Good Sam Insurance......good or bad?

[Paul1944]

I'm considering switching my insurance coverage over to Good Sam Insurance, on my two family vehicles and our RV I can save about $400 per year on identical coverage. My only concern is claim service. I would like to hear from anybody who has filed a claim with Good Sam to find out what kind of service you got. Would you recommend GS Insurance? Thanks.

[WTP-GC]

rockhillmanor wrote:

WTP-GC wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:

Just a bit of clarification. Good Sam Insurance is an agency and not the actual insurance company. We place coverage with

IMHO there is NEVER a reason to use a middle man for something as important as insurance. Last thing I want to do is have to go thru a middle man when trying to place a claim. :R

For "me", I want an office in my town of a recognized insurance company that I can go 'straight to' and 'talk to a human' face to face whenever needed. Just saying, still old school and it works best for me.

You know...an agent is still a middle man.

No he is a person that WORKS for that company and is sitting in an office owned by that company. And has a direct line.

What the OP is asking for is a company that sends your policy out to another company NOT owned by the first company who sent it out and b tw gets a kick back for doing so!

They have absolutely NO vital interest in what that company they sent your policy to does or does not do for the owner of a vehicle in case of a claim, yet the customer will be bound to talking to the them. A middle man with NO interest what so ever regarding claims paid out.

There are different types of agents: those who sell a policy for a single company per type of product or those that are independent. Using the very common State Farm as an example, those agents can only sell State Farm policies for whatever product line State Farm authorizes for them. Maybe State Farm doesn't sell homeowners insurance in your state, then that agent can choose to represent other lines. Even they were completely bought and sold by State Farm, the agent is still under the authority of the assigned underwriter. That just happens to be State Farm's local authorized agent. Kind of like a principal car dealership.

Ask your agent who writes his paycheck. Does it come from State Farm or does it come from "Agent's Name" Insurance Co.? Is he on State Farm's payroll or just get commission checks?

(Just using State Farm as an example of course...)

[rockhillmanor]

WTP-GC wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:

Just a bit of clarification. Good Sam Insurance is an agency and not the actual insurance company. We place coverage with

IMHO there is NEVER a reason to use a middle man for something as important as insurance. Last thing I want to do is have to go thru a middle man when trying to place a claim. :R

For "me", I want an office in my town of a recognized insurance company that I can go 'straight to' and 'talk to a human' face to face whenever needed. Just saying, still old school and it works best for me.

You know...an agent is still a middle man.

No he is a person that WORKS for that company and is sitting in an office owned by that company. And has a direct line.

What the OP is asking for is a company that sends your policy out to another company NOT owned by the first company who sent it out and b tw gets a kick back for doing so!

They have absolutely NO vital interest in what that company they sent your policy to does or does not do for the owner of a vehicle in case of a claim, yet the customer will be bound to talking to the them. A middle man with NO interest what so ever regarding claims paid out.

I had just finished restoring a vehicle to show condition when it was t-boned and totaled. Of course they bring up a book value for the 'age' of the vehicle and the pay out was squat.

My agent who lived in my town went to bat for for me and received everything I had put into the car and then some. TRY that with GS who just sent your policy to god knows who and where insurance company.

No one can even get Good Sam/CW to call you back about an order on part to replace a broken piece of trim on an RV, let alone an insurance claim! :B

[zigzagrv]

I have GS/National General insurance. The only time I've had to use it was for replacement of my awning, which got destroyed in a wind storm. Gave them the info on the awning, was asked where I wanted to take it for replacement, and that was it. NO hassle!

[wanderingbob]

I have had Good Sam/National General for over twenty years , two claims , no problems ,They do my truck , auto and TT.

[WTP-GC]

rockhillmanor wrote:

Just a bit of clarification. Good Sam Insurance is an agency and not the actual insurance company. We place coverage with

IMHO there is NEVER a reason to use a middle man for something as important as insurance. Last thing I want to do is have to go thru a middle man when trying to place a claim. :R

For "me", I want an office in my town of a recognized insurance company that I can go 'straight to' and 'talk to a human' face to face whenever needed. Just saying, still old school and it works best for me.

You know...an agent is still a middle man. In fact, they are the absolute definition of a middle man. You're still relying on them to act as an intermediary between you and the principal. A local agent might be good for face-to-face contact, but at the end of the day, they don't set the rates or control the service or pay your loss. They always have to go back to principal for final authority on any significant matter.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with having an agent. In fact, I'd rather have a direct interaction with a local person that I know. But that doesn't mean the agent really carries enough weight to be effective in every situation.

More important than the "friendly customer service" is what's written in black and white on your policy. I can deal with an unfriendly person that gives me the run-around, because I'm a persistent nagging customer that will ensure I'm treated fairly (in accordance with my policy). Insurance is always something you pay for but hope to never need. I've never heard anyone say they were so happy that they had the opportunity to use their insurance. Many say they were happy to have insurance, but that's different of course.

If I'm shopping for car insurance, then I'm going to be inclined to use a company that provides policy benefits that are in-line with the types of issues I'll face with a car. Same with home, RV, boat, etc. A lot of people use the same insurer for all of their products, but sometimes I wonder if the "one-size-fits-all" mentality leaves gaps in coverage. We have different insurers for all our products, because we've placed them with lines specific to the product. Could we save money by bundling? Of course! But I'm not confident that someone who specializes in auto insurance is going to have the best coverage for RV's.

Again, its more important to know what's in the policy than to know who you're talking to. Policies aren't hard to understand if you take the time to read it.

[DutchmenSport]

x4 on personal agent, been crying on my guys shoulder a few times. There's something about human interaction that just can't be got on an internet web page or a strange voice over the phone.

But you are thinking! and that is good! Not all response teams are equal!

Believe it or not, the company I WORK for offers different kinds of "insurances", but I won't buy my own company's product! Why? Because it's all impersonal, over the phone, and no real human, face-to-face contact.

[midnightsadie]

X3 my local insure went bat for me when my boat was rear ended. after three sit down meetings with higher up,s and two adjusters , he got me 7k more for my boat.

[Lwiddis]

I like using an independent agent. He/she is in my corner...or he/she loses my business.

[delwhjr]

rockhillmanor wrote:

Just a bit of clarification. Good Sam Insurance is an agency and not the actual insurance company. We place coverage with

IMHO there is NEVER a reason to use a middle man for something as important as insurance. Last thing I want to do is have to go thru a middle man when trying to place a claim. :R

For "me", I want an office in my town of a recognized insurance company that I can go 'straight to' and 'talk to a human' face to face whenever needed. Just saying, still old school and it works best for me.

X2
A personal agent is worth their weight in gold. I have been able to smooth over problems and rate issues with just a call. My rates are comparable to any of the others out there. I called Progressive once and they told me to stay with mine as they could not touch the rate.

[rockhillmanor]

Just a bit of clarification. Good Sam Insurance is an agency and not the actual insurance company. We place coverage with

IMHO there is NEVER a reason to use a middle man for something as important as insurance. Last thing I want to do is have to go thru a middle man when trying to place a claim. :R

For "me", I want an office in my town of a recognized insurance company that I can go 'straight to' and 'talk to a human' face to face whenever needed. Just saying, still old school and it works best for me.

[KPetrick]

Just a bit of clarification. Good Sam Insurance is an agency and not the actual insurance company. We place coverage with National General, Progressive, Safeco and Foremost. All of these companies have RV coverages that we feel are important. Premiums and coverages available will vary by state.