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USAA Auto Insurance Review

by Matt Scherer
(Scherer Communications)

I wanted to give USAA Auto Insurance a good review.

I had an accident in December where I was hurt enough that I had to miss two days. My carrier, USAA, was great in taking care of the Personal Injury Protection coverage and the claim.

They then subrogated it with the other insurance carrier as the other driver had full liability for causing the accident.

I was happy with the results.

Comments for
USAA Auto Insurance Review

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USAA Insurance Company NEW
by: Angie

Matt,

Thanks for the review on USAA Auto Insurance. I am glad to hear that your accident wasn't more serious. A couple of days off work could have been so much worse.

It's good to know that USAA Insurance paid up without any troubles for you and took care of all the details of getting the settlement from the other insurer.

Car insurance companies have earned a bad reputation from some that really try to keep from paying out on the policies. Maybe with enough good reviews by happy customers they can turn that around.

Here's hoping...

USAA Claims NEW
by: Colonel Huitte L Taylor

I am very disappointed with USAA Auto Insurance.

I have been a member of USAA Ins for 40 years and now I am being dropped from insurance coverage! This stems from how claims and damage to my vehicle were assessed and adjustments made. All was based on how a service writer/repair shop submitted the report.

I had two vehicles insured with USAA Ins. and want to insure a third, but they canceled that vehicle and dropped the other two that are insured.

This really give me issues with the USAA Car Insurance Company. The main situation is that I never had an accident in either vehicle.

USAA Insurance Review Takes Plunge NEW
by: Angie

Colonel,

I'm appalled to hear how badly you were treated by USAA auto insurance! Have you tried talking to some other USAA Insurance agent in the company? With your history as a customer it's practically criminal to take the action they have.

I'd be sorely tempted to contact the insurance board for your state and file a complaint. Insurance companies get away with far too much in my opinion.

I'm not saying they are all bad, of course, but sometimes the conduct is simply unacceptable.

I'd suggest you get some free online insurance quotes and see if you can't find a company that does want your business and at a savings to what you've been paying.

If you tell them you want to insure three vehicles, you should wind up with some pretty good rates, especially since you said you haven't had an accident in 40 years! :-)

All the best to you,
Angie

USAA Casualty Insurance NEW
by: Anonymous

Time for a new insurance company and a lawyer!

I've have been a USAA Casualty Insurance member for 8 years and now that I've finally had an accident it's like I'm an outsider.

Unfortunately for me, the person who hit me is also with USAA Ins. and the other driver's adjuster refuses to do the right thing. My adjuster refuses to take my calls.

So my experience has gone down the drain. All those that have heard good things (I was in that boat) should beware. When push comes to shove USAA Insurance are in a business and will do what is best for them.

However, that leaves me with the medical bills, lost wages, car repairs, rental car, and the whole kit and caboodle.

USAA Insurance Claim NEW
by: Angie

Do you have more than liability coverage on your USAA insurance policy? If so, don't give up without a fight.

Regardless of whether or not you were at fault in the accident, if you have comprehensive and collision coverage, USAA is obliged to pay based on the amount of coverage you have.

If you are not satisfied with the service of the adjuster that has been assigned to you, and you can't get satisfaction over the phone, why don't you go in and speak to a USAA agent in person and insist that you get some help.

If worse comes to worse, you can get an independent adjuster who is not directly working for USAA Casualty. He or she may be more willing to help you get the results you are entitled to.

Read about accident auto claim injury insurance and an auto insurance claim settlement. Be sure not to sign any settlement papers until you are satisfied.

Unfortunately, if you do NOT have USAA Insurance coverage beyond liability, and you have no way of showing that you were not at fault (police report, witnesses, etc.) you are going to have to suffer the loss out of your own pocket.

I wish you all the best in getting this sorted out.

Assumptions and insurance fraud NEW
by: Anonymous

My daughter was in an accident 5 years ago. 3 years 11 months and two weeks after that accident we are being sued for $400K.

She did not get a ticket but was 17 at the time and turning left, stopped in the intersection adjacent to a school because children were crossing the crosswalk. Some 20 seconds after stopping she is sideswiped by the plaintiff who had just dropped her daughter off for preschool cheer leading practice at that same school. USAA assumed she was at fault and paid to have the other vehicle repaired.

The deputy in his deposition states that my daughter was stopped partway thru the turn waiting on the children in the cross walk when she was hit. The deputy does not know of his own knowledge how long Chris was stopped before impact.

Much of the plaintiff's testimony confirms Chris's story. Much of the plaintiff’s recollection of events at the accident scene are provably wrong. We find from medical depositions that the plaintiff is opiate dependant and has uncontrolled MS with symptoms that make her a hazard on the road. (there are multiple accidents) Plaintiff claims that Chris was stopped but turned in front of her without looking as the last child reached the sidewalk. Plaintiff does not know where Chris was stopped or how fast Chris was moving when she hit Chris.

Plaintiff denied injury at the accident scene.

Chris heard the woman on the phone after the accident talking to her husband stating: "I can't believe this is happening again".

I was called to the accident scene by my daughter. No one appeared to be injured and the other vehicle, a large new black SUV with 3 cow catcher bumper bars along the front had just scratches to the side of the black passenger side bumper and the center bar of the bumper protector had a slight bend to the rear. The Sable my daughter was driving suffered extensive damage to the side from the bars on the SUV sliding down the side of the Sable and black paint from the bumper was left on the side of her passenger rear tire and rim. This paint across the rim of the Sable tire confirms a very slow to stopped speed at impact.

The plaintiff gave her insurance card to the deputy who did not confirm the VIN number. I find 8 months after the suit was filed when looking at a photo provided by the lawyers that the vehicle claimed as impacting the Sable is blue not black and does not have those bumper bars.

I am not believed when I call the lawyers or USAA.

USAA Auto Insurance Company NEW
by: Angie

I'm really saddened to hear of your situation. There ought to be some limit as to how long people have to file a lawsuit after such an accident.

It seems to me that by waiting until so long, it is almost impossible to defend yourself unless a very thorough report was made at the time.

I hope others reading your story will make a point to print out the Accident Auto Insurance Report - Steps To Follow If You Are In An Accident and keep a copy in every car glove box.

Any accident is very unsettling. It's hard to remember what all needs to be done to protect yourself against future false claims.

If you have a list to follow, you will be much better prepared, even when you aren't thinking straight.

These days, most people seem to carry cell phones with cameras. If you are one of the last hold-outs, like me, keep a disposable camera in your glove box, too, so you can take photos right there and then.

If Chris had known and been prepared to do that at the time, you would be able to prove that the plaintiff is making false claims.

If you aren't getting satisfaction from your USAA Insurance Agent or Representative and feel they are patronizing you or not taking your side seriously, try to get a different agent who you feel more comfortable with.

I sincerely wish you all the best in regard to this situation. It's a nasty one, for sure. May the Lord let the truth be made known, one way or another!

Safe Driving!

follow up NEW
by: Anonymous

The USAA agent and Lawyer have been professional. The problem is the accident reconstructionist hired by USAA. We lucked out and very good pictures of both the Jeep and Sable are available. The Jeep can be shown from damage to have been moving in reverse with wheels turned left and impacted a guardrail and support post on the right. The Sable has very obvious damage that can be easily seen to be due to bars running down the side.

And you are right, I had an accident some 6 months after being served for the one Chris had and forewarned I took pictures with my cell phone. The Deputy made assumtions as to my position at impact and would not listen to my side. The other driver lied at the accident scene, lied at traffic court and because he did not know I took pictures and could prove my rear tire was on the yellow line when it was hit I caught him lying under oath. I taped his statements at traffic court and could prove the lie. I took him to small claims court, proved he was at fault and got a judgement against him. That judgement stopped further claims against me (he had hired Morgan and Morgan and was asking for $200K for injuries to his neck and arm.) He told one doctor that he had been rear ended and another doctor he t-boned me as I had stopped in the middle of his right of way. Again, no insuries were claimed at the scene. This was a glancing sideswipe impact with skid marks from panic stop braking starting about 12 feet after impact extending for about 20 feet. So impact drag loss was minimal.

second opinion in fraud-vehicle switch NEW
by: Anonymous

Angie; Is there someone I can contact at USAA that can look at the pictures of the Jeep and Sable. There is damage that obviously can not happen in an impact between these two vehicles. I need a second opinion.

This does not require an expert, just someone with some real world knowledge of vehicles.

USAA Adjuster? NEW
by: Angie

That's a good question. They certainly should have someone, particularly in the claims department, who would have general knowledge of accident characteristics.

Have you asked the agent or lawyer representing you if there is an experienced USAA Adjuster who you could approach? If they don't have their own adjusters, but hire the work out, perhaps they can recommend you to one who is considered an 'expert' in the field.

You may be able to get a written sworn statement even if you are unable to get the 'expert' into court for you.

It's got to be in their best interests to help you prove your case/defense.

What a mess! I know this can cause an awful lot of stress on the family. That's not good for your health. I hope you will try your best to not allow this to consume you, as it so easily can.

assumptions and fraud NEW
by: Anonymous

I've asked and both the USAA agent and the lawyer have the "utmost confidence in their expert". They won't even recommend a second.

The retired NY State tropper I worked with has told them that the Jeep could not have impacted the Sable, I have told them and Chris the driver told them. Nothing appears to make a difference to them.

I hired an "expert" and his opinion was even worse. The USAA expert looked at the Sable and got one senario and the expert I hired looked at the Jeep and got another. Neither got it right and both are denying much of the damage as inconvenient as it does not fit with their "assumed" impact senario.

Pay for the fender bender or claim it? NEW
by: Skye

Dear Angie,

You seem to know a bit about USAA. My husband has had 2 fender benders in the last few months (bumped a tree and slid into a friend on the ice), and he just added another: scraped the side of a friend's car in our driveway.

We don't have an estimate on the damage yet, but we were wondering if, after claiming the accident, our premiums will definitely go up at this point (and how much) or if there's a chance we'll get dropped. If so, we'll probably just pay for it out of our pockets.

The USAA rep couldn't give me any clues as to what would happen to our membership. Do you have any examples of people in this situation?

Thanks!!

Pay or File a Claim NEW
by: Angie

Hi Skye,

It's really hard to say what USAA will do. If your own USAA agent won't help you to determine your options, that's pretty sad. Makes me wonder if they even have a set policy that they follow or if they just make a determination on a case by case basis.

What's your deductible? Is it per claim or per year? That may be another factor to consider in whether you should just pay or file a claim.

Since this is your hubby's third accident this year (and it sounds like you DID file on the first two) I would think you might be better off paying out of pocket than filing for this third one.

Hopefully, if it's just a scrape it won't be too costly. In spite of the dreadful economy at the moment, you don't want to be dropped from your insurer.

It's better to stick with your policy and opt for a different insurer down the road on your own terms if you want than to have your policy canceled and have to approach a new insurer with that on your record.

Even though his accidents may be considered minor, the frequency (and being dropped) could place you in a high risk category and your new premiums would be steep.

Get your estimate and then make a decision based on all the information you have to consider.

Sorry I can't tell you exactly what USAA would do in your particular situation. I honestly just don't know! :)

Auto Insurance went up NEW
by: Carlos

I have been with USAA since 1998, and I loved their customer service, it is the best, the customer service representative make you feel like they really care about you. After I bought a house I got my home owner insurance with them too. But, USAA has increased my premium 2 times in a row for no reason, to include my auto and home owners insurance. I'm in the process of going with another auto insurance company (Armed Forces Insurance or Geico) who ever provides me with a lower premium.

Tell USAA That They Are Losing You NEW
by: Angie

Did you tell your USAA Auto Insurance agent that you were shopping around for a better price because of their rise in premiums?

They may be willing to lower your rates back down in order to keep a long-time customer. I would get the free car insurance quotes from the other auto insurance companies and then speak to your local agent to tell them what prices you were quoted.

You may not have to switch after all. :)

Assumptions and Fraud NEW
by: Anonymous

The solution to my situation unfortunately is to change insurance companies. I am no longer insured by USAA.

The final straws, the USAA lawyer was editing summaries to the USAA rep. For instance the plaintiff's doctor stated that plaintiff was opiate dependant and confirmed when asked that she should only need something like asprin occasionaly for pain. This is about as far as a professional can go in stating that his patient is addicted to opiates. The USAA lawyer changes "opiates" to "taking more medicine than he would like". Plaintiff went sailboating 2 weeks after the accident in a heavly traffic intercoastal waterway and got a 2nd degree sunburn. Following waves from boats passing a slow sailboat would cause the saiboat to rock severely. This would be agony for someone who has a neck injury, no mention of neck pain during the doctors visit for 2nd degree sunburn the next day. This was changed to the water was calm. And the kicker: The last photo requested from plaintiff which again shows in your face proof using paint transfers that the Jeep was moving backwards confirming the other 5 points was held back more than 30 days and was not provided to the expert even though I requested it 2 weeks before the phone conference with the expert.

USAA rep is happy with both the expert and lawyer even when informed of the above. This goes beyond incompetence and would tend to indicate criminal behaviour. How can plaintiff's lawyer knowingly submit a suit with the wrong vehicle and have a belief that this will not be discovered???

I had to demand by certified letter that we be provided all information discovered by USAA. Due to this the picture of the other vehicle I had been requesting from USAA for over a year was finally provided and I discovered the vehicle switch. Why was this not provided when I requested it from USAA just after the suit was filed?

I discovered when submitting a report for perjury and insurance fraud to the local police department that USAA could have submitted a request for plaintiffs credit card records and thus find where she rented the black SUV. This was not done! WHY

I have submitted my concerns to the CEO of USAA and it is being looked at.

New Driver, No Fault Claim NEW
by: DRG

Hi,

My Daughter (16yrs) left the grocery store today to see a vehicle leaving a parking spot in front of our car. Apparently it had hit our Mini Cooper causing damage to the hood, grill, and additional trim.

She wasn't sure at first if a collision had actually occurred and did not get the other driver's information or license plate number.

I tend to believe that this wasn't her "fault" but I'm hesitant to make a claim on a brand new driver.

Our collision deductible is $200.00. We haven't spoken to a repair shop yet but I'd be really surprised if the repair was less than $1500.00.

Any thoughts about whether this claim would affect our premiums while she establishes her driving record?

Thanks!

Claim Affecting Insurance Premiums NEW
by: Angie

Hi DRG,

This situation could go either way. I'm inclined to think that your daughter's insurance rates would go up as a result of this incident.

If your daughter's story is true about someone damaging the car while she wasn't even in it, the resulting premium hike is completely unfair. Unfortunately, insurance is often unfair!

It's a real shame that she didn't get the license plate and make and model of the other car so that she could report the incident to the police and have them investigate (assess damage to the other driver's car, etc.).

You would then be able to go after them for the damages and try to keep your daughter's driving record clean.

As the situation stands, you'll have to weigh out the possible (probable) rate increase over the next few years against the cost of the repair to your vehicle. Which scenario will work more in your favor?

Are you on friendly terms with your USAA Auto Insurance agent? Can you speak to them "off the record" to see what they expect would happen in this situation?

If not, I would still call the company (anonymously) :) and present them with a "hypothetical situation." Ask them what the normal consequences would be in a case like that and then make your judgment call.

I hope it works out for you. Incidentally, have you asked the shopping center if they have any security cameras (video footage) of their parking lot? It doesn't hurt to try. It could make a big difference for you.

Let us know what you end up doing.
Safe Driving!
Angie

USAA disappointment NEW
by: Anonymous

Had USAA for 3 years after my first accident had the same problem other customers seem to have adjuster would not answer phone calls and it took me a month and a half to get my car back.....they may have cheap coverage but i guess you get what you pay for

Horrible Service NEW
by: John Remonde Jones

I never thought I would ever say this but USAA has lost all faith that i had in them. My vehicle was involved in a accident. Long story short 5 months later over 10,000 dollars in damage my car still isnt totaled. Now my car has a engine problem and usaa still is deciding to go through with repairs that will take the damage repairs over the value of the car. There rationale behind it is that my friend drove the car 3 to 5 miles afer the accident which caused additonal damage. USAA does not care about anyone but themselfs.

Hit By A USAA Driver NEW
by: Anonymous

I had an accident with a USAA driver about 2 months ago,She hit me head on, she admitted it was her fault and witnesses and the police said that it was her fault, there was over 6,000 dollars in damage to my car, I suffered a sprained shoulder, missed 5 days of work and still taking a pain killer every night, and my daughter 12yrs old hurt her lower back and was in bed for 4 days after.

The claims adjuster who I was dealing with originally offered me $750 and my daughter $500 and when I declined the offer (BECAUSE ITS VERY UNFAIR) she asked me to send our medical records on August 30th, 2010, after that I havent heard from her she dose not return my calls, she recently sent a letter stating that she needed more information. I called 3 times to see what infomation she needed still no return calls.

I really dont want to get a lawyer but if I dont hear from her soon I have no choice.

USAA Auto Insurance Review NEW
by: Angie

You're right. It is completely unfair the way some insurance representatives treat their clients or victims of accidents.

No one likes to have to get a lawyer to get justice, but if you can't get fair compensation any other way, I would say don't hesitate to try to find the best car accident lawyer in your area and ask for a free evaluation of your case.

Quite often you can get a lawyer to take your case on a no-win, no-fee basis.

Let us know how it all works out for you!

USAA Claim Process NEW
by: Anonymous

I've been with USAA since I started driving almost 20 years ago. I had a claim probably 15 years ago and the service was great. However I've recently had a claim and the service has been so terrible I'm seriously looking at changing providers. Honestly I've never considered a different provider since I was so happy with the service but my latest experience has drastically changed my opinion. Basically I was hit by somebody in the Home Depot parking lot who is uninsured and was driving and apparently borrowed car. I had recorded the license plate and knew where the guy worked and provided this information to USAA. Everytime I call, which has been several times at this point, I get a different person on the phone and have to explain the situation over again. They can't seem to record the story in a fashion that makes it clear to the next person. They did cover the claim however it's a small one and they are just putting zero effort into recovering my $500 deductible. I can't justify paying a premium to USAA at this point and am ready to shop around. I don't know what's going on but the service has dropped off tremendously and I am extremely disappointed.

Check out Cotton States !! HQ - Atlanta NEW
by: Anonymous

Cotton States has very few complaints. Their
auto rates are excellent, rating A+ and you
get a personal agent!! cottonstates.com

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