Good Sam ESP is a Ripoff
Just got off the phone with these guys. WE had a policy for about 10 months paying $245 per month. In month 5 we had a hydraulic hose failure and a busted cab AC. They authorized the repair for the ho...
Forum Discussion
I have always been skeptical of extended warranties because, routinely, when it comes time to pay, they find weasel words to avoid paying the claim. The description of the Good Sam ESP on their web site was plainly worded and it convinced me to violate my skepticism. I agreed to pay over $1,000/yr for the peace of mind offered by the Good Sam ESP against unforeseen repairs even though my coach is in very good condition. I have never been motivated enough to take the time to write a post on one of these forums, but in this instance, I am very motivated to save someone else much time and hassle.
Heres how it went:
I came back to my coach one evening to find a puddle of dripping sewage on the ground. Mine was suddenly the stinky RV in the park. Opening the basement door in front of the holding tank clearly revealed that my tank had buckled under its own weight causing it to collapse onto a sharp corner of the angle iron that was supporting the tank causing a hole from which sewage was leaking. Whew, I thought, that's going to be expensive to fix. Thank goodness I have the Good Sam ESP. I called customer service and was told that all I had to do was to take the coach to a repair shop for diagnosis and authorization. I did, and shortly after that, I was told by the shop, with no attempt by Good Sam to contact me, that my claim was denied. I called Good Sam and was referred to the Claims department. The policy clearly states the coverage as "Wastewater Systems: ..., Holding Tanks, ..." No weasel words. Very clear. Very reassuring. The claims department informed me that it appeared from the pictures that the tank buckled due to "inadequate support", and the puncture in the tank was from an "outside source". I explained that the tank was installed by the manufacturer when the coach was constructed according to the standards by which RVs are constructed over which, I had no control and I would think that failures within the spectrum of common common RV construction standards would be built into the premium. They said that holding tanks are commonly installed with "inadequate support" and this was a frequent reason for claim denial. I was further told that the bracket that supported the tank was the "outside source". I explained that common English would have me understand an "outside source" to be something "outside" the RV such as damage from a collision, or a tree falling on the coach, etc. Not so by their definition. After spending a week trying to get a return phone call or return email from the claims rep assigned to my case, I called and started from the beginning with a new rep. He gave me the same reasoning and said that once Claims makes a decision, they don't change their minds. I explained to him the peace of mind against costly repairs that was sold to me by the plain language of the policy both on the website and in the actual written policy without technical loopholes. He told me that was a "common misconception" about the ESP policy and said there were many things that aren't covered. I asked him if he understood that my "misconception" was acquired through the language that Good Sam used to sell the policy. He asked me if I understood that Good Sam was a different company. Huh?! I said. He explained that Good Sam simply sells the policy, but claims are subcontracted out to an insurance company. He said that he has no control over the language used by Good Sam to sell the policy. I asked him if he understood that despite that internal organization of the company, I am a customer of Good Sam both when the policy was sold and when it is serviced despite where my call is transferred when I have a problem. He coldly reiterated that they are two separate companies and it was unreasonable of me to expect his company to honor the language that was used to sell me the $1,100 policy. Wow! Strange universe! I thought I could get satisfaction by calling Good Sam and reporting the situation and the customer service that I was receiving from their contractor. The Customer Service rep told me the best he could do was to transfer me back to the Claims department. I asked what the refund policy was and I was told my only option was a prorated refund of unused months and a $50 cancellation charge. So I've been paying for this policy for months, they refuse to honor a pretty straight forward claim, and if I wish to cancel, they will charge me for the privilege. If you have made it to the end of this post, I hope my comments will save you the hassle and expense that I have endured in what I believe was a complete waste of my very hard earned money on what is a very typical extended warranty.
Heres how it went:
I came back to my coach one evening to find a puddle of dripping sewage on the ground. Mine was suddenly the stinky RV in the park. Opening the basement door in front of the holding tank clearly revealed that my tank had buckled under its own weight causing it to collapse onto a sharp corner of the angle iron that was supporting the tank causing a hole from which sewage was leaking. Whew, I thought, that's going to be expensive to fix. Thank goodness I have the Good Sam ESP. I called customer service and was told that all I had to do was to take the coach to a repair shop for diagnosis and authorization. I did, and shortly after that, I was told by the shop, with no attempt by Good Sam to contact me, that my claim was denied. I called Good Sam and was referred to the Claims department. The policy clearly states the coverage as "Wastewater Systems: ..., Holding Tanks, ..." No weasel words. Very clear. Very reassuring. The claims department informed me that it appeared from the pictures that the tank buckled due to "inadequate support", and the puncture in the tank was from an "outside source". I explained that the tank was installed by the manufacturer when the coach was constructed according to the standards by which RVs are constructed over which, I had no control and I would think that failures within the spectrum of common common RV construction standards would be built into the premium. They said that holding tanks are commonly installed with "inadequate support" and this was a frequent reason for claim denial. I was further told that the bracket that supported the tank was the "outside source". I explained that common English would have me understand an "outside source" to be something "outside" the RV such as damage from a collision, or a tree falling on the coach, etc. Not so by their definition. After spending a week trying to get a return phone call or return email from the claims rep assigned to my case, I called and started from the beginning with a new rep. He gave me the same reasoning and said that once Claims makes a decision, they don't change their minds. I explained to him the peace of mind against costly repairs that was sold to me by the plain language of the policy both on the website and in the actual written policy without technical loopholes. He told me that was a "common misconception" about the ESP policy and said there were many things that aren't covered. I asked him if he understood that my "misconception" was acquired through the language that Good Sam used to sell the policy. He asked me if I understood that Good Sam was a different company. Huh?! I said. He explained that Good Sam simply sells the policy, but claims are subcontracted out to an insurance company. He said that he has no control over the language used by Good Sam to sell the policy. I asked him if he understood that despite that internal organization of the company, I am a customer of Good Sam both when the policy was sold and when it is serviced despite where my call is transferred when I have a problem. He coldly reiterated that they are two separate companies and it was unreasonable of me to expect his company to honor the language that was used to sell me the $1,100 policy. Wow! Strange universe! I thought I could get satisfaction by calling Good Sam and reporting the situation and the customer service that I was receiving from their contractor. The Customer Service rep told me the best he could do was to transfer me back to the Claims department. I asked what the refund policy was and I was told my only option was a prorated refund of unused months and a $50 cancellation charge. So I've been paying for this policy for months, they refuse to honor a pretty straight forward claim, and if I wish to cancel, they will charge me for the privilege. If you have made it to the end of this post, I hope my comments will save you the hassle and expense that I have endured in what I believe was a complete waste of my very hard earned money on what is a very typical extended warranty.
