Truck Camper Insurance

[martyn8677]

Sorry if this is a common topic, but I did a search and did not find anything.

I'm curious to hear about your insurance coverage on your truck camper. My previous auto insurance company, The Traveler's said I just needed a rider on my truck as part of my auto policy to cover my camper. If the camper was being carried on my truck it was covered, and parked at home, covered under my homeowner's policy. So, my total insurance was very inexpensive.

Then I switched to Allstate and they told me the above was not true and that it needed to be added to my auto policy individually, not just as a rider on my truck. I have a 2013 Lance 1050S and this is costing me about $450 per year here in the state of Texas.

Wondering why I got different stories from different agents/companies and how that compares with some of you?

Thanks.

[K_Mac]

I have AllState also, the TC's covered when on as "cargo". At my house under my homeowners. Being the TC costs close to 40k and I off load it for extended stays. I have a separate policy in-case something does happen. I pay $308.00 for this privilige, with a $500.00 deductible.

[joeshmoe]

anutami wrote:


The point will drop off in 3 years so basically you will be paying $750 for the claim. They still should have told you this information up front and you do have reason to put in a complaint with the CA department of insurance. Just by putting in the complaint Geico will have to pay them $2500 (or something in that ball park). If you are not at fault in the an accident or it is a comprehensive claim by law your insurance company cannot increase your rates. Hope this helps

Well, that's the thing. The "onsite" Geico adjuster estimated the work at around $900. So, we agreed and left the car with them. Later that day, the estimate magically went to just over $1K. Hmmm. How convenient--for them. He could have easily kept it under a grand and kept us as customers.

In actuality, this incident will cost us not only the $750 in raised rates, but also the $500 deductible.
1200 bucks. Plus, if I factor the previous 10 years of money I gave them, it cost me a lot more. That's what I get for being honest.

Thanks for the tip about the insurance commision

[Super_Dave]

I'm too irritated by my health insurance deciding whether I live or die to get emotionally invested in my vehicle insurance. My doctor writes prescriptions and the pharmacy keeps telling me that the insurance won't cover it because it is a brand name medication (for which there is no generic). Nice of them to have that power when we dutifully pay more and more premiums.

[Bedlam]

I question the rebate schemes insurance companies use. It seems to me that everyone is paying higher rates than projected and if you prove otherwise, then the money is refunded. In the mean time, the insurance company is collecting interest on over paid premiums until they issue rebates. Guilty until proven innocent?

It's not any different than those people that have the government take more tax withholding than needed each year so they can get some of it back at tax time. I try to pay the government up front as little as possible and make up the rest at tax time so I can collect interest on my money instead of them.

[GerritMaxwell]

Bob B wrote:
When I switched to USAA, I also saved quite a bit of money and got better coverage.....No claims with them yet, so time will tell about that.

We also have USAA for all of our insurance needs.
If the USAA members have fewer claims than the pot of money coming in, USAA writes rebate checks back to its members. So , in theory when all the members drive safely, an already cheap and attentive company makes your rates even lower!
Safe travels,
Gerrit

[Bob__B]

What I found out with Geico is that apparently they have 3rd party people acting as their adjusters.
My daughter had an accident and totaled her car ...... It was impossible to call or even get a return call from our adjuster, and it was even more of a nightmare to get the settlement finished. Since the vehicle was totaled, they were supposed to pay the sales tax on the replacement vehicle......It took us 6 months and a lot of getting shuffled around to get this done.
This was our first claim in MANY years of using them for car insurance.
They are no longer our insurance company and never will be again.

When I switched to USAA, I also saved quite a bit of money and got better coverage.....No claims with them yet, so time will tell about that.

[anutami]

joeshmoe wrote:

pbrooks101 wrote:


The UNFORTUNATE part of all this is when my policy came up for renewal last October..... they dropped me..... 17 years with them, this claim and a few windshield claims over the years and they dropped me.....

This is my issue with Geico, sorta. Been with them for 10 years and have NEVER had a claim of any kind until just recently. Wife barely scraped past a cement pole while backing into a spot with her Honda. It was really minor as far as body damage goes. But, the estimate was right at $1,000. They didn't tell me until after the work begun that if the estimate exceeds $1K, they would have to report it as a collision because, get this, my deductible is added to the total on top of the estimate which put it over the $1K mark. Under a $1K, no report. Had I known BEFORE, I would have just paid out of pocket somewhere else. Now, she has an fault accident on her record and Geico subsequently raised our rate $250 per year as a result. We naively figured since we've been paying them all these years and with a $500 deductible, why not use it? We figured wrong and consider our one and only Geico claim experience to be a deceptive and shady one.

I shudder to think if the camper was involved in a major accident, or even a minor one. Would they honor it? I'm not gonna stick around with them to find out and cannot get away from Geico fast enough.

Aaron,

This is the law in California. If your damage exceeds the 1k and you are at fault they have to report it, and the point on your record. The point will drop off in 3 years so basically you will be paying $750 for the claim. They still should have told you this information up front and you do have reason to put in a complaint with the CA department of insurance. Just by putting in the complaint Geico will have to pay them $2500 (or something in that ball park). If you are not at fault in the an accident or it is a comprehensive claim by law your insurance company cannot increase your rates. Hope this helps

[Mello_Mike]

I have a full coverage policy with Progressive for my TC for $20.00 a month. I use USAA for home and auto, but as others have indicated, if an accident were to happen here at the house, I wouldn't get full value for the camper. I'm not taking any chances.

[cigar_100]

i have had excellent coverage with foremost ins. they offer replacement coverage for your tc, and with the money we invest in our rigs it seems to me we should cover ourselves. i probably could shop around for a cheaper policy or cut some corners, but when my tc was totaled foremost came through quickly with no problems and replaced my rig with the same model.

[KansasKen]

In my location American Family has been the most competitive for my vehicles and home, however they would not insure the TC. I went to Farmers to insure my F350 and the TC. I furnished all the initial new purchase cost info and it is insured, with comp and collision under their J6477 Trailer, Travel Trailer or Camper Endorsement for ACV less a $250 deductible for a 6 mo. premium of $193.60. The comp and collision covers damage to the TC whether on the truck or off. My single biggest concern is that the insurance company's ACV determination in case of a TC claim will be far far apart from reflecting its pre-accident condition and my view of depreciation. I would like to consider replacement cost coverage on a policy independent of the vehicle (although liability should it fall off the truck would be covered by the truck per my agent).

[Cannon_George]

I called my agent (State Farm) and sure enough their first response (no separate rider needed) was based assuming a shell top, not a camper. Turns out that if the camper contains a bath then they consider it (and the truck) a "motorhome" - and your policy is converted to an annual policy covering this. I have a very good driving record but unfortunately live in California, net cost adder for covering the truck and camper is ~$450 per year.

[sky_free]

$164/year with Progressive with a $1,000 deductible. I also have USAA and got conflicting answers from them so I went with a separate policy from Progressive for peace of mind. My TC is a 2013 Arctic Fox, so the cost to replace it would be pretty steep.

[kerry4951]

pbrooks101 wrote:


I would highly recommend having a separate policy for a TC and not just rely on homeowners or a vehicle's policy to cover it, based on firsthand experience.

pbrooks101

Nothing better than hearing about real life experiences rather than speculations and guessing. My dealer recommended strongly to me to take out a separate policy on the TC and not rely on "attachment clauses" to the trucks policy. Im sure it depends on individual insurance companies and how they will treat their client, but taking out a separate policy on my TC was reasonable in cost and seems to give me much better overall coverage with no deductibles.

[joeshmoe]

pbrooks101 wrote:


The UNFORTUNATE part of all this is when my policy came up for renewal last October..... they dropped me..... 17 years with them, this claim and a few windshield claims over the years and they dropped me.....

This is my issue with Geico, sorta. Been with them for 10 years and have NEVER had a claim of any kind until just recently. Wife barely scraped past a cement pole while backing into a spot with her Honda. It was really minor as far as body damage goes. But, the estimate was right at $1,000. They didn't tell me until after the work begun that if the estimate exceeds $1K, they would have to report it as a collision because, get this, my deductible is added to the total on top of the estimate which put it over the $1K mark. Under a $1K, no report. Had I known BEFORE, I would have just paid out of pocket somewhere else. Now, she has an fault accident on her record and Geico subsequently raised our rate $250 per year as a result. We naively figured since we've been paying them all these years and with a $500 deductible, why not use it? We figured wrong and consider our one and only Geico claim experience to be a deceptive and shady one.

I shudder to think if the camper was involved in a major accident, or even a minor one. Would they honor it? I'm not gonna stick around with them to find out and cannot get away from Geico fast enough.