USAA review: rate increase 14

Thank you so much for your membership for the past 40 years. I understand the frustration this issue has caused and would like to help. Please send an email to socialmedia@usaa.com with your contact information. I would like the opportunity to have one of our specialists review your specific situation.

I have had a similar experience. I've been a member for over 20 years, no accidents, etc. Recently, both my auto and home insurance premiums went up substantially. Odd thing, my mother's premiums went down. Both of us live in California, so it's hard to buy the story that California expenses are driving this. What really ticks me off is that I received NO PRIOR NOTIFICATION - just a bill in the mail. I'm pretty disgusted, and am looking for another insurance carrier.

I just got off the phone with USAA cancelling both my home and auto insurance for the same reason - 50% premium increases due to the new California rate structure. I was told by USAA " Our new Policy structure is meant to be fair and actually added new discounts that were advantageous for a number of our members in California. However for some of our member like you there was a premium increase". So, essentially, I was SOL. I transferred both policies to Hartford through AARP and saved a ton! Between the home and auto, it adds up to nearly $500 per year

All this time, I thought that USAA had the best prices. It took this little act of greed on their part to open my eyes, so I guess I should be grateful..lol. My advice is to shop around for the best deal you can find and don't settle for getting shafted. There are plenty of companies out there that would love to have your business

I am a Maine resident and USAA customer for almost 10 years. In the last 2 years our home policy went up 50%. We live in Maine, not Louisiana or Florida or even Kansas. This state has the lowest crime rate in the whole country, no earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados. I got an honest rep on the phone when I called last year after pushing the issue when I was getting the standard answer "We reviewed our policies and now are offering more services for our customers.", when they raised the rate about 30% before the final 20% this year that got me shopping. First off, the extra "services" don't apply to most of the insured because insurers are not in the business of giving money away. The rep said that basically states like mine are subsidizing states like Massachusetts and Florida where they have rate increase caps. I asked why don't they leave those states, and he told me that if they left them for home they would have to leave them for auto as well, and then they would lose lots of customers (money). I was in the camp that thought that USAA had the best rates as well. I think at one time many years ago they did, but that has since changed. It is too bad too, because this company was founded to help soldiers and their families. What a disgrace for a company. I find it sickening.

For those interested, AAA, Liberty Mutual and The Hartford seem to be fairly cheap insurers. All would save me about $500 a year with similar coverage on auto and home. AAA has pretty good customer service as well.

I too have experienced USAA Rate increases in North Carolina. My home owners insurance has increased EVERY Year over the past 5 years. $3500 and climbing. I had to break it appart, Home vs Wind and Hail, just to get it down to $1800. Now, 2010, Home has increased by $250 and Wind and Hail by $300. Who in the government can I contact to have this investigated?

We have been with USAA for 20 yrs. and never a problem. We recently moved to Harris County, in Texas, and our homerowners insurance jumped $2ooo.oo. I have contacted 3 other carriers, with the same coverage, for $1600 to $2000 less then USAA! Their reason: we're a member owned company and we pay for each other.
Also, because of Harris County-the wind and storms! Have they ever been to Kansas? You can't describe the wind!
We will probably drop USAA homeowners and join ASI. They have an excellent rating and are the $2000 for the same coverage!
Their rates are going up, watch out!

I also have experienced a rate increase through FOREMOST insurance company, attached to Farmers insurance group. I was paying $386.00 per year and now it automatically becomes $815.00 per year with no explanation.. Good bye Foremost and Farmers Ins. group...

Everyone...Shoot me an e-mail...I write insurance for the largest insurer in North America with no broker fees or financing charges. No credit checks either! shawn@dennisroseneagency.com

USAA increased our home owners premium 62% but at least we found out in advance and will be changing carriers before the change. Like postings above, have been w/USAA 25 yrs, perfect credit, no accidents, no claims and this is how loyal clients are treated? After their investigation they confirmed today the 62% increase was correct and due to new price structure.

Hey Appleman,

I would love to have an opportunity to earn your business!Please e-mail me at shawn@dennisroseneagency.com or call me at [protected]. Thank you!

USAA has definitely gone downhill in the 25 plus years that I've been with them. They are getting tons of complaints if you look on the internet...even I was surprised and thought I was the only one. We're all starting to talk at work as many of the people that I work with are also military veterans. We're all noticing the same thing. Their service has gone downhill significantly, and their costs to members have gone up precipitously. Instead of an organization that is showing support and working with military members, they now seem to be gouging us and using up goodwill. They understand that military people tend to be loyal, and they are taking advantage of this. They think they can just shove rate increases down our throats and we'll all say "Yes sir, can I have some more." No more for me. The sad thing is that they keep asking me to invest with them to manage my assets. No way. I refinanced with them relatively recently, and it was a total mess of outsourced people not talking with each other, lost documents, emails that aren't responded to, and always something that I needed to do "immediately" to keep everything on track. Very, very disorganized and chaotic because USAA no longer emphasizes quality over quantity, or substance over square filling. I detect that USAA has outsourced vendors, hired a number of substandard "clock punchers", and generally shove you off with the next available ### to help you out...that's after navigating a frustrating phone tree. My insurance premiums also went way up, but I will begin looking for alternative companies to do business with for just about everything now...it's got me very angry. At one time they were a very special company that catered to an outstanding group of low risk and generally very responsible members of the military...now they're consciously re-branding their business as the Walmart of the insurance industry...leverage and gouge the good risk profiles of the people that built USAA to subsidize and expand their business for a bunch of "yay-who's" simply to build market share. Sad. They used to be a Costco, now they're a Walmart...and the people that I speak with daily no longer respect them as an institution that offers military members anything beyond the run of the mill. Side note: The USAA insurance agent I spoke with today with was very good...rock solid, and helped to mitigate the increase in my homeowner's insurance premium to "only" 600 dollars instead of the 1100 they tried to pull earlier. But case in point...why should I have to drill down deep into an organization to get any decent service...they should be doing this on their own. We shouldn't have to "keep on top of 'em" just to continue to get good value. I finally got somewhere with the premiums, but I don't have time to be a customer watchdog just to keep them from robbing me blind.

I just got a letter in the mail today from Foremost raising my rates for no reason on my part. I've been with them for twenty years and never made a claim on either of my manufactured homes but now they are raising my rates anyway. I pay 1600.00 a year for this insurance and have no options since I know of no one else who will insure mobile homes. It will be paid for in a year and I am told by others that then they will cancel my policy! DISGUSTED IN ALABMA!

USAA has the worst insurance. I had home owners insurance i had damage to my home during a storm ..I think they paid more trying not to pay my claim then the actual claim so i had to get FEMA involved ... i dropped the policy quickly. last week i got a letter stating my auto insurance premium is going up 100 more a month...I dropped that and found another provider for more than half that price... I will be dropping my checking and savings account once i get my dept card from my new bank... USAA do you really know what it means to serve? You defiantly know how to rip off your customers...bye bye...

Unfortunately everything you guys are saying is true. You don't know how horrible they are until you need them. So sad.