GEICO Insurance claim and results.

[nogrey]

I've seen many discussions on this board regarding motorcycle insurance. I even used this board to research before I switched last year.
A little background. I was insured with a local company where some of my good friends work.  Had been for years. Because my friends worked there I didn't do my homework and just bought all of my insurance from their group. Officially, I was insured by Progressive. I don't have anything negative to say about Progressive because in 12 years of being insured with them, I never made a claim. This is because every time I even thought about it, my friends would talk me out of it. Last year, when we had roof damage and subsequent water damage to the inside walls, they once again talked me out of making a claim. That cost me about $5,000. Now please don't get me wrong. These people really are my friends, and I believe that in their hearts they really believe they were doing me a favor. I am in no way bashing them and they are truly my friends. Still, when I recently purchased another Valkyrie I decided to shop. To my amazement and disbelief, the premiums from several other companies were less than half for significantly better coverage. Still, one doesn't really know until they go to make a claim. Well, as "luck" would have it, that opportunity availed itself sooner than I wanted or expected when my Interstate fell off the lift. I called GEICO, who responded immediately by sending an adjuster within 24 hours of making the call. The adjuster did not total the bike, and literally took my word at the cost of replacing several aftermarket componants. Went over every detail of the damage and wrote me a check on the spot for about $4200.00. Enough, I believe, to do a very good job of restoring my bike.
Now I'm sure that this will increase my premiums next cycle, but for now, I'm going to say that I feel they did a very good job of responding to my claim, and with no hassle. I have 3 bikes and 2 vehicles insured with them. We'll see.
Anyway, I wanted to share my experience for the benefit of anyone who could learn.
My policy for 12 months on all 3 bikes is $647. Coverage is $100 deductable, $250K/$500K  for bodily injury, uninsured motorist, underinsured motorists and $50K property damage. The policy also includes 24hr roadside assistance and towing.

[Firefighter]

I have had progressive in the past for my motorcycles, but never had a claim. Now I have Allstate only because they were cheaper for me. I have house and cars with Allstate, separate policies. Once every few years I shop around, but seems if you have few claims and stay with a major company they will make the best deal. I have three bikes on my policy and paid last time 440.00 for the year. I don't have the coverage you do. 30,000 each person, 60,000 each accident, 50,000 property value. The bikes are full coverage (I think), and I added extra accessory insurance for my Valk as I have spent more on accessories than the bike cost, or it seems like.

What I do different from you is raise my deductible, don't have that info but always raise it to make the rates cheaper, as I never plan to need the insurance. 100.00 is nothing in today's world, so my house and vehicles probably have the highest deductible allowed for cheaper premiums.

I hate insurance, and being lucky so far never used it. Hurricane Dolly,all I lost was the flag off my mailbox! I have dropped wind storm insurance as it went sky high.  Still glad your OK,  Firefighter

[3fan4life]

I have had progressive in the past for my motorcycles, but never had a claim. Now I have Allstate only because they were cheaper for me. I have house and cars with Allstate, separate policies. Once every few years I shop around, but seems if you have few claims and stay with a major company they will make the best deal. I have three bikes on my policy and paid last time 440.00 for the year. I don't have the coverage you do. 30,000 each person, 60,000 each accident, 50,000 property value. The bikes are full coverage (I think), and I added extra accessory insurance for my Valk as I have spent more on accessories than the bike cost, or it seems like.

What I do different from you is raise my deductible, don't have that info but always raise it to make the rates cheaper, as I never plan to need the insurance. 100.00 is nothing in today's world, so my house and vehicles probably have the highest deductible allowed for cheaper premiums.

I hate insurance, and being lucky so far never used it. Hurricane Dolly,all I lost was the flag off my mailbox! I have dropped wind storm insurance as it went sky high.  Still glad your OK,  Firefighter

I used to have Allstate and never had a problem with them.

In 2001, I was rear ended and wound up having to sue the other driver. When my attorney saw that I had Allstate he advised me to get rid of them. He said that they were notorious for not paying judgments levied against their customers.

For example if you were found to be at fault in an accident and a jury awarded the other driver $50,000.00 but Allstate decides that the jury should have only awarded $25,000.00 then they will only pay $25,000.00 and leave you on the hook for the other $25,000.00.

Since at the time I had a new teenage driver on my policy I decided to take his advice and find a new insurance company.     

[Oss]

just my experience with Geico

When my oldest was less than a yr old she was in the back passenger seat of my wifes
Mazda GLC strapped in to her car seat
While going up a hill that winds left a woman coming down too fast lost control
crossed the double yellow line pushing the GLC off the right side of the road and a mailbox thru the back window over the child seat.

Glass got on Alana but otherwise she was unharmed

The accident was 100%+ the other driver fault as per the police report

GEICO paid the collission damage
then cancelled our policy and we had clean licenses no accident history

They can F themselves  I have NEVER again recommended them to any client or friend

Progressive paid me for my accidents on the Valk and policy premium level after

YMMV

[3fan4life]

Now I'm sure that this will increase my premiums next cycle, but for now, I'm going to say that I feel they did a very good job of responding to my claim, and with no hassle. I have 3 bikes and 2 vehicles insured with them. We'll see.

I have Geico as well.

Back in the fall a deer ran into the side of my wife's car.

She heeded the advice that I have drilled into her head for years and did not swerve out of the road to try and miss it.

Since she didn't hit anything else the claim was filed under the comprehensive part. Had she ran out of the road then it would've fallen under the collision instead.

The adjuster told me that since it was filed under comprehensive that there would be no increase in the premium.

Had it been filed under the collision then the premiums would have gone up.

I can't imagine why your policy would have paid under collision, unless you weren't carrying any comprehensive coverage to file under.

Hopefully, the claim was filed under comprehensive and you won't see any increase in premiums.

There's no reason to add insult to injury.

[Jess Tolbirt]

i have gieco, oct before last Bev and i went down,, 15 grand in damage to the bike and gieco never even sneezed, they paid for all the repairs and paid the hospital, and my premiums went down a bit... i pay 550 a year...

[Woton]

I have my bike and homeowners insurance here with the local Nationwide agency.  Thank the Good Lord I've never had to use the bike insurance.  Pay just over $500 annually for the Valk and the wife's 2009 Stratoliner.  We had one of those freakish straight-line wind storms take a tree down into our pergola/one corner of the house a few years ago and Nationwide homeowners more than covered the cost to make those repairs.  It couldn't have been a better experience given the circumstances.

Have our two cars with GEICO and have never had a claim.  Every six months I check with my Nationwide agent to see if they will come close to GEICO's premiums.  Would like to get all my insurances with Nationwide given the local connection, but the premiums have never been close enough to make the move.

I use AAA-RV for my roadside coverage.  They worked great with us when BikerGirl had a front tire starting to separate on the Strat on I-81 near Roanoke a few years ago.  Responded quickly when a very kind Virginia trooper called them, and they towed her bike to the nearest Honda/Yamaha shop which happened to have a OEM tire on hand.  I recommend AAA-RV to anyone feeling like they need the coverage.

[Jess from VA]

As I have said before, I'm not sure an evaluation of Ins. Companies is valid or accurate beyond your own State lines.  Each State has certain laws and statutes that change how a Company must do business in any particular state (and some are more significant than others) (and overseen by a State insurance regulatory commission of some sort).  And then there is the whole chain of command and regional management differences.  So just because there may be a pretty accurate consensus in one State that Company A is good and Company B is bad, that does not necessarily mean the same will be true for the same Companies in other States.  So when shopping or researching e-pinions on Ins Companies, it is best to do so inside your own State (rather than on a nationwide bike forum).  JMHO

On the other hand, you can be pretty sure the Fed G will consistently screw things up no matter where they are working.    

[Master Blaster]

I had Progressive up until a few years ago when I had to stop riding for health problems. 4 bikes, 2 Valks, Zx1400, and Concours 1400.  Not wanting to give it up completely, I turned in the tags on the Valks, and cancelled the insurance, and wanted to drop comprehensive and collision, just keeping liability on the other two so I could keep them licensed and legal just in case I could ride again.  Progressive wanted almost as much for the two with basic liability as I had been paying for all 4 with full coverage.  Told them to shove it, and went with GEICO, 100 bux a year for both bikes.  So far haven't been up to climbing back on, but when that time comes, wont take much to get back on the road, and to me its worth it just to not give it up completely.

[sandy]

Now take some of that $$$$ and buy a better lift. I wouldn't put my lawnmower on a HF lift. Tools should be top quality.

[Rosie]

Glad to hear you got money to repair bike. what made it fall over?

[jimmytee]

 I had a claim on my Valkyrie where someone pulled out in front of me a few years ago. Progressive was out and just like your experience, cut me a check. The other guy changed his story and Progressive said they would handle it with his insurance company. No complaints and they were Johnny on the spot. I had Progressive until last year and, like you, I had not shopped around and when last year came and I wanted to add a new F6B, Progressive was talking crazy on my premium costs. One call to Geico and in a little more than 15 minutes   I saved more than 50% on my insurance. Actually, it was cheaper insuring both the new F6B and my Valkyrie through Geico than it was just for the Valkyrie through Progressive. And yes for equal or better coverage.

[cookiedough]

As said,  each state is different, even same insurance company in same state/same town can be off slightly in premiums for same exact coverage. 

Best to check around and around and around and really varies greatly in price. 

I have Allstate for cycle/scooter but Liberty Mutual for 3 vehicles and another Mutual insurance company for home insurance.  I shop around near yearly to get the cheapest rates on everything ONLY if my rates go up for NO good reason more than say 10-15 bucks per year. 

[Grumpy]

Geico sucks, just wait until you renew next year.  I had Geico when my IS was totaled last year, they paid off in a timely manner, but I had to drop them, my insurance was $465 per year, when renewal came up the same policy was going to cost me $1600 a year, over 3 times than I was paying. I told them where they could stick the policy in no uncertain terms.

[cookiedough]

I think Nogrey got a great deal on the payout.  However, like said,  if your rates go up more than say 20-40 bucks per year or what you feel it too high,  then call around next renewal if your premium goes up a ton.

I do know Allstate has accident forgiveness program where they waive your first claim/accident without no penalty say one claim every 3 years.  I did not have this when I had Allstate for my vehicles, but my neighbor who is accident prone with Allstate having an at fault accident it seems like once very 2-3 years,  for him is worth paying the extra 50 bucks or so per premium for that 'just in case' moment which seems to happen to him and his family way too often. 

Also,  I have VERY high deductibles at 500 for cycle and 1000 for vehicles since that lowers my premiums by a lot.  I figure since I have never in over 25 years used my insurance ever,  the higher deductibles have more than paid for themselves in cost saving premiums.

My cycle is like 120 bucks per year with Allstate for full coverage (100/300/50) except no medical coverage since have health insurance coverage thru spouses work and 3 cars thru Liberty Mutual  full coverage (500K) with teenage driver included on all 3 are all around 250 bucks every 6 months for each vehicle.   Home insurance is around 350 per year with a local Mutual Insurance Company.

[nogrey]

Geico sucks, just wait until you renew next year.  I had Geico when my IS was totaled last year, they paid off in a timely manner, but I had to drop them, my insurance was $465 per year, when renewal came up the same policy was going to cost me $1600 a year, over 3 times than I was paying. I told them where they could stick the policy in no uncertain terms.

Not doubting that you have had a bad experience with GEICO. But here's the deal. I have 5 vehicles insured with them at around $1k/yr. I've only been with them about 3 months. If they cancel my insurance, no big deal. They will actually owe me the lions share of my premium because I pay up front, in full. If they decide to raise my premium next year, then I'll shop around. No big deal. So far as I can see, I've finally cashed in on all the bazillions of dollars I've paid in insurance (that the good ole govt says I have to have, even though I still have to pay uninsured motorist???). So GEICO sucks, so you say. I don't see a downside here. If/when things change, so will my insurance company. Simple as that. The way I look at it, I have an absolutely spotless driving record. I am a certified Smith system driving instructor, and I have not had a claim in years. If they want to "F" with me, so be it. I don't play that game.

[Hooter]

   I had always heard that Progressive was a good deal, so several years ago I signed on. All was good until I got whacked. Then the games and a completely ignorant to riding and motorcycles adjuster came into play.
   The bike blued out at $15,700.00 and damage to the bike was listed at $14,500 and left open ended at that estimate. I had full coverage on the bike even though it was paid for. It was a little over a year old. The dealership assured me the bike was totaled?
   The adjuster came back a few days later and met with me and the service manager at the dealership. He immediately said, "we are going to fix the bike"! "WTF, are you nuts, this thing is crap",  verbatum from the service manager. No, I have decided to fix it.     Service Manager: "there is only a thousand dollar difference from Blue Book to total, whats wrong with this picture, and that may be less or surpassed should we find something else?!      This guy didn't budge.  Service manager said "it's your money" and threw his hands up.
   After some more discussion the adjuster asked me: "do you want us to deliver the bike or wait till weather clears"? (my accident was in end of October of the prior year and this was now the first of March) they did this in such a timely mannor! I flat out told him to stick the bike in his ass I didn't want it back. He then told me I had no choice but to accept it after it was fixed?    I told him I was done with him and I would be trading the bike as soon as it was done and I did. But, my trade in was reduced just because of the damage done and what it took to fix it.
   Five and a half months get this thing done. An adjuster that didn't like bikes ("he told me he wouldn't ride or own one of those "damn things". Too many people get killed on them.)  Gee, and they don't in cars!       Anyway, that was my one and only (and final) Progressive experience. I'm sure there are a bunch of people that have had good experiences with them, just not me. I think they are all good as long as you pay and don't need their service. Sorry bout the novel. 

[RainMaker]

I used Progressive for 8 years, had multiple claims, never had a problem with them paying.  One time, they did try to total one of the vehicles and I pointed out that their value on the vehicle was too low.  After 5 minutes, they agreed and fixed it instead. My son totaled his car one afternoon and within 2 hours, I had a check in my hand from the adjuster. Premiums didn't go up after a crash - a couple of years, they actually decreased.  However, Geico came in 30% lower on one of my price checks (check every renewal) and I switched everything over.  No claims so far on Geico so can't say how they will work, but feel comfortable with them so far.  There was some rumbling about how Progressive supports the ALCU with the premiums you pay,  but that was their CEO, who is now deceased.  Still, it helped push me over (plus the cost difference) to Geico.

[Oldfishguy]

Prior military folks: Anyone using USAA? How are they?

David

[Lyn-Del]

USAA was HIGH.  Years ago, I tranferred from USAA to Progressive, added a bike, and the premiums were still about half.

I called and talked to USAA, at least at that time they intentionally priced themselves high because they didn't want motorcycles.  My cars and house are still insured with USAA, Progressive has my bikes.

[Jess from VA]

I've been with USAA for everything but bikes since '84.  They are the top rated company, every year. Perhaps not the cheapest, but the best.  I think USAA would be somewhat higher for all new customers, until they get to know you; they have a very loyal clientele, and they don't have to play in price wars.  (And they changed from only covering officers/family to including enlisted/family a long time ago)

But they refused to let me carry big coverage on my cars and small coverage on my bikes (which is my assessment of actual risk).  So I went with other companies for my bikes (low liability & uninsured motorists, nothing else, not even on brand new).  

Years later, they said they don't have that policy that anymore, but it is my understanding USAA now actually sells/lays off all their bike coverage to Progressive (and I'll never be with them, I don't care of their old CEO is dead or not, I have a long memory).