person was not even auth to drive and he said he only drove about TEN FEET in garage!! Anyhow on and on it took about two months to get car fixed. USAA argued that nothing wrong with breaks but we almost rear ended someone coming off lot and USAA refused to drive it in the condition but it was "okay" for us to drive. The car was still under warranty as I told USAA this and why would we lie....it got very ugly...as well as other repairs were checked off made that were not actually made.

Accident 2 was hit (not at fault) by some one. The guy lied and called someone on his cellphone to be a "witness". We went from 100 percent liable to 50/50 but the witness cracked under pressure to USAA and the tickets were dropped in court. I would say USAA did good on this but I spent probably 50 hours getting pictures, going to a bank with camera getting more pics, going to another business with a cam, making up a powerpoint slide and all.......

Sorry but even though the second one turned out, I was red in my face and tired of USAA with the contacts we made and the EGO these guys have.

We will never hold their insurance again.

As many do we absolutely love VANGUARD for their services.


Cheers
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Qtman
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Post by Qtman »

I use USAA for all my banking and insurance, including umbrella, love them. Been with them over 30 years.
Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich; be wise enough to control yourself. | Wealth can vanish in the wink of an eye. It can seem to grow wings and fly away | like an eagle. - King Solomon
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BTDT
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Re: USAA Great Banking but CRAPPPPPPPY Insurance

Post by BTDT »

[quote="InvisibleManWalkingDrunk"]Hi,

Was involved in a car accident (not at fault), our car 2006 Saturn ION and accident in 2008. Car was supposedly tested by dealership and USAA. Well we picked up car and it had NO breaks. Dealership was a butthead because they said USAA already cleared it, after speaking with USAA I was told the USAA person was not even auth to drive and he said he only drove about TEN FEET in garage!!

In my limited experience with a USAA auto claim, I have never heard of a USAA agent test driving a claimant's car after the repairs.

What repairs were made to the brakes after the driveway incident?
If past history was all that is needed to play the game of money, the richest people would be librarians.
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tdhg566
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Post by tdhg566 »

klneutral wrote:I do some business with USAA and think they are a good strong outfit, although I am not nearly as impressed with their efficiency and trained repesentatives as with Vanguard.

They have given me quotes on auto and homeowners insurance over probably the last 20 years and have not once been competitive with other companies, so I have never purchased from them. I think military officers get around 20% kickback each year and that is about what it would have taken to make them competitive. If I got the deal the officers get, I'd probably be insured by them.
Interesting experiences you recount. In my 40 years with USAA, I've lost count of the number of offers to quote insurance I've received. When I tell them I'm with USAA, the agent quickly disappears. Yes I am a vet officer, but I never consider my SSA account (the kickback as you call it) in my calculations. It's not guaranteed, depending on their profitability each year (somewhat akin to shareholder dividends).

I personally will never buy insurance from anyone else if it's a type sold by USAA.
As an Enrolled Agent I advise clients about taxes and investments. My work is retiree friendly, geographically portable, mentally stimulating, personally profitable and emotionally rewarding.
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ryuns
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Post by ryuns »

USAA has been great for my 10 years of auto insurance with them. One had one claim, a small fender bender where I was at fault. They took the recorded testimony of what happened and it went away. No changes to my rates at all.

I will note: From my conversations with a rep, they do NOT provide multi-policy discounts for auto and homeowners. They had some strange, legal reason for not doing so. Just the same, I've *heard* the dividend calculation works out a little better if you have multiple policies but I have no idea how this works. I used to get $20-50 for single auto and renters insurance, and this is my first year having 2 auto's and a home on there + flood insurance through them (they're just the intermediary for FEMA though, so they probably don't see much of the cash).
An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered. -- GK Chesterton
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dphmd
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Post by dphmd »

tdhg566 wrote:
klneutral wrote:They have given me quotes on auto and homeowners insurance over probably the last 20 years and have not once been competitive with other companies, so I have never purchased from them. I think military officers get around 20% kickback each year and that is about what it would have taken to make them competitive. If I got the deal the officers get, I'd probably be insured by them.
Interesting experiences you recount. In my 40 years with USAA, I've lost count of the number of offers to quote insurance I've received. When I tell them I'm with USAA, the agent quickly disappears. Yes I am a vet officer, but I never consider my SSA account (the kickback as you call it) in my calculations. It's not guaranteed, depending on their profitability each year (somewhat akin to shareholder dividends).

I personally will never buy insurance from anyone else if it's a type sold by USAA.
My experience as well. Just for kicks, I randomly get quotes from the competition just to be sure I'm getting the best deal, but no one else can beat them. Plus, their routine service (policy changes, bill payments, etc.) is way above what I have had with other companies.

I, too, am a former officer, but the only "kickback" I receive is through the Subscriber Savings Account. Since I only get a small dividend every year, it doesn't add up to much. Plus, I wasn't under the impression that the SSA was limited to officers.
Discipline is freedom.
pastafarian
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Post by pastafarian »

klneutral wrote:I do some business with USAA and think they are a good strong outfit, although I am not nearly as impressed with their efficiency and trained repesentatives as with Vanguard.
They've been great to me for over 30 years.
I think military officers get around 20% kickback each year and that is about what it would have taken to make them competitive. If I got the deal the officers get, I'd probably be insured by them.
20% kickback?:roll: We are fortunate enough to have Subscriber's Accounts; for whatever reasons this benefit was not extended when USAA membership was expanded. Expansion was a good thing IMO.
How does the Subscriber's Account balance increase?
This is not a bank account where a member can make deposits Rather, based on the amount of income earned during the year, the USAA Board of Directors may allocate funds to the Subscriber's Accounts the following February The amount of allocation to an individual Subscriber's Account depends on the member's existing Subscriber's Account balance and the amount of premiums that the member paid the prior year for his/her auto and property insurance.
A portion of the Subscriber's Account is distributed to members. My SA distribution has been running about 5% for the last 20 years. Likewise my SA accumulations have been in the single digits.
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Post by pastafarian »

dphmd wrote: I wasn't under the impression that the SSA was limited to officers.
From a thread last Dec...I posted a reply from USAA
We received your message regarding eligibility for a Subscriber's Account.

Subscriber's Accounts apply only to policies issued by the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) and not by any affiliated insurer. Subscriber's Accounts do not apply to policies written by other USAA affiliated companies including USAA Limited (LTD), USAA Casualty Insurance Company (CIC), USAA County Mutual Insurance Company (USCM), USAA General Indemnity Company (GIC), Garrison Property and Casualty Company (GAR) and USAA Texas Lloyd's Company; to policies written through the General Agency; or to business assigned/accepted because of state insurance plans.

For instance, current or former enlisted personnel typically have their auto insurance provided by the USAA Casualty Insurance Company (CIC), USAA County Mutual Insurance Company (USCM),USAA General Indemnity Company (GIC), or Garrison Property and Casualty Company (GAR). As such, they would not eligible for a Subscriber's Account. However, they may be eligible for the Automobile Insurance Dividend.

We hope that this sufficiently addresses your inquiry. Should you require additional assistance, you are welcome to respond to this message. You may also contact us by phone at 1-800-531-USAA (8722).

We value your business and the opportunity to serve all your financial needs.

Thank you,
Monica Gentry
USAA
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dphmd
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Post by dphmd »

pastafarian wrote:
dphmd wrote: I wasn't under the impression that the SSA was limited to officers.
From a thread last Dec...I posted a reply from USAA
We received your message regarding eligibility for a Subscriber's Account.

Subscriber's Accounts apply only to policies issued by the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) and not by any affiliated insurer. Subscriber's Accounts do not apply to policies written by other USAA affiliated companies including USAA Limited (LTD), USAA Casualty Insurance Company (CIC), USAA County Mutual Insurance Company (USCM), USAA General Indemnity Company (GIC), Garrison Property and Casualty Company (GAR) and USAA Texas Lloyd's Company; to policies written through the General Agency; or to business assigned/accepted because of state insurance plans.

For instance, current or former enlisted personnel typically have their auto insurance provided by the USAA Casualty Insurance Company (CIC), USAA County Mutual Insurance Company (USCM),USAA General Indemnity Company (GIC), or Garrison Property and Casualty Company (GAR). As such, they would not eligible for a Subscriber's Account. However, they may be eligible for the Automobile Insurance Dividend.

We hope that this sufficiently addresses your inquiry. Should you require additional assistance, you are welcome to respond to this message. You may also contact us by phone at 1-800-531-USAA (8722).

We value your business and the opportunity to serve all your financial needs.

Thank you,
Monica Gentry
USAA
Interesting. I guess I should be grateful for my kickback. :)
Discipline is freedom.
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enderw88
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Post by enderw88 »

AAA insurance called me a while back asking me to take a survey about car insurance, including lots of "would you switch to us if.." questions. When I told them my current carrier was USAA the guy said, "Well I know where this is going, you guys never switch"...

I have had to use them a few times in the last ten years and everything was much better than I would have hoped (State Farm previously was laughably bad). I may be able to save some money going elsewhere, but if I need the insurance I don't want hassles at what will already be a high stress time.
Craig | Tucson, AZ
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archbish99
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Post by archbish99 »

Yeah -- I'm willing to look elsewhere for savings and investing, but not insurance or checking. Go with USAA if you're eligible.

(Of course, my wife isn't willing to look elsewhere for savings either, which is why we're still getting <.02% interest.)

They re-evaluate your insurance each period based on your claims history (among other things), and our rates have been significantly lower than anyone else who's ever quoted us anything. Currently $341 per six months for two people and one car.
Topic Author
Jax84
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USAA

Post by Jax84 »

Thanks to all who responded. I have decided to go with USAA even though their quote was not the lowest, but I will check again in six months.

Jax84
jaxxmjd
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Post by jaxxmjd »

I'm surprised that their quote was not the lowest. I've checked many times over the years that I've been a member and have not been able to find quotes that are even close to USAA.

I'm not implying that you didn't do your due diligence, but are you sure all of the quotes were based on the same amounts of coverage and deductibles?
crumbgrabber
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Post by crumbgrabber »

I am grandfathered into USAA through my grandfather (surprise), and I have been extremely happy with them. However, USAA's auto insurance rates are definitely NOT competitive in our area. We use GEICO which costs about half as much as USAA for the same coverage. I run new quotes about once a year, because I really do like USAA, but so far they have not been close. We currently have life insurance, renter's insurance, and a checking account through USAA.

USAA has the best checking account available, IMHO.
InvisibleManWalkingDrunk
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Re: USAA Great Banking but CRAPPPPPPPY Insurance

Post by InvisibleManWalkingDrunk »

Well he the USAA person (I cannot think of his title) but he works with as in cordinating the repairs.....and since we had numerous problems he became a little more involved.

I cannot find the paper work to see what repairs they did on the brakes or brake system after we received the car in the "fixed" state, but it only took about a 100 yard drive to nearly rear end someone.....the automtive shop told USAA what was wrong would not have happened from the accident. So we had an insurance rep trying to give me a break down on the car underside. The brakes were repaired and unsure of what they did but after I dropped the car off for the 5th time and almost read ended someone and told them I will not pick it up until is it safe to drive.......which is when the USAA person that is here was involved. for the live of me I cannot think of his title but when another car was broke into he looked at the stero that was taken out and speakers......that was another mess for me USAA was great with that claim.

What happened was a "bag" fell out of a truck in front of me and I ran it over.........I made the mistake of telling USAA it was a bag, so the repair shop said a "bag' would not cause this..........the people could see the tie for the bag it was not like a garbage bag but a very heavy duty bag of some sort..........heavy duty enough to cave in the radiator which they had no problem trying to replace we were back the Saturn about five times. It was a mess!

I do love USAA banking, home loan was a mess since they sent it out to USB. I've had AAA for years and he just said.........I know we cannot touch USAA prices.


jvclark02 wrote:
InvisibleManWalkingDrunk wrote:Hi,

Was involved in a car accident (not at fault), our car 2006 Saturn ION and accident in 2008. Car was supposedly tested by dealership and USAA. Well we picked up car and it had NO breaks. Dealership was a butthead because they said USAA already cleared it, after speaking with USAA I was told the USAA person was not even auth to drive and he said he only drove about TEN FEET in garage!!

In my limited experience with a USAA auto claim, I have never heard of a USAA agent test driving a claimant's car after the repairs.

What repairs were made to the brakes after the driveway incident?
Last edited by InvisibleManWalkingDrunk on Fri Dec 02, 2011 10:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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prudent
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Re: Question re USAA

Post by prudent »

When I became eligible to join USAA through my father, I jumped on insurance quotes. Neither auto nor homeowners were cheaper than what I already had. On the other hand my parents saved hundreds per year on each. No way to predict whether you will save.

Geico customers who change to Progressive save $500 a year. Progressive customers who change to Geico save $500 a year. How can that be? Different locations, different credit scores, different cars, ages, etc. etc. Different insurers rate things differently, which is why it's such a pain to comparison shop, but necessary every few years.
marylandcrab
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Re: Question re USAA

Post by marylandcrab »

Dh is an ex officer and we've banked with them and had insurance with them for over 20 years. I don't believe their auto is the least expensive, and we don't use them currently for that. What I have found weird is their constant evaluation of our homeowners. They've evaluated and re-evaluated the past few years and came up with an extraordinarily high number to rebuild our house. I mean, the land is worth something, and they didn't take that into account. They've come by the house, inspecting inside and out and noting everything from the yard sprinklers to the deck, to everything we did inside. They even asked me how much I paid for our chandelier. We can't get them down on the rebuild cost.
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Marmot
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Re: Question re USAA

Post by Marmot »

We have been with them since 1980 for car and auto. I will never look to any other company.
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Dude2
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Re: Question re USAA

Post by Dude2 »

The irony about USAA is that not all members are equal. I have been a loyal customer since 1984, but I was a dependent and later an enlisted person. I've never been given any opportunity to have my status upgraded, and I assume I never will. The only thing that keeps me from switching to another company is that I consider USAA a "known quantity". I do not have any experience with GEICO, Progressive, AAA, State Farm, or whatever fly-by-night Acme insurance company. When the S hits the fan, I know I can reliably assume USAA will treat me fairly and with respect. Competition needs to make itself as reputable, and then maybe there are many of us that would fly the coop.
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