I'm currently insured with Safeco and my rates went up over $575 a year, so I'm shopping it around. I've got a quote from MetLife on my home and cars and i really like the price. Does anyone have any experience with Metlife? Good or bad? Do they pay well with little hassle? Not planning any claims, I've only had 3 claims in 25 years. I know Safeco is a good company, but I'm not real happy with the big increase Opinions?
Three claims in 25 years is actually considered a lot.
I've been in my house 33 years, made a single $150 claim and my rates skyrocketed after that.
I recently needed to get a new home insurance policy because the company I had decided they were no longer going to do business in my state. I called around and found that most of the companies are really disgusting.
If MetLife gave you a reasonable price I'd go with them.
Consumer Reports has them in this order of satisfaction:
Amica Insurance 92 USAA Property and Casulty 92 Auto-Owners Insurance 90 Farm Bureau Property and Casualty 86
I quit there since they said a difference of 6 points or less didn't matter. Metlife scored 78. Safeco wasn't on the list for whatever reason. They say the average homeowner files a claim once every six years.
We had our farm, house, and cars insured with State Farm for years. Then th ey sent us a letter saying that they weren't insuring farms in Maryland any more. I sent a reply suggesting that they change their name to State No Far m but never heard back on that. We went with Brethren Mutual after shopping around a bit but I don't know if they're in your area. Google around for a home insurance comparison website or ask your neighbors who they use.
Paul
Out of all the insurance companies I called, the State Farm agent was the rudest.
The guy came out, sneered at me and said he was not going to insure the house because it was not kept up properly. I never put off repairs but what got him irked was my natural yard...which was is OK with the city here.
The only other insurance company I'm going to mention is Travelers Ins. The company I worked for used them and I had to sue them over a sprained muscle I got at work. The *entire* bill was $400 but their cost to fight it was probably thousands, they put two lawyers on it but settled in court for the full amount.
In 32 years we have not had a claim. We did have some patio furniture and a couple of bicycles stolen, but they were not worth having our rates raised for.
The only thing I know about MetLife comes from their TV commercials. Apparently the father has fallen off the roof. The older poor-looking daughter is already there, talking to her mother, and the younger, cute daughter comes in and doesn't bother to go see her father. Instead she says the parents should get life insurance, to pay final expenses, plainly so that when they die, she and her sister won't have to pay for the funeral. Mostly she. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if her sister paid. But the sister joins in and wants them to buy life insurance. Maybe so they can make a killing on their deaths.
This company's commercials annoy me too. They sound like buying from them is a patriotic act, but don't say how. It's not like they only sell to the military**, they sell to anyone, and looking on the webpage it says that 25 army officers founded USAA when no one else would. Now they say it is generations later, so I guess those 25 are retired or dead by now. How does it benefit the US to buy insurance from them. I think it's just another profit making company now, with some lip service about veterans.
I would never go out with her, but I have a very selfish friend I would like to fix up with the young pretty selfish daughter, but MetLIfe won't give me her phone number.
**FWLIW, GEICO was the Government Employeees Insurance Company. I don't know if it was any better than other companies for them but at one time it only wrote insurance for gov. employees, of any local, state or federal government in the US. But they've sold to anyone at least for the last 40 years.
I'm going back to 1970. when I was still on my mother's policy. The State Farm agent threatened to send my name to the underwriter when I wouldn't setlle for $300. He claimed the car that was about 2300 new in
1965 was worth only 300 in 1970, but at the same time he said he could get 25% of the book value for the car as junk.Then I went to Costa Rica and let my insurance expire, and when I got back, my mother's state farm agent lied to her and said he needed my signature to renew my insurance. (I guess the first agent did squeal about me) I was stuck in San Antonio with a car but no insurance, and in Texas you have to live in Texas to get car insurance.
Years later the same agent admitted to lying to her, she told me, but by that time she was old and didn't get as angry as she would have before. So she didn't even cancel.
I'll never again buy insurance from State Farm.
Strange. Was the 400 medical bills or pain?
It was for a total of two visits and I was making NO attempt to collect anything for pain and suffering.
They simply refused to pay the bill.
I sprained my muscle at work and checked first with my boss as to what I should do. He said that since it happened at work to simply report it as a work injury.
They were trying to say I sprained my leg at home , then came into work and made the claim.
Like I said it was $400 and that was that.
I did not even miss any work from it...just had to watch myself for a few days not to over do it.
When a few years later my knees went and I had to get them replaced to the tune of $110,000 Blue Cross paid about 95% of the bill with no hassle at all.
State Farm and Travelers are on my permanent blacklist and I'm glad I got to mention it here.
That's what I thought.
Seems reasonable.
State Farm rules.
I know how you feel.
That sucks. Most Workman's Comp carriers would be happy to pay a $400 bill and close out a claim. I do the reporting and only once I was asked about a claim. I said it was legit and it was paid.
Yes. Travellers Ins. really sucks.
A $400 doctor bill is infinitesimal. I never had such a problem with any other insurance co. I've ever dealt with.
Bottom line though, I don't need insurance for the small stuff.
All I'm really worried about is the major stuff.
Also:
I have always been happy with Blue Cross.
Quite a few times they've gone back to a doctor and made him lower the bill. I guess they have enough clout to pull that off.
I've been insured with USAA since 1977, including insurance for auto, home, personal articles floater and liability. I've had several large dollar claims, all paid in-full, after superb support and service. Not only are their rates lower than most when charged, but you get a substantial rebate at the end of the year that lowers your effective premiums even more. Those rebates could only serve to lower their overall "profits". They have several essentially interest-free pay-as- you-go options that allow you to spread out your premium payments over the entire course of the policy period. They also allow you to set up an auto-pay system so those premiums due are taken from your account of choice without you having to worry about their bill or your check being lost in the mail. The last time I filed with them, I had totalled my car. After my substantial claim was paid in full, they forgave the accident and didn't even raise my rates.
I was active duty military at the time I joined. I believe that to use USAA, you have to have had uniformed services time, or be a close family member of someone who has had uniformed services time. I don't believe that "anyone" will just be issued a policy if they want one. They do not claim that it benefits the US to buy insurance from them. However, to me, any company that provides excellent value to customers allows more money to stay in those customer's pockets. That increases those customer's capacity for discretionary spending and therefore helps our economy. I believe that a thriving economy is good for any country.
It sounds to me as though you hadn't spoken to many if any long term USAA members prior to writing your comments about USAA.
Disclaimer: I've never been involved with USAA except as a premium paying owner of their insurance products and am making these comments speaking exclusively for myself and not as a representative of or for USAA.
Thanks for posting.
My father served in the army during WWI. I have a feeling I'm not eligible, buit I havent' come accoss anything on their web page that says so.
Not financially, but IMO the TV made it sound patriotic. (I haven't seen the commercial for a few days, and I don't konw when I'll see it again.)
No, other than something like my post here, I have no way of finding any. So I'm glad you answered.
But I did look at their tv commercial several times, and if there were conditions on who could get their insurance, I would have thought it would say that. If it had, I wouldn't have taken the time to look at the webpage, and even then I saw only fleeting references to the miliary
Google, I think, started me here,
Then I clicked on Learn More about Auto Insurance, and got here:
That's where it brought up the 25 army officers, generations ago. that I referred to in my OP, but very little more about the military (something in the right hand column, outside of what looked like the important stuff) and NONE that I saw before I clicked on Get a Quote, which took me to here:
"Don't have an Online ID? Register for usaa.com "
So I clicked on the second sentence and got here
Am I already a member? No, so it sent me here:
The first page asks for name, phone, email address, street address. It gives 3 options for Mailing Address Location U.S. or U.S. Territory. APO/FPO/DPO International But making APO an option didnt' mean to me that being in the service was required.
It says at the top of that page "We protect your privacy.
Federal law requires us to obtain, verify and record your name, address, date of birth and other information to identify you when you open an account and in other circumstances. Any date of birth, occupation and military information you provide will be shared with each of the USAA companies....... "
So it mentions the miltary, but it doesn't say to what extent if any being in the miliary, or family of, is a requirement.
I didn't fill that page out, because it wanted personal info. so I couldn't see page two, but I spent a lot of time on the webpage that I would not have if had been evident what the eligibilty requirements are. that they would be on the first page, so that people wouldn't spend their time looking into something they're not eligible for. And that the TV commercial would also say that.
I found this on that last page, and it's on the tv commercial "USAA Membership A legacy that can be passed down from one generation to the next." But they don't say an ancestor had to be in the military and also have this insurance. My father was in the army, served in WWI. Not sure, but I still don't think I'm eligible.
They seem to be shy about saying what the requirements are.
Mickey,
I appreciate your civil reply to my posting. There's so much flaming on this group that I had put on my asbestos suit in anticipation.
Please see the following USAA web page:
If you have questions about your eligibility, you can always contact them and find out. Peter
"Find out if you're eligible in as little as five minutes." Another phrase for 5 minutes or more. Too much time. I'll assume I'm not.
Although actually it only took 45 seconds to read the two categories and know that I'm not in them.
I'm not suprised there's a webpage somewhere that says who is and who isn't, but I'm not going to Why Join USAA. I figured that woudl be like every commercia web page where there's a page that brags about the company, Why? "Exceptional servic, low prices, prompt replies to email plus a real phone number to call with real people answering the phone, software that will tell you how many people, if any, are ahead of you. Happy employees, courteous on the phone." That sort of thing.
I think they are in the same shoes as some other companies that didn't use to advertise, and when they start, they already have in mind that people know who they are and they're trying to reach military and families who haven't insured with them, and it doesn't much occur to them that other people altoghether will view their tv commercials and it won't tell them whether they are eligible or not.
Begin rant/
Another place that never advertised here but did so for a year or too was some credit union. Most credit unions have membership requirements. If it's the Boeing credit union, you have to work for Boeing. One of my friends got a good rate on his mortgage from his employer's credit union, plus iirc they were easier to deal with than a bank. . But the tv commercial of the one that advertised never said a word**. I looked that one up online too and I forget what I found. I'll look again mecu.com Maryland-something-credit-union. Well at the top of the page it says Baltimore's Credit Union, so that seems to mean anyone (over 18) in Baltiomre, but it's certainlly not conclusive.
Went to the FAQ, It only has 5 questions, none related to this, but at the bottom it says "If you or a family member live, work, worship, or go to school in Baltimore City, join us!" I didn't see this the last time. So I don't have to work for a particular company, but I'm still out***. I live in Baltimore County, which has no land in common with Baltimore City. Even though MECU has a free-standing atm 6 blocks from me, 6 blocks farther from the city than I live!! Wait, the map shows 4 locatoins within a half mile of me, all of them outside the city. I don't think the rules are printed on the ATM, either.
***I wonder what proof they want of where I "worship". I go several places, sometimes once a year to one place or other in Baltimore City. That ought to be enough.Anyhow, that's my rant.
**I record most of the tv I watch and I saw a little of the the USAA commerical today, during the ABC news, and it said something about service, which could have a double meaning, referring to members of the armed forces and their service, but could be heard just as bragging that they give good service. It was not clear.
MY METLIFE INSURANCES HAVE GONE UP TOO BUT WENT FROM $511 UP TO $645. MY C AR INSURANCE WENT UP AND I THINK I AM PAYING TOO MUCH. I AM GOING TO SHOP AROUND TOO AS SOON AS MY CAR INSURANCE CLAIM IS OVER. ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO S OMEONE RAN INTO ME AND METLIFE IS STILL IN PROCESS OF GETTING THEIR MONEY B ACK. INSURANCES SEEM TO LIKE GETTING YOU THEN GOING UP.
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