USAA, impressed

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Originally Posted by Grime

Some of my buddies have complained about USAA, and one even left them because they aren't as competitively priced as they used to be. In the 25+ years I've been with them, they have been fantastic.

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Used to be with State Farm but my wife does not have a great driving record and in her last accident seven years ago State Farm called to tell me they were dropping her. They wanted to keep me but at my new rate of $250 a month and the best we could find was about $300-$350 a month for my wife everywhere else. Another veteran told me to check USAA and they got us fully covered at the time for around $275 a month. Yes it was a steep increase from what I was paying, but a lot better than what anyone else would do. I've been happy with them. Wife's car totaled from hail in 2018. They came to the house to appraise the car and then scheduled a pickup, I didn't have to do anything. My roof was destroyed from hail in 2019 and the process to get it replaced was extremely easy. Got the check directly to me and I paid the bills with it rather than having it sent to all the third parties involved. That really upset the mortgage company.

Just checked Progressive and it's an automatic 20% discount for April and May (currently).

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Originally Posted by Grime

Some of my buddies have complained about USAA, and one even left them because they aren't as competitively priced as they used to be. In the 25+ years I've been with them, they have been fantastic.

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When I took my truck to the bodyshop, they said USAA was hands down the best carrier to work with and took care of the insured the best. I've never had any issues with Progressive and have had a few claims.

I let USAA quote when I got an auto loan pre-approval and they couldn't come close to what I'm getting as a 15 year Progressive customer. I did not end up using USAA for the loan, got a better rate with my preferred bank.

I did get a $1,000 incentive out of the auto deal just letting them gen a lead through truecar as I've had an member account (no services) setup with them for over 60 days.

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Originally Posted by Grime

Some of my buddies have complained about USAA, and one even left them because they aren't as competitively priced as they used to be. In the 25+ years I've been with them, they have been fantastic.

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I've had insurance agents cold call me and hang up after finding out that I was with USAA, saying they couldn't compete (both State Farm and GEICO). However, the last time that happened was over a decade ago.

It's not all about the premium though -- what I find is that USAA charges premiums they think they can live with and still cover you. Other insurance companies will charge a lower premium to try to get your money then attempt to weasel out or at least knock down what they have to pay out if/when you need to make a claim. That can include substituting parts or going with a mandated service provider -- USAA keeps telling me they want me to be satisfied so while they will suggest service providers, they're happy for me to choose the one I want.

I would say 75% or more of the times I've made a claim (something like 5 or 6 times over the years), the USAA adjuster has found stuff to fix the vendor missed (body work or replacement items on the car, additional windows or hail damage on the house, etc.). It's always funny when the guy trying to sell you his service scratches his head and says the USAA estimate was higher because they found additional things.

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Originally Posted by BushMasterBoy

They let British Airways bill me twice for one round trip ticket I have been battling USAA for 40 days and have received half a refund. I'm not impressed at all. Beware of airlines trying to over charge. Beware of USAA being less sympathetic to shady airlines during this crisis.

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There must be something else going on with BMB's case. What he relates is just a polar opposite to my 30+ year experience (and my father's 50+ year experience) with them. I'm not saying BMB is wrong or lying, just that there must be some information about the case or aspect to it that we're missing. The airlines can't charge you twice for the same ticket but they CAN charge more than once for the same TRIP if you make last minute changes or if you purchase a replacement ticket for one that's voided (e.g., for not showing up for a leg by check-in time). If the flight was canceled due to the Wuhan Coronavirus, both DOT and the EU are requiring the airlines to refund canceled tickets.

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What he relates is just a polar opposite to my 30+ year experience (and my father's 50+ year experience) with them.

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I was thinking the same. I spoke to my Dad, and he agrees that USAA has treated him wonderfully through many claims spanning 50+ years. I wonder if some people just happen upon the new or grumpy rep that just doesn't know or care.

I've had USAA quote my auto insurance several times. Always WAY higher than GEICO...even when we had USAA homeowners. Had homeowner's with them for one year. Terrible, terrible experience. I have had two auto loans with them and had great experiences both times. After the divorce my ex re-fi'd our/her house with them...she wasn't happy at all due to non-existent communications from them as to the status of the loan process.

So for us/me, it's been a mixed a bag.

My best insurance experience by far has been with Country Financial on both home and auto. Unfortunately they can't help me where I am now. GEICO has been a close second...but I hear so many people say they've had bad luck with them, too.

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Originally Posted by Bailey Guns

I've had USAA quote my auto insurance several times. Always WAY higher than GEICO...even when we had USAA homeowners. Had homeowner's with them for one year. Terrible, terrible experience. I have had two auto loans with them and had great experiences both times. After the divorce my ex re-fi'd our/her house with them...she wasn't happy at all due to non-existent communications from them as to the status of the loan process.

So for us/me, it's been a mixed a bag.

My best insurance experience by far has been with Country Financial on both home and auto. Unfortunately they can't help me where I am now. GEICO has been a close second...but I hear so many people say they've had bad luck with them, too.

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I had progressive for my motorcycle, and they were ok, but they have/had a deal through USAA. I have taken quotes from Geico and State Farm in the past, but they could not offer as good of coverage for the money. Perhaps it being quite a few years since that has happened,things have truly changed.

Guess they are like every other business; good for some, bad for others.

I had GEICO for motorcycle insurance...they were OK. Then I got a quote from the Harley insurance people and it was half of the GEICO premium for more coverage and lower deductible. Gotta go with what works.

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Originally Posted by Grime

I had progressive for my motorcycle, and they were ok, but they have/had a deal through USAA. I have taken quotes from Geico and State Farm in the past, but they could not offer as good of coverage for the money. Perhaps it being quite a few years since that has happened,things have truly changed.

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Before USAA had an official relationship with Progressive, they were willing to give me a quote for motorcycle insurance but the rep I spoke with said she would recommend I go with a company that specialized in offering motorcycle insurance like Progressive. When I asked her why they even offered it then, she said some members really wanted the convenience of dealing with a single insurance company or were overseas and obtaining insurance was difficult so it was offered solely as a convenience. Some years later, USAA solidified an official relationship with Progressive and reduces rates so I moved my policy from a Denver agent to my USAA account.

I have found USAA's credit cards to be acceptable, not the absolute best for people that like to "earn points" or whatever by credit card churning but definitely on level with or a little better than Discover. Their investment products tend to be stable and solid but not very exciting and they've never been competitive for me on mortgages.

I just don't understand BMB's experience.

I bought a round trip ticket from Denver to London for $2K. On the return leg, British Airways said I had cancelled my flight. I did not cancel the flight.
They wanted another $2K to fly me back to Denver. So I paid it thinking I could sort it out with USAA credit card when I got home. USAA has only credited half my original fare, AND told me tough shit. If I knew they were all going to rip me off, I would have taken a US Air Force KC-135 back to the USA. I would have probably had the plane to myself. Most of the KC-135 crews could be found in the enlisted club at the base I was staying. The KC-135 flights are way faster than the commercial flights and since you leave from a military base, there is no TSA! No groping!

MORALE OF THE STORY: Don't use BA or USAA ever again. They will NOT help during a crisis of a pandemic. The US Air Force was great. The facilities were great. The US Air Force even treated me at their hospital and pharmacy over seas.