Travel Trailer Insurance ???

[Cathi]

[QUOTE=CampyTime;523262]I would like to pose a question if all of you would be so kind to answer. The $206 per year I was quoted from good Sam is for full replacement comprehensive and collision with a $500 deductible.

But the collision is NOT no fault. They'll only give me replacement or repair if I cause the collision. If it's the other guy, then his insurance would cover and pay what his policy pays. Whatever that may be!

Is this the normal way policies for rvs are written? Should I dump this idea? After I thought to ask rep about the no fault or other driver collision thing, I started to wonder if this insurance was worth it. Of course I could be at fault in an accident, no doubt. But I am worried about the other guy more!

Thoughts and opinions very much appreciated!




What you are saying is surely not the case. Full replacement has nothing to do with whose fault, as far as I have seen anywhere. You are talking about the situation in general with regard to collisions, not a full replacement policy for an RV. What you are saying would mean that if someone hit and totaled your trailer, you should say that you, not the other party, are at fault! Surely a National General Insurance company (Good Sam's) did not say you had to be at fault for full replacement, did he? If you think so, I would call again and ask again about fault regarding full replacement.

[CampyTime]

I asked and clarified three times. If trailer is hit by other party and not my fault, his insurance pays and I get whatever I get. Since posting I called nationwide and got same response.

They offered me an agreed value policy of what I paid for trailer with diminishing deductible which is already lower than good Sam. No full replacement offered for trailers over two model years old


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[Donna D.]

Full replacement value doesn't necessarily mean someone needs to be at fault. (shudder here), but we seem to be having a whole bunch of creeps setting fires to dump trucks and motor vehicles in the Pacific NorthWET. Ten Forward is currently in a storage yard. If someone lobs moltov cocktails over the fence, $100,000's of damage could be done to the RVs parked there. Something to consider, when thinking "fault."

[Cathi]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

I asked and clarified three times. If trailer is hit by other party and not my fault, his insurance pays and I get whatever I get. Since posting I called nationwide and got same response.

They offered me an agreed value policy of what I paid for trailer with diminishing deductible which is already lower than good Sam. No full replacement offered for trailers over two model years old


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You mean you clarified three times with Nationwide? Or NGI?
NGI gives full replacement in the first five years.

[Cathi]

Hi, Wendy,
I want to confirm what you said, as I called an agent myself. An agent with Good Sam's insurance first incorrectly told me that it did not matter who caused a collision that totaled a trailer, in order to get full replacement. I had also seen a website say that it did not matter who caused the collision for you to get full replacement. That is incorrect apparently --- cannot be sure without more calls.

After I kept talking to her, I then asked her again. She said that it goes to the other person's insurance company and NGI would have nothing to do with it. The other party's insurance would pay. (That is the case with a car accident that does not involve a trailer also.) You would have to sue the other party for whatever their insurance did not pay.

What I not cover on it, that I would have to follow up on, is the situation where the other party has no insurance. In that case, you would be insured by NGI and I do not know what they would pay. NGI does not sell underinsured coverage, only uninsured.

Thank you very much for pointing this out, Wendy! There is so much wrong information out there and the agent even gave me the wrong answer so I guess we cannot ask about such things enough times. Since she has told me two different answers, I will then have to look into that some more to make sure which is correct. It looks as if they will not pay full replacement if another party is at fault.

[Cathi]

An update.

I talked to a Good Sam agent who said that the full replacement is not lost if another party totals your trailer. He said that you would get the full replacement trailer and then your company (the one Good Sam uses for you which could be any of several) would subrogate, go after the other party's company for the money. I will take this to be correct until I know otherwise.

He also said that if you do not take the full replacement trailer in that case but want the cash instead, you would not get the cash value of full replacement but only the value of the trailer you had at that time.

Perhaps someone who is a member here and in insurance will come on here and confirm the full replacement situation some time.

[gordon2]

I’m down to ten more days until I become a Scamp owner! Sometimes I thought the day would never come (and I still have my doubts). So now its time to be a responsible adult and arrange for insurance to cover my new camper.

I am an AARP member (yes, I have dabbled with being a responsible adult a few times), therefore I decided to check out RV insurance by AARP / Hartford. The AARP web site listed a local agent so I went to their office today for a quote. After asking me a bunch of personal questions, then last thing the interviewer wanted to know was the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for the camper. A quick call to Scamp revealed that even though the camper will be ready for me to drive away in ten days, they have not yet assigned the VIN. The interviewer said she could NOT give me a quote, or even rough estimate, without the VIN. So I was out the door. How dumb is that on their part?

So the moral of the first part of my story that you should be ready to provide a VIN when you go insurance shopping. If you don’t have one then you could find a similar trailer or vehicle listed for sale, or from an acquaintance, then after you get your quote you can tell them the VIN is not yours.

My next stop was my regular insurance agent (with a company that is modern but not progressive). He also wanted the VIN but was happy to figure out a way to get me a quote without that magical number. We talked about adding the camper to my home, auto and umbrella policy. Many people in this and other similar forums have recommended going with a company that specializes in insurance for recreational vehicles, and as I told my agent about my concerns and desires in a policy, he told me about the policy he chose for his own boat… not with his company, but with Progressive. He checked and got me a quote of about $371 from Progressive. That’s a good deal more than just adding it to my auto policy, but the coverage is much better; including full replacement and $300,000 of “vacation liability” (which is a big concern). I would also need to add about $35 more to my umbrella policy to have it act as back-up to the Progressive policy, but then I would have one million dollars in liability coverage. Its not likely to be needed but if it ever is, my pockets will not become shallow. I’m still shopping but when your agent, who works for the ***** Insurance Company, tells you that he choose Progressive for his own watercraft, that says something.

[SactoWendy]

I added it to my tow vehicle policy at $11 per month extra with a $500 deductible.

[llfalcon]

Several times I have used Progressive 's online quote system, and no VIN was required.

Speaking of "vacation liability", can anyone tell me what that means, please?

[Glenn Baglo]

You can't compare insurance policies unless you include all details as to the coverage. Saying you pay $11 a month means nothing.
What you pay will depend on coverage, value of trailer, where you live and even what your credit rating is.

[CampyTime]

Vacation liability means that if during a camping trip or vacation, along the way if your trip is interrupted or cancelled due to break down or what have you, you will be reimbursed costs associated with the trip. In our case, this might mean reservation fees. It does not mean something comes up in your life, necessitating a cancellation of the trip, and the insurance company will refund you.


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[Jim Bennett]

My trailer insurance covers full repairs or replacement cost of the trailer, $5,000 for contents, $3,000 for emergency lodging/meals, and any incidental costs like towing, etc. For $250/year, it is a great piece of mind.

[CampyTime]

May I ask who the carrier of your insurance is Jim? Thank you!

Wendy


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[llfalcon]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Vacation liability means that if during a camping trip or vacation, along the way if your trip is interrupted or cancelled due to break down or what have you, you will be reimbursed costs associated with the trip. In our case, this might mean reservation fees. It does not mean something comes up in your life, necessitating a cancellation of the trip, and the insurance company will refund you.


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Thanks! I had seen that term but was confused as to its meaning.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

May I ask who the carrier of your insurance is Jim? Thank you!

Wendy


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Aviva.

[gordon2]

RE: "Originally Posted by CampyTime,
Vacation liability means that if during a camping trip or vacation, along the way if your trip is interrupted or cancelled due to break down or what have you, you will be reimbursed costs associated with the trip"

Originally Posted by llfalcon

Thanks! I had seen that term but was confused as to its meaning.

Hmm.. I would have guessed that it mean liability coverage for people injured or the like.

I have Erie insurance for my home and auto, and also an umbrella catastrophic liability policy in the amount of one million dollars. It kicks in if my other policies are exhausted and will pay out up to that amount (and/or defend against the claims if I am sued). It does require a little more than the minimal coverage on the auto, and it cost about $100 a year. It protects my long term investments, retirement savings, etc. It is a very good idea if your net worth is a good deal more than the limits of your insurance.

My Erie agent actually suggested Progressive for covering the trailer, so I went with their full replacement, disappearing deductibles plan. Once I had that, the umbrella policy covered the trailer also for another $25 a year.

So if you come to see my trailer (anywhere it happens to be) and it blows up while you are inside, I am covered for $1,000,000. But don't get any ideas, they will aggressively defend any claims

[Murphy]

We just insured with Progressive. Policy cost under $200 for the year and they have coverages I didn't expect, like camp coverage in case that little kid next door trips while visiting your campsite. ☺

[Mr Lynn]

Well, I just finished reading through this whole interminable thread, and must say I haven't learned much, except what I already knew: TANSTAAFL ("There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"—Robert A. Heinlein).

We just bought a 2013 Casita Spirit Deluxe. A rep at our insurance agent says a rider on our automobile policy (with Safety Insurance, based here in Massachusetts) will only cover the trailer when it's hitched to the truck, and would cost $200. She offers instead a policy with Foremost, which will cover the Casita no matter where it is, for $379/year. This includes:

- "Other than collision" (which I assume means fire, theft, etc.): ACV less $500 deductible.

- Collision: ACV less $500 deductible

- Vacation liability (not sure how this is defined; cancellations?): $50,000 (do we really need this? adds only $15 to policy, though)

- Traveline towing/roadside assistance: $100 (adds $26—we already have AAA, so probably can kill)

- Emergency expense (whatever the heck that is): $500 (adds $3)

- Scheduled medical benefits (have to ask what those are; adds $5)

- Personal property: ACV less deductible of $500—not clear, as also $1,000 is checked; adds $14)

No replacement cost listed, but the application form asks if we are the original owners (no), so my guess is that it's not an option.

No liability listed. She writes, "To increase liability on the Foremost Travel Trailer Policy to $100,000 would increase the premium by $55, to increase liability to $300,000 would increase the premium by $69 and to increase liability to $500,000 (maximum) would increase the premium by $79." She doesn't explain how we can 'increase' liability if none were originally offered.

'ACV' = 'actual cash value'

One thing I did learn from this thread is that an Umbrella Policy might back up liability if you have your RV insured. The rep says that "Umbrella policies do not cover Travel Trailer policies," but she is not super-competent (originally tried to register our Casita as a 'utility trailer'). So I'll have to ask her about that.

Comments welcome. $379 a year plus add-ons for liability ain't hay, but this 'little house' cost us a pretty penny (we could have gotten a new Starcraft for similar money), so we ought to cover it.

/Mr Lynn

[Triker]

You could try Good Sam Insurance, and they broker several companies so you'll get a couple quotes. You may want to consider Good Sam Roadside Assistance if you plan on going off the beaten path; I've heard AAA has a lot of 'exclusions' in their coverage. Also check to see if your particular AAA plan includes your trailer; I think they've got two plans for RVs.

[k corbin]

I just purchased a 1972 Trails West Campster. Not worth a lot right now since it is a fixer so I only put liability on it for the moment. I have Allstate Insurance and the trailer coverage was added on as part of my auto policy for the vehicle I am towing it with. It added $5.00 a month to my bill.

Once it is all fixed up and I am doing extended traveling then I will see about getting contents coverage.