USAA – They have covered my cars for 24 years. Great company!
Written: Oct 05 '02 (Updated Oct 15 '02)
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Pros: USAA is rock solid. I've used the service since 1978.
Cons: You have to wait to get motorcycle insurance.
The Bottom Line: If you are military (active/retired) or family, then check out USAA for car insurance and all money matters. They are great.
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| CyndiA's Full Review: USAA Group - Auto |
USAA is a full-service financial company for military members and families. It was for military officers ONLY in the beginning and included family members of officers. Now, it is all military plus family members.
My dad was an officer in the Navy, so I went with USAA on car insurance from the time I turned 18. That was really all I needed at the time, and I didn’t know much about finances. I just paid the bills for my car, and I tried to keep things between the white lines.
The first time I had to call on USAA was when a drunken maniac ran into my car and then got out screaming that I could have killed her baby who was not in a car seat. I knew that I was driving fine and that she crossed over and hit my car in the front, jerked away, hit me in the side wiping my front tire under the car, and then straightened up her car in her lane while my car totaled out in the ditch on the wrong side of the road. Fortunately, the policeman on the scene looked at the tire marks and saw that I had a point and didn’t cause the accident or almost kill that woman’s baby. Unfortunately, the driver of the other car did not have insurance. That was when I learned that I had an uninsured motorist claim with USAA. They paid to fix my car even though the driver of the other car was at fault.
My next car tragedy was when a tree fell on my car. Again, this was my 1968 Mustang, which was bought used at over 100,000 miles but the love of my life when I was 18 years old. This time, some “act-of-God” clause kicked in. If your car is just sitting there, and a tree falls on it, then USAA comes out and covers that. It’s not like you threw the tree on the car, but it’s not like they should have to pay for that kind of thing. Thank goodness . . . they do cover those things.
By the time I got married, I had a few miles on me and had learned to look around and make sure when it came to putting my money down. Although I checked around, I could not find a better deal than USAA. The company that took me through my teens with my Mustang was the best bet. They ran just a tad higher than some companies, but they had the track record and more comprehensive coverage. After getting hit by an uninsured motorist and having a tree fall on my car, I was not taking chances.
As a newly married person, I dreamed of getting the money to buy a house. I put money in USAA. They have mutual funds. Though I could and did make more money in stocks, the USAA money was solid and didn’t drop the way some of the high tech stuff did. I was lucky that I pulled most of the high earning stocks to get my house. The money left during the drop ran real bad in stocks but OK in USAA. They are conservative, so you don’t get super returns, but you don’t get soaked during the lean times either. I keep the money for the boys to go to college at USAA.
Once I bought the house, I got the home insurance through USAA. The roof leaked within 2 months. That should have been caught during the buy, but it wasn’t. USAA paid for the roof to be fixed. Again, they came to the rescue when I needed them. It was not a big deal. They came out, saw the leaks, and they paid to fix the roof.
Over the years (since 1978), I’ve used USAA. They are rock solid. The towing insurance has come in handy when I’ve had dead batteries or flat tires. They also were great to deal with the bigger issues I mentioned. The investment options are great. Though they don’t give the huge returns that some companies did in the early 90s, they don’t crash out like some of those did. They have a catalog to buy items, and I got my first video camera from USAA with a same-as-cash plan to spread out the cost. That really helped out when I was a young mom and wanted video of my babies. I could afford a camera, but it worked much better to pay that over several months.
My credit is USAA Visa. They were the first to give me a chance with credit. I’m good to pay my bills. Over the years, they have raised and raised the limit. I can credit up to 8K now, though I hope I would never need that much ahead. Still, it’s good to know that I can buy and not worry about it on the card.
When I bought my Harley this summer, USAA did need a couple of days to process that. I got local on that insurance, so I would say that they need to come up with some faster process for motorcycles. When you buy a bike, you want to bring it home the same day.
The web site has been a problem, though I have not really needed it. They require sign in but don’t give the exact number of member numbers. That sounds strange, but they include 00 before some of mine and some don’t have that. So, I didn’t know how to list my member number—with or without those zeros. Then, the password needed 6 to 12 typed in things with a combo of letters and numbers. I have a favored password that does not have numbers. Then, I have a password I like with all numbers. I can’t use either at USAA with the combo requirement. I would have to come up with a letter/number combo and remember it to use the site, which I have never been able to log in to anyway with the question on my member number and which digits to type and which not to type.
Really, I don’t need the web site with USAA. The phone number is right in my book, and they answer the phone and help out. They have mailings and even a magazine that is nice. I have used most of the services though I have not gone with the bank account. I like to use a local bank and not a bankcard. I would spend too much if I could stick a card in a machine and get money on the spot.
If you are in the military or if you are married to or the child of a military member—active or retired, then USAA is the way to go. You might shop around and get lower on insurance or higher on returns short-term for investments, but you would have to spend a lot of time to figure all that out and get it right. After 24 years with USAA, I would say that they really are the max. While I use a few other services along with USAA, they have the bulk of my money . . . and I feel very safe on that. If you are on the fence, then feel fine with USAA. They even have awards for great service. You might come out ahead now and then at other places, but you might get soaked too. That isn’t likely to happen with USAA.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
CyndiA
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 in Home and Garden |
 - Top 50 |
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Member: Cyndi
Location: out in the yard grilling
Reviews written: 1157
Trusted by: 634 members
About Me:
Get some sleep and dream of rock 'n roll - Bread.
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