Personal experience with insurance bundles

[retnasaguy]

FYI
(Note: the following is my personal experience and is not meant to be a guide)

Recently I received a mailer from Good Sam about insurance and since it had been several years since I last compared policies I decided to give them a call.

(Note: for those who don't know, Good Sam doesn't write insurance policies, they just offer this service and ALL policies are actually written by insurance carriers)

The agent I spoke with said he was quoting National General, because I qualified for it. After I provided all the information (apples to apples) on the vehicles (3) he quoted me a figure that was considerably MORE than I am currently paying.

I guess what I would like to pass on to my fellow RV'ers is that when it comes to bundling all your vehicles, including your RV, it pays to shop around.

(This is meant to be informational only, my particular situation may be different than yours)

Cheers

[MSHappyCampers]

That was my experience with GS insurance also! I get the best prices from a local independent insurance agency. They give us an additional discount for having all vehicles insured through them!

[Alan_Hepburn]

We've been with Good Sam for decades - originally through GMAC, now National General. Over the years we've shopped around and have never found a better deal for our RV and our cars. For our motorcycle the best deal we found was Geico, and for our house we have Farmer's but for the motorhome and the 2 Jeeps National General has been the best.

[Dutch Star Don]

I don't consider it bundling when it comes to insurance. I think of bundling as TV, internet and phone service, which often looks good at first, but when they start raising prices, you have no idea what went up.

Personally, my house, cars, boat RV and when we had a RZR and a motorcycle, I always kept them under one company. My RV is parked at home, so if there is an issue with damage, there is no argument if it falls under homeowners or the RV insurance. The same with the RV towing a boat, toad, RZR or motorcycle in a trailer. No argument if there is an accident and who is covering what. I use AAA for everything.

[George Schweikle]

Me, too. Back in the early 1980's I originally had a motorhome insured through Allstate, and Good Sam (then GMAC) was quoted at half my Allstate cost. When queried how this could be so, the agent said their car rates would likely be the same as my other car policies, but their database of RV'ers had a very low accident rate so this allowed them to offer their motorhome policy at such good rates. I have maintained the great rate with National General (Good Sam), but insure my other vehicles through the best individual providers for: 2 Daily driven, 1 Collector vehicle, and 1 race car. The only "bundle" worthwhile is combining my car trailer with the daily driven car policies - but maybe I should review this.

Originally Posted by Alan_Hepburn

We've been with Good Sam for decades - originally through GMAC, now National General. Over the years we've shopped around and have never found a better deal for our RV and our cars. For our motorcycle the best deal we found was Geico, and for our house we have Farmer's but for the motorhome and the 2 Jeeps National General has been the best.

[Old-Biscuit]

I get with an Ins Broker EVERY year just prior to renewal dates and get quotes

Sometimes I stay with current ins company....sometimes I switch

Currently with 'The Buck' (Hartford) and have been for 3 yrs.
No One has come close in premiums/coverage so I am still with them

Prior I was with St. Farm
Great pricing 1st year...2nd yr slight increase. Asked Agent and he stated "Oops a 'discount' was not applied"
3rd yr...pricing went up again...much more this time (No accidents/claims/points etc)
Asked Agent again "That is what it is...BUT if I cancelled He could write me a new policy at a lower rate"
Got quote from Hartford that day....better pricing/more coverage. Bought it
Called up St. Farm Agent and told Him "CANCEL TODAY. Send Refund"

[chunker]

All too often insurance purchases are made based on the cutest commercial or cheapest rate. Service after the sale is somewhat important too, We see many rants on here about RV sales and lack of service after writing the check and driving off the lot. The cheapest insurance policy is pretty useless if they cheap out and don't properly cover a loss. I'm not advocating over paying but I am advocating make sure that the company does have service.

I use USAA which I frankly liked much better when it was a more exclusive company for military officers. At one point they were into just about everything short of selling OUIJI boards. They seemed to have cut back on some of their buying "services" which is fine. Stick to the core business, INSURANCE. When they were just for the officers I felt that their client risk pool was better. Now just about anyone with any ties to the military gets it. Result, rates are higher.

Sorry for the rant but the service is still great. 3 years ago I had a roofer out to give me estimates for a metal roof. While inspecting he told me I had hail damages and should contact insurance. Long story short I did and USAA covered the replacement of a standard shingle and I covered the rest for metal. I've heard from acquaintances that Allstate or State Farm are quick to deny.

Get insurance that covers without a hassle and don't let Flo, an emu, or lizard be the deciding factor.

[Mudfrog]

I always do a bit of comparison shopping at renewal time. There have been a couple of times when bundling (motorhome, cars, house) under one company saved us some money. Unfortunately, those times never lasted long. I think the longest was a couple, maybe three years from Progressive.

Now with the Hartford on motorhome and cars because the premiums were lower than the previous company we had. What I like about them is that the renewal is good for a year, not six months like most companies. Gives us a year before the next premium hike.