GEICO says "No Winches" -- anyone heard different?

Right Turn Clyde · 10-30-09, 07:53 PM

We have all vehicles on Geico. Recently I was asking about coverage of ARB bumper, and they asked if I had a winch on it. "Nope". They said that is good as they do not cover rigs with winches on them. Anyone heard different? or is there a waiver or extra fee if you do????

RTC

retrofive · 10-30-09, 07:58 PM

wtf :(

We have all our cars insured by them, and in the process of getting home and flood with them.

We have always been happy with their service. But as other have said (friends/folks/etc) dont let that deter you from switching to meet your needs.

Im curious as well.

Joe Egolf · 10-30-09, 08:05 PM

I think Geico is not a great deal,who do you think is paying for all those TV ads?

Sc0- · 10-30-09, 08:08 PM

Geico Motorcycle insurance was the most expensive when I called for quotes...

Maybe your Geico insurance agent is a greenie weenie?

Right Turn Clyde · 10-30-09, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sc0-

Geico Motorcycle insurance was the most expensive when I called for quotes...

Maybe your Geico insurance agent is a greenie weenie?

Maybe it is agent-based. I will check more. In UT they had the best rate last time we checked on the total combo (auto/MC/home). But the ARB is jonesing for the MM in my shop.

wearsabrowncoat · 10-30-09, 08:13 PM

I'm guessing they are trying to protect themselves from good Samaritan activities.

Personally I protect myself - I won't pull someone out unless they have a solid recovery point. I'll still lend a hand with pushing or digging but I won't try to pull on a plastic bumper or other flimsy parts as has been suggested to me.

firetruck41 · 10-30-09, 08:22 PM

GEICOs rates have never been competitive when I have shopped, they are telling you to shop around and save a bunch of money, listen to 'em!

hawaiicruz · 10-31-09, 01:15 AM

Limited choices in Hawaii, Geico or AIG, Geico is way cheaper

KurtKuhn · 10-31-09, 08:06 AM

Years ago, in the process of getting a quote from Geico, they asked if I had a radar detector. I said yes. They replied that they would not cover me since I had the, "intent to speed."

Maybe a winch implies "the intent to wheel."

-KK

jlg32281 · 10-31-09, 08:44 AM

Insurance varies greatly from state to state and from car to car. When I had an Acura, AIG was cheapest, then I got an 80 and Geico was cheapest, then I got a Supra and State Farm was best. Now with a Cobra and an 80, I'm back with Geico. Shop around.

ALCO · 10-31-09, 10:25 AM

Geico blows. Their prices are NOT competitive. Their retarded gecko television promos annoy me. I'm sick of them. The cave man TV spots are OK.

You can do a search online and get several insurance companies to give you bids. Then select the one with the best bid.

murf · 10-31-09, 10:28 AM

In 2008 (maybe even 2009) Gieco was the #1 company in advertising expenditures more than ANY company. That stuff is expensive! You can bet who pays for it.

Someone needs to drop kick that lizard.....

LandCruiserPhil · 10-31-09, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murf

In 2008 (maybe even 2009) Gieco was the #1 company in advertising expenditures more than ANY company. That stuff is expensive! You can bet who pays for it.

Someone needs to drop kick that lizard.....

All that advertising pushed them into the #3 position.
The strongest financially backed insurance company out there. AAA rated

GO Gieco

CycloSteve · 10-31-09, 10:53 AM

If you are serving, or have served in the US Military (or one of your parents did), go with USAA. Typically no other insurance company can touch their rates. Been with them for 25 years, with no complaints.

maniacv · 10-31-09, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CycloSteve

If you are serving, or have served in the US Military (or one of your parents did), go with USAA. Typically no other insurance company can touch their rates. Been with them for 25 years, with no complaints.

I second that

MaddBaggins · 10-31-09, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CycloSteve

If you are serving, or have served in the US Military (or one of your parents did), go with USAA. Typically no other insurance company can touch their rates. Been with them for 25 years, with no complaints.

Been with them since 95. They have our mortgage, auto and home insurance, life insurance, retirement and the only credit card we use.
They are now open to everyone. Well worth a look.

retrofive · 10-31-09, 11:34 AM

My wife's family all uses USAA. Maybe Ill give them a buzz. I price shopped pretty good when I switched to Geico, the were definitely lower in my case.

Elbert · 10-31-09, 03:27 PM

USAA is not open to everyone..... you might want to check the fine print.... last time I looked they had some rules about who would be covered and who would not be. Unless they changed just a month or tow ago to be more liberal in there coverage demographics. Last I looked you only had a narrow window of time to get coverage with USAA upon seperation from the service.

I would not answer an agent who asked me if I had a radar detector....If they are asking those kind of questions I need to be doing business with someone else. The most important part of insurace is adaquate coverage and the critical part of that is how do they treat you when it's claim time!.

Geico is crap in my view.... I've used State Farm for almost 30 yrs... not had problems with them. I did price shop a few times and I did not find comparable better deals. No need to switch if you really don't save anything.

Get a good understanding of whatever policies you have in place.....don't tell Geico what you are paying...(that's like giving away insider information) have Geico quote the exact coverage you presently have and see what reality is.

lt403 · 10-31-09, 03:56 PM

i just got a quote and switched from statefarm to geico. it saved me 90 dollars every 6 months. i did not tell them about the armor on the truck (arb, winch, sliders). i can always go back

LandCruiserPhil · 10-31-09, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elbert

USAA is not open to everyone..... you might want to check the fine print.... last time I looked they had some rules about who would be covered and who would not be. Unless they changed just a month or tow ago to be more liberal in there coverage demographics. Last I looked you only had a narrow window of time to get coverage with USAA upon seperation from the service.

I would not answer an agent who asked me if I had a radar detector....If they are asking those kind of questions I need to be doing business with someone else. The most important part of insurace is adaquate coverage and the critical part of that is how do they treat you when it's claim time!.

Geico is crap in my view.... I've used State Farm for almost 30 yrs... not had problems with them. I did price shop a few times and I did not find comparable better deals. No need to switch if you really don't save anything.

Get a good understanding of whatever policies you have in place.....don't tell Geico what you are paying...(that's like giving away insider information) have Geico quote the exact coverage you presently have and see what reality is.

Why do you say "Geico is crap"? What experience with them has brought you to your opinion or are you just talking?

Note: You will not find State Farm with a Financial Strength Rating AAA but you will with Geico.

Off Duty · 10-31-09, 04:21 PM

Amica- Best rates I've ever fouhd, easiest application process, and so far, best claim handling (daughter's car).

They are a bit picky as to your crash and driving record though, but not what i considered unreasonable.

They're rated (or were at least last time I checked) like in the top 3 for customer service...and no feckin' cave man or lizard to deal with!!!!

Sure GEICO is in the top due to advertising. You can thow out enough BS to mislead people long enough to keep you there for some time

Htier offshore racing team is always out in the audience, glad handing, handing out goodies and signing autographs, long before and after the others (if they even do it) are gone. Public Relations is the name of the game.

I;ll double check USAA but when I checked last, they wouldn't take me for the aforementioned reason...been separated too long...feck them!!!

pruboy · 10-31-09, 07:53 PM

I was with USAA for 25 years Now I'm with Geico and Alfha and USAA. Had to do a lot of number crunching but USAA doesn't do motorcycles or Boats. They act like they do Boats but they farm it out to progressive. They were never completive on my house period. I had to get quotes from everyone with the multi-policy discount applied and also get quotes on single policies. A bit of a pain but I do feel comfortable with the claims paying ability of each company. AM Best does a decent job of rating the strength of companies.

Corbet · 10-31-09, 07:59 PM

No insurance company has ever asked me if I have a winch on my truck?

Many years ago I worked for a company that shared its ownership with Geico. As a result I got a 10% break on auto insurance if I used Geico. It was still more than the policy I had at the time with Farmers. When I got married I switched to USAA. Farmers was still cheaper but the wife insisted on staying with USAA. I have to say USAA's customer service is the best I've ever had with insurance.

But rates will be different for everyone based on location, driving history, FICO score, etc.... So my advice is to shop around for yourself.

onewhippedpuppy · 10-31-09, 08:56 PM

Geico has always been the lowest for me. They're also the ONLY company that has 24/7 telephone support that is friendly, quick, helpful, and AMERICAN. I've had several small claims and my rates have not gone up. We switched to Farmers because they have our homeowner's insurance, after one year of crappy service and two rate hikes we switched back to Geico.

Curious, why ask about the bumper? Most companies don't cover mods from stock.

Elbert · 10-31-09, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LandCruiserPhil

Why do you say "Geico is crap"? What experience with them has brought you to your opinion or are you just talking?

Note: You will not find State Farm with a Financial Strength Rating AAA but you will with Geico.

I could ask you the same question.... "are you just talking".. Why would I just make some statement without a belief in the validity of my words?

The very words I wrote...(1) I made a number of comparisons with their coverage against what I presently have (apples to apples).... no savings. (2) I was hit by a party that was insured by "GEICO" and had a number of issues with getting paid in a timely manner and getting paid an appropriate amount . (3) People have related their personal experiences dealing with Geico to me on a local level.

Low premiums don't tell the whole story.

Everyone is not going to have the same experience..... I'm sure there are people who think State Farm is crap...I do have about 30 years experience with State Farm, no I have not been insured by Geico and I don't have any plans on obtaining coverage with them.

Ebag333 · 11-01-09, 03:15 AM

Geico specializes in members with a good driving history, and good credit. If you don't have both, you probably won't get a good rate with them. This really reflects the views of the owner of the owners, Mr. Buffett.

I haven't gotten a quote from them in a while, but back when my credit was just okay, they were quite expensive. I know several people with good credit and driving records who have excellent rates through them.

I've had good experiences and been pretty impressed with Progressive. Heard good things about USAA as well.

As others have said, shop around and see what's best for you.

Marc311 · 11-01-09, 06:39 AM

I wouldn't shop insurance based upon quotes alone. The lowest rate doesn't matter if they deny your claim. This is especially true for those minimum coverage insurance brokers.

I believe USAA is open to all those who served (as opposed to only being open to officers previously). I hadn't heard anything about them being open to everyone. One of the reasons they are so highly rated is the way they handle claims - not just low prices.

Elbert · 11-01-09, 07:51 AM

Unless I"m wrong every state has its own rules and governance on the rates and the way in which insruance companies do business in each respective state.

BTW: My credit rating is very good and I've had one wreck in my 29yrs of driving.

There are many variables in the insurance world...driving record, I don't know if credit history applies, certainly demographics apply, age, sex, etc and the state /county/ city/ and they use stats to compute risk in the area in whcih you reside and work.

I agree once again... its not just the low premium that makes it a good buy.

I have heard good things about USAA, but I think there is some fine print about when you seperated from the service and based on that wiill USAA offer you coverage. That's the way it was the last time I looked.

Filmpros · 11-01-09, 11:54 AM

Geico sucks. I had them insuring at least 3 cars for 15 years and as soon as I told them I was thinking about putting a winch on my truck, they dropped me. I called them and said, what if I do not put on a winch. They said the Supercharger was a problem then. I said what if I do not put on a Supercharger then? They said it was the another modification, and then another. Basically, they said they would not insure any modified Land Cruiser.

Go to Travelers. They are great. They insured my truck for over 80K...albeit, there is more than that in to it....that was my best guess when I was building it. I was way off.

MaddBaggins · 11-01-09, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elbert

USAA is not open to everyone..... you might want to check the fine print.... last time I looked they had some rules about who would be covered and who would not be. Unless they changed just a month or tow ago to be more liberal in there coverage demographics. Last I looked you only had a narrow window of time to get coverage with USAA upon seperation from the service.

I could be wrong of course, but they have sent me emails asking me to invite my friends and they are pushing billboard, radio and TV spots pretty big in my area.

I assumed when they asked me to invite friends, that they were loosening up the requirements.

Any way, if you can get in with them, they are a good company to work with. Never had any hassle when making a claim and they're always very helpful no matter what we call for.