RV Insurance for Fulltimers

[HSVBamaBob]

DW and I were discussing this topic last night. We DO know that Coach-Net adds a surcharge for fulltimers to its roadside assistance and hazard insurance.

 

So, does anyone know if insurance companies charge a surcharge for fulltime RV insurance? Also, in your experience what is the best insurance company out there?

 

Thanks for the advice! So meany details to work out before we go FT in 2018!

[Kirk W]

I just looked at Coach-Net and as far as I am able to see, there is no added charge for fulltimers. I have had Coach-Net coverage now for more than 10 years, had a motorhome towed one time and a few assistance calls and to date have never heard of any added charge. We had the basic package which has no towing limits. Since we are now back to part time, we do buy the limited package as we are not on the road enough to warrant the basic.

 

On the RV insurance, there is no surcharge for living in the RV but most of us do pay for what is called a fulltimer's clause on our policies. The additional coverage takes care of things like the personal liability that is part of all home owner's insurance policies which we don't have with no house. In most cases it also increases the coverage for personal effects and even covers you if someone should be injured when visiting you in a campsite that you spend time in. Most fulltimer policies also offer total reimbursement for a loss of the RV to replace it with one of the same model and a disappearing deductible. I suggest that you do some comparisons between policies and agencies just as you would when shopping for any other major purchase. Most of the automobile insurance companies do not carry these extra coverage's so I'll offer links to several popular agencies that do so.

Miller Ins. Agency RV Advantage Foremost Ins. Group AIS Recreation Insurance Explorer Insurance Co.

[LindaH]

We are also CoachNet customers. We pay the same now that we are part timers as we did when we were fulltimers, so I do not believe that there is any surcharge for fulltimers (unless this is something they started after 2010 when we came off the road fulltime).

[nana25k]

No nothing about coach net. Our fulltime insurance on our RV and our car is with GEICO. Make sure you get the RV agents. Great service for 29 years

[dartmouth01]

I had Progressive as a full timer, and now as a weekend warrior. I did not see much change if at all on premiums (I changed our status on a renewal, not when we came off the road from being full time). Never had to use Progressive for any claims, so I can't speak to how good service they have, but I went with them because the price was good, and they didn't require me to go through the rigarmarole of having to speak to a live agent, they were one of the only ins companies that would give me an RV quote right online. Even Geico required me to speak to someone during normal business hours.....

[kb0zke]

I've not heard of CoachNet charging a surcharge for full-timers, either. Bob, you might want to verify that.

 

We have our coach insurance with Progressive, too, and we did increase our coverage when we went full-time simply because now all of our stuff is here with us. (Now, if we could only find the things we're looking for....).

[LFDR3116]

We also have Progressive and Coach Net. No additional surcharges, just additional coverages purchased because we are full-timers.

[HSVBamaBob]

Hi All,

 

Just got back in town - where we were was pretty much internet-less

 

Wanted to let all Full-Timers know that Coach-Net does indeed charge a bit more for full time RVers - it's not that much, but if you do not have the full-time option on your coverage, they will not honor service if it is discovered that you are full-time without the full-time rider.

 

Here is the contact info for our member rep - Garfield is a wonderful person and will be happy to work with anyone who needs to modify or change their coverage.

 

All our best,

 

Bob & Anne-Marie

 

Garfield Fabricius-Davies | Member Account Advisor | Coach-Net Protect

gdavies@coach-net.com

P: 972.993.8416 | C: 214.549.8524

2820 W. Southlake Blvd, Southlake, TX 76092

[docj]

 

 

Wanted to let all Full-Timers know that Coach-Net does indeed charge a bit more for full time RVers - it's not that much, but if you do not have the full-time option on your coverage, they will not honor service if it is discovered that you are full-time without the full-time rider.

 

 

With all due respect, I think the extra charges for full-timers may be for Coachnet's extended warranty plans but not for simple roadside assistance. The FAQs for the roadside assistance plans include questions along the lines of "what kind of plan should I select if I'm not a full-timer" and there is no discussion of an extra fee for full-timers. There are several road service plan levels available and everyone is free to select the one that best meets his/her needs, but there is no indication of any extra fees for full-timers or even of a question on the application along the lines of "are you a full-timer."

 

Here are the FAQ for Coach-net roadside assistance: http://www.coach-net.com/FAQs/#

[HSVBamaBob]

You may very well be correct Sandie & Joel - for the roadside assistance I am pretty sure you are. My bad -- I was also assuming folks were speaking of the extended warranty.

[nana25k]

I had Progressive as a full timer, and now as a weekend warrior. I did not see much change if at all on premiums (I changed our status on a renewal, not when we came off the road from being full time). Never had to use Progressive for any claims, so I can't speak to how good service they have, but I went with them because the price was good, and they didn't require me to go through the rigarmarole of having to speak to a live agent, they were one of the only ins companies that would give me an RV quote right online. Even Geico required me to speak to someone during normal business hours.....

We have been able to speak to an RV agent pretty much anytime. However when doing so they must transfer you to an agent who is licensed in your state of domicile. So we have on occasion needed to wait for a call back for a South Dakota agent to fginaluze a change. Everyone has their ow contact preference. I like speaking directly to an agent so that I know our coverages are correct. We carry an extra increased level of coverage on our personal belongings, and a rider for jewelry

[D&J]

We aren't considered full timers because we maintain a home base but we have a full timer policy on the trailer because gives us better personal property coverage and a added 2K towing on the trailer. We did eliminate the liability part of the policy because we have that coverage on our home base.

We use Allied out of Nebraska but it's Nationwide anywhere else.

 

Denny

[B&G Mulford]

We have had a Progressive full-timers policy since about 2004 and have been totally satisfied. Had a blowout in 2010 that did $17,000+ damage (ate a slide, furnace ducts, etc.). Costs us a total of $500.00 backs and a new tire. (They bought us a new wheel but said they couldn't buy the tire.) Everything--and I mean everything--was taken care of by them in about 4 phone calls. Towed it to a (then) Carriage dealer and told them "just fix it!"

[Jalene]

Been a 'weekender' for about 10 years and will be making the transition to full-timer hopefully spring 2016. With so many things to consider insurance has now popped up as a question. To date I have had nothing more than a combination of auto, homeowners, and AAA roadside assistance for RVers to cover the bases. Interested to learn what other full-timers recommend, which carriers and why. Thanks for any guidance.

 

J~

[LindaH]

To date I have had nothing more than a combination of auto, homeowners, and AAA roadside assistance for RVers to cover the bases. Interested to learn what other full-timers recommend, which carriers and why. Thanks for any guidance.

 

First, ditch the AAA roadside assistance and get either CoachNet or Good Sam ERS.

 

Then go up to Kirk's post (#2) above, where he lists several agencies that specialize in RV insurance and give a few a call for quotes for fulltimers insurance.

[Kirk W]

Been a 'weekender' for about 10 years and will be making the transition to full-timer hopefully spring 2016.

J~

Welcome to the Escapee forums! We are here to help so start new threads with questions or add comments at any time!

[RBH]

 

First, ditch the AAA roadside assistance and get either CoachNet or Good Sam ERS.

 

Then go up to Kirk's post (#2) above, where he lists several agencies that specialize in RV insurance and give a few a call for quotes for fulltimers insurance.

Most if not all RV insurance policies will include roadside assistance for an added fee, often less than the dedicated ERS companies. Our Blue Sky policy has a $75/yr rider and has saved us much money in tows and the service couldn't have been better.

[rynosback]

I had Progressive and switched to Blu Sky. I got better coverages for less money. Let me know if you want my agents info. He really took his time and went over all sorts of coverages.

[lb311]

I'm in the process of switching my non-full-timer Progressive RV & Auto policies to new full-timer Progressive policies offered via one of the RVerInsurance.com agents (American Adventure Insurance). Before signing up with AAI, I called Progressive to see what they could quote me directly. Surprisingly, not much (at least, in regards to full-timer RV coverage).

 

AAI was able to give me an RV policy with "agreed value" replacement coverage (Progressive Direct would only offer current value). AAI was also able to offer "Scheduled Personal Effects" for bigger-ticket items like computers and camera gear, whereas Progressive Direct only offers the standard Personal Effects coverage. I was shocked to learn that this standard coverage lumps both computers and cameras into one "group" and caps that group at just $3,000 (even though I had purchased a much higher total amount for personal effects).

So, even though I'll still be getting Progressive insurance, it really did help enormously to obtain it via an agent who specializes in RV policies rather than signing up with them directly (or changing my existing policies online).

 

Lynne

[Mike and Claudia]

I'm in the process of switching my non-full-timer Progressive RV & Auto policies to new full-timer Progressive policies offered via one of the RVerInsurance.com agents (American Adventure Insurance). Before signing up with AAI, I called Progressive to see what they could quote me directly. Surprisingly, not much (at least, in regards to full-timer RV coverage).

 

AAI was able to give me an RV policy with "agreed value" replacement coverage (Progressive Direct would only offer current value). AAI was also able to offer "Scheduled Personal Effects" for bigger-ticket items like computers and camera gear, whereas Progressive Direct only offers the standard Personal Effects coverage. I was shocked to learn that this standard coverage lumps both computers and cameras into one "group" and caps that group at just $3,000 (even though I had purchased a much higher total amount for personal effects).

 

So, even though I'll still be getting Progressive insurance, it really did help enormously to obtain it via an agent who specializes in RV policies rather than signing up with them directly (or changing my existing policies online).

 

Lynne

 

 

Lynne-

 

What exactly is "agreed value" agreed at the initiation of the policy, or what?

 

Thanks!

[lb311]

Hi Mike & Claudia:
Howard from RV-Dreams has an excellent explanation page of typical RV insurance coverage options. Basically, Agreed Value means that if my RV is in a major accident and is deemed a total loss, I will get the full amount that me and the insurance company agreed to at the start of the policy regardless of if the accident occurs tomorrow or 5 years from now (In my case, AAI and I agreed to an amount of $40k on my used RV). With the more common "Actual Cash Value", the insurance company alone determines the value of the RV at the time of loss (and they often will only give you "trade-in value" rather than the amount it would cost you to re-purchase the exact same used RV).

 

In my situation, I own an early model Winnebago View. These RVs have held their value extremely well and still sell used for practically what their original owners purchased them for (The MSRP of newer Views jumped to about double what the earlier models had listed for, thus putting quite a premium on used Views).

 

So, to give you a real-life example, looking on RVTrader right now, '07 Views are being priced anywhere from $45k to $59k. Figuring in a discount on the selling prices, and I could probably purchase a replacement unit for around $40-45k. This also currently jives with what NADA Guides is showing (retail value range of $39,900 and $48k). When I called Progressive Direct to get a quote on a new Full-Time RVer policy last week, guess how much they told me their current "Actual Cash Value" would pay for my RV? A crummy $28,000!

 

As I mentioned above, Progressive Direct also could not offer me "Scheduled Personal Effects" coverage (to cover things like cameras, computers, jewelry at their "per item" current appraised values) and would only quote standard personal effects coverage (which lumps all these big-ticket items together and caps it at $3,000 irregardless of your total PE coverage amount).

You'd think that the Progressive Direct quote would have been much cheaper than the quote I got from their agent, American Adventure (AAI) since the AAI quote came with the upgraded coverages, but guess what? Progressive Direct was actually over $100 higher in my case!

 

So, I'm now completely sold on making those few extra calls to work with an agent who specializes in RV insurance. Same Progressive insurance but with enhanced coverage that will save me thousands if I ever need to replace my full-time RV home or its contents!

 

Lynne

[GlennWest]

We have Progressive and have for several years. We have vanishing deductibles. So our deductions are 0. Don't believe anyone could do better. Know when we contacted Blue Sky they were higher. Now that we have the HDT I may contact them again.

[rynosback]

We have Progressive and have for several years. We have vanishing deductibles. So our deductions are 0. Don't believe anyone could do better. Know when we contacted Blue Sky they were higher. Now that we have the HDT I may contact them again.

Must be a different in our states. Because I got better coverage for less money through Blue Sky vs Progressive. I had Progressive insurance for more then 10 years on my toys.

[GlennWest]

I did not have the HDT when I contacted them. Actually contacted them 2 different years. I got quote for rv full time insurance and they could not match price for same coverage. They could not give 0 deductibles which is what we have until at least we have a claim. We have been blessed to not need it. Our cars are due in Feb. but our rv's (hdt rv also) due in August. May contact them again soon with everything. We are Texans also

[LFDR3116]

We have Progressive also and it was cheaper than Blue Sky by approx $500. I worked 30 yrs in the insurance industry and I do know how to read policies, so I am sure there were no reductions in coverage or higher deductibles etc that accounted for this difference. We actually have additional coverages on the Progressive policy that were not offered on the Blue Sky policy.