Good Sam RV Insurance anyone?

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Dallasrules

I have safeco insurance through good sam. I pay an average of $125 / year. I have 4 rvs insured at about $520/ years total. I have never had a major claim, so I can't say how good they are at paying, but Progressive sucks, pardon my language. I had a comprehensive claim when a tree fell on my Jeep wrangler in June and they still haven't paid. Finally in September they paid out their estimated amount of $1500, but the repair shop wrote another $1600 supplemental estimate and no one will even return their calls. I think their strategy is if they ignor you long enough you will go away. I don't even know what to do next.

Very similar experience with their boat insurance...not again.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Dallasrules

I have safeco insurance through good sam. I pay an average of $125 / year. I have 4 rvs insured at about $520/ years total. I have never had a major claim, so I can't say how good they are at paying, but Progressive sucks, pardon my language. I had a comprehensive claim when a tree fell on my Jeep wrangler in June and they still haven't paid. Finally in September they paid out their estimated amount of $1500, but the repair shop wrote another $1600 supplemental estimate and no one will even return their calls. I think their strategy is if they ignor you long enough you will go away. I don't even know what to do next.

This is not "legal advice" but if you're having problems with an insurance company not following the provisions of your policy (and you can reasonably understand those provisions) then either contact a lawyer (many offer "first visit free or we don't get paid unless you get paid)...

Other than that, your only other alternatives are to contact your state insurance commission (Virginia Insurance Commission) or "suck it up and forget about the claim"....

I'd seek legal council or give the state insurance commission internet site a shot: https://gov.sircon.com/consumerPorta...8acSwSRRm6ApSB

[bkorb]

I had Good Sam insurance for a while, and it was pretty high. I switched everything to Hartford through AARP and I'm saving a ton of money, if you are old enough for AARP it's worth looking into.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by Dallasrules

I have safeco insurance through good sam. I pay an average of $125 / year. I have 4 rvs insured at about $520/ years total. I have never had a major claim, so I can't say how good they are at paying, but Progressive sucks, pardon my language. I had a comprehensive claim when a tree fell on my Jeep wrangler in June and they still haven't paid. Finally in September they paid out their estimated amount of $1500, but the repair shop wrote another $1600 supplemental estimate and no one will even return their calls. I think their strategy is if they ignor you long enough you will go away. I don't even know what to do next.

This the problem I would have expected from the online insurance companies, no one to confront in person.

[Gumby52]

Not for nothing, but for years I always dealt with an independent agent for insurance. The agent I used would search for better rates every 3 years because he said the carriers always slowly increase their rates if you don't pay attention. This worked great until he decided to retire and sell his agency.

Since then I've had a few different carriers, Safeco ( a subsidiary of Liberty Mutual) was one of them. Ten years ago this month we had a freak snowstorm that brought a tree down on my trailer and garage. Safeco was very easy to deal with and fast to pay generously for the trailer and the damage to the garage. The rates did start to climb in successive years, but not by large amounts. for the past 8 years I've had Travelers Insurance. Even though I live in the Hartford, CT area and Travelers uses independent agents, I somehow wound up calling their 800 number and dealing directly with their business center that I later found out they are actually in TN.

I do check pricing every couple of years and the Travelers has always come in the cheapest - mind you I do stack policies - 3 vehicles, trailer, home, umbrella and riders. I've been really happy with the service I get from Travelers, whenever I call I always get a real person on the phone - regardless of the time of day or day of the week.

Most recently, I got an invitation to get a quote from Good Sam in the mail. I am a member of Good Sam and even have GS Roadside Assistance. I could even get a free multi tool kit just for getting a quote. Well, I like free and the agent I got was from General, spent approximately 1 hour on the phone comparing my current declarations got a price that was $900/ year more than I am currently paying so I politely declined. The agent was pleasant and said I should receive my free gift within 4 weeks. 8 weeks later I still haven't received my free gift.... just sayin. Was going to call Marcus Lemonis because his signature block always states if your not happy, I'm not happy. Come to find out Good Sam Insurance isn't connected directly to Good Sam and there is no phone number or email to contact.

But just for the record, a quote won't impact your credit score. I have a freeze on my credit and they can't get into it.

Sorry for the long rant, but like I said I like free and it seems I've been cheated out of my free handy dandy toolkit

Now if AARP and The Hartford come through with the 'free' weekend duffel I was promised.....

[flybouy]

The first issue is the "free" statement. It's not free if there are restrictions or terms required. Many years ago I had this discussion with a "barker" in a mall. He walked up to me and said "I'd like to give this free knife set". I took it, said thanks and walked away. He started screaming like a child saying I stole it and mall security showed up. Security agreed with me. The insurance company may send you a "gift" for your trouble hut it won't be free.

[wiredgeorge]

Free? I remember when I was employed by the Fed and lived in the DC area (MD actually), we were offered a free recliner or a free LCD television for listening to a time share spiel. Sat through a couple hours and declined purchase BUT I got my choice of FREE gift. The recliner was a cheap deck chair and the TV (which I selected) looked like a large portable radio with a 1 1/2" screen. Try watching a football game on that; like looking down at ants scurrying around on the ground.

[Gumby52]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Free? I remember when I was employed by the Fed and lived in the DC area (MD actually), we were offered a free recliner or a free LCD television for listening to a time share spiel. Sat through a couple hours and declined purchase BUT I got my choice of FREE gift. The recliner was a cheap deck chair and the TV (which I selected) looked like a large portable radio with a 1 1/2" screen. Try watching a football game on that; like looking down at ants scurrying around on the ground.

ROFL

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Sat through a couple hours and declined purchase BUT I got my choice of FREE gift.

Same story, maybe even the same VA-area timeshare. The premium was a small 12VDC TV, which I thought would be cute for boondocking. What they had on hand turned out to be a small B&W 110VAC TV, pretty much useless for anything. I still have it in my workshop, attached to a "free" government digital tuner.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by Gumby52

ROFL

Oh yeah, I have Hartford via AARP and have insured truck & my wife's Crown Vic for years through them. I added my camper to the auto policy as they don't sell RV specific insurance here in Texas and am a little nervous about what would happen if I needed to file a claim for the RV. The policy doesn't include contents and was told home owners would cover but I have doubts. It is a lot cheaper than Progressive, my previous RV insurer... I did pick up Good Sam Roadside Assistance as Hartford doesn't have that coverage.

[Gumby52]

LHaven and WiredGeorge-
Loved your responses. I remember when I had our pop-up, got a 5" Radio Shack 12v/110 color tv. Boy did I think I was living high on the hog. My how times have changed....

[dutchmensport]

Go to RV,net and go to the Good Sam Insurance link and read the posts there.

Good Sam insurances, RV.net, Camping World, Gander RV (Use to be Gander Mountain), Trailer Life Magazine, Motor Home Magazine, Coast-to-Coast, Good Sam campgrounds, and Good Sam club are all subsidiaries of Good Sam Enterprises.

Their flagship forum site is RV.net. They have a Good Sam insurance forum. I did a search for post in the last 12 months. Although the list is not very long, it might be worth while to read them before proceeding:

Click here.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by dutchmensport

Go to RV,net and go to the Good Sam Insurance link and read the posts there.

Good Sam insurances, RV.net, Camping World, Gander RV (Use to be Gander Mountain), Trailer Life Magazine, Motor Home Magazine, Coast-to-Coast, Good Sam campgrounds, and Good Sam club are all subsidiaries of Good Sam Enterprises.

Their flagship forum site is RV.net. They have a Good Sam insurance forum. I did a search for post in the last 12 months. Although the list is not very long, it might be worth while to read them before proceeding:

Click here.

David, I am aware of the RV.net & Good Sam link. Just thought I would mention that the people who own and moderate that Insurance forum delete posts after answering within a few days. I suspect many posts are from disgruntled customer and it isn't good advertising to leave them up. I am a member there although have not logged on for many many months.

[Falcon67]

Originally Posted by LHaven

Same story, maybe even the same VA-area timeshare. The premium was a small 12VDC TV, which I thought would be cute for boondocking. What they had on hand turned out to be a small B&W 110VAC TV, pretty much useless for anything. I still have it in my workshop, attached to a "free" government digital tuner.

Did that to the "Runaway Bay" people on Lake Bridgeport. Sat through the presentation, took the free food and ride around. Then when they applied the close we were like "We just live 10 minutes from here". Got our TV from the pissed off sales people and left. Not bad to a B&W, used it for a few years as Master Bath Morning TV.

Next flyer that came in the mail had distance restrictions in the fine print.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by LHaven

Same story, maybe even the same VA-area timeshare. The premium was a small 12VDC TV, which I thought would be cute for boondocking. What they had on hand turned out to be a small B&W 110VAC TV, pretty much useless for anything. I still have it in my workshop, attached to a "free" government digital tuner.

I got one of those back in 1970's IIRC during an MPT pledge drive. Used on a 25' cabin cruiser but would run the engine aftr 1/2 hr or so to keep yhe battery up. That znd the 12v dc coffee percolator were real battery killers. Next boat was a 30' Sea Ray with a generator.

[SummitPond]

Originally Posted by vampress_me

We have our camper insured through Good Sam with National General insurance. I can’t say much, except they were one of the few places I found that had full replacement for the camper. State Farm doesn’t offer that, at least in MN. The other company I priced out for full replacement was Farmers (or something like that). A 6 month policy from them would have been $2000 to get the full replacement. The National General full replacement is less than $700. I have never had to try to file a claim through them, since we’ve only had them as insurance for as long as we’ve had the new camper.

The DW is the person responsible for insurance, and she priced a lot of companies and settled on GS (covered through NGI, as noted above). We have a square dancing acquaintance who, while bringing their brand new Airstream home from the dealer a few years ago, was involved in a pile-up on the Interstate that totaled their TT. He said GS insurance bought them a new one with no questions asked. I hope to never test this (or any) part of the policy - but it's insurance, which in my book is legalized gambling.