Good Sam (National General) vs FMCA (Safeco) insurance

[MetalGator]

We are awaiting our new 2018 Miramar motorhome and I have been shopping insurance. The cheapest quote I received was from Geico since I have my other vehicles insured with them. However, Geico doesn't offer full replacement value. I have also gotten quotes through Good Sam's (National General) and through FMCA (Safeco). The quotes are within $70 of each other for similar coverage. Was wondering people's opinions of these two options. Has anyone ever dealt with either or both of these companies?

Burch

[ETCrockett]

I bought a used 2009 F450 DRW to tow our 5th wheel only to find out my Allstate insurance company in Indiana would not insure the truck without a commercial license. National General insured with no problems with the same coverage as Allstate on my previous truck. National General also offers a vanishing deductible on the RV and you can put the RV in storage and lower your premium. I moved all my vehicles to NG and will be moving my home this year. Customer Service has always been great. My only issue has been inconsistency with chatting online with customer service and talking on phone with them. I found talking to someone always gets me a better rate than chatting with someone. I guess it is easier to talk than type.

[jffnkrn]

we have had GMAC or what is now National General for aover 6 years now. We have had one claim and never had an issue. yes rate increased a bit for the three year period, but that was it, re insured and all has been good. we also have our home and auto together and have saved quite a sum of $$$. for us it works. you also need to make sure the coverage's are all the same. We take our policies every year, black out the policy numbers and premium cost and email to about 5 to 7 companies for an apples to apples cost. you will be surprised at the amount differences in all, and we even had our existing company drop a few more $$$ which made us happy. oops, home is with safeco but gmac is basically our broker Good Luck & Be Safe ! ! !

[Acdii]

I have Gieco for mine, the only downside is you pay all year whether it is on the road or in storage. So that is something to consider as well.

AS far as GAP, I am a 1,000,000,000,000 time believer in it and get it for all my loaned vehicles. I have used it, TWICE, in fact had to use it on my 2014 F150 in January when Ice caused another driver to lose control and slide into my lane. My truck was instantly totaled! When the insurance finalized their payout, I still owed $19K on the truck, GAP covered it all. A few year ago, a blinding snow storm caused a 7 car pileup, we were #3 in the list, totaled out my less than one year old Flex. Again GAP covered the balance on it. Each time the GAP policy costs $800 from my dealer, and that is $800 well spent! ( since it got rolled into the loan, did I really spend $800? Something to think about)

[fyrflie]

I had Allstate for 25 years until my son was involved in a crash.
My agent refused to investigate and told me that sometimes, you just have to bite the bullet and move on.
So I did and moved to National General. No claims thus far so no real experience.
Every time I have called them for information they have been very helpful.

Have used the Good Sam road service several times and have no complaints.

[RAS43]

We have been with Safeco for about 10 years. 4 years ago I had a rear ender accident while towing. 3 years ago a tree limb damaged the roof of our 5th wheel. In both cases Safeco responded quickly to have the damage inspected and repairs scheduled. The repair shops recommended did a great job in both cases as did Safeco's customer service.
And their rates are competitive as I have my independent agent check rates every year.

[bowl2764]

I would suggest you check with any local RV dealers or body shops. They can tell you which insurance companies they have worked with. Most body shops want their money without a lot of issues. Might ask if they have ever repaired any RV's from a crash.

[DutchmenSport]

If you are getting a loan, also check into "gap" insurance. If you total your vehicle, "Gap" will pay the difference between what you owe on your loan and what the insurance will settle for. Only had it once (my last new vehicle purchase), and for peace of mind, it was worth it. Haven't used it, hope I never have to either.

There is more to insurance than just the deductible amounts and the premium costs. There is also the follow-up service, response, and attention a good insurance carrier and a good agent will work with you.

We're with Allstate. When my son was rear ended in a parking lot (he was 19 years old in college), the other guy tried to sue him. The Allstate lawyer team went to work, and actually proved the other guy was at fault.

We also have roadside assistance, RV insurance, and a bunch of other stuff.

Few fender benders I've had, Allstate just sent out their agent, took the information and sent us to one of their certified repair shops (which are many, many). If the estimate from the shop was different, the adjuster and the service center hammered out a compromise on the cost. I had to do nothing. In the end, the check was sent directly to the repair shop, I paid the repair shop the difference in the deductible, and drove home!

Allstate is a bit more expensive, but we have learned that in the event of an accident, their followup goes beyond our expectations! They are a hard company to beat.

Now check with both your insurance companies, and see if they do the same things. Go with the one that offers the best customer service, not necessarily the cheapest! Will they go to court with you? Allstate will.

[imgoin4it]

X2 on Miller Insurance Agency. We've only used them for 15 years or so.

[2gypsies1]

We've used this company for over 20 years for finding the best rate for us:

http://www.millerrvinsurance.com/

[WTP-GC]

We have had National General for nearly 2 years without issue. But really, until you need them, you won't know if you're going to have issues with them.

There's always a bunch of talk about making sure you have an insurance company that focuses on RV's. While some of it may be hype, I can see the value in that, especially for a nominal difference in price (which appears to be your situation). For nearly everything else in our lives, we make selections for services based on the provider's familiarity. Everything from our haircut to our mortgage lender to our doctors. So why not pick a company that primarily insures RV's instead of one that primarily insures automobiles.

If I were buying anything brand new, I'd pick full replacement value initially and then consider adjusting down the road. Its always good to shop insurance every few years anyway.