USAA just announced another membership expansion

[BikeBookBread]

Now ANYONE who has honorably served (no dishonorable discharges, I suppose) can join USAA and use the wonderful banking, insurance and investment services. You no longer have to be an active duty service member or retiree to join.

 

This is a big change in policy. I wonder why, and how it will affect insurance rates... but if you CAN join, DO!!! It's SO worth it!

 

http://www.usaa.com

[herbalgirl]

:iagree: USAA is awesome. :)

[ciyates]

I agree they are the best!

[Rhonda in TX]

My brother served in Desert Storm (Army) and I'm not sure if he's a member of this or not.

[TXMomof4]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE USAA!

 

Their staff is amazing, coverage is reasonable, and I've had the best experiences with them.

[lauracolumbus]

When we tell insurance reps that we have USAA they stop what they're saying and tell us they can't compete.

 

Laura

[lovetobehome]

Me, too! My dad was in the navy decades ago, and they have allowed us (all his children) to be members. We've been members for years now. USAA ROCKS!

[nukeswife]

When we tell insurance reps that we have USAA they stop what they're saying and tell us they can't compete.

 

Laura

 

We've had the same experience. DH has been a member since his commissioning in 1995 and I've been one since we married. It's a great company to deal with. It's so nice when we move to just have to give a call and within a few minutes all the policies are changed and we're good to go.

[ekarl2]

I've been a member for ten years. The VERY first thing my DH and I did when we got back from our honeymoon was cancel his AWFUL accounts at BofA and move him to my USAA accounts. I love them!

 

I often joke that it's a little sad that the best military benefit out there is provided by a private company. (Those awful, horrible corporate big-wigs.)

[Veronica in VA]

USAA is wonderful!

[Tutor]

Love USAA! Their Deposit@Home service is awesome!

[Paintedlady]

Thank you! Dh & I are both vets but neither of us served long enough to retire. This is awesome!

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

Love USAA! Their Deposit@Home service is awesome!

 

:iagree:

It is a crazy, ridiculously easy, wonderful service! I remember when they started doing the free next day deposit with UPS and then changed to the deposit@home. Really, they couldn't be any more helpful if they came to the door and drove the deposits to the bank for us! :lol:

[Jann in TX]

Dh's father is retired Air-Force.

 

We love the service AND the insurance rates!

[WTMCassandra]

This is good news. I think more people are serving a few years and getting out, as opposed to being career. We've been USAA members for over 20 years and have nothing but good things to say about them. Go, USAA!

[WTMCassandra]

I often joke that it's a little sad that the best military benefit out there is provided by a private company. (Those awful, horrible corporate big-wigs.)

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[silvermine]

USAA is the best!

[mommyrooch]

I personally think USAA stinks! I'm not a member though so perhaps my experience doesn't apply. I'm sure they treat their members great but if you are the other party seeking damages they stink.

 

I was just in a wreck on Oct. 16 and the other driver has USAA coverage. It was obvious that the other driver hit me. We even called out an officer who worked the scene. It was written up in the police report that the other driver struck me! He backed into me in a parking lot. He hit the SIDE of my van with the BACK of his truck!! It was obvious that he was at fault. The police report even placed fault on him. I am certain beyond a doubt that this gentleman hit me and all of the physical evidence proves this!

 

Despite this his insurance (USAA) has denied liability and has refused to pay for the damages to my van. I am having to file with my insurance company using my collision coverage in order to get my van fixed. I am glad my insurance is paying for it but very ticked that they are having to. I am having to come up with my $500 deductible which I would not have to be paying if his insurance had just covered the damages.

 

My insurance company is sueing USAA for the damages to my van including my deductable. My company (as well as myself) are certain that their driver was at fault so they are seeking reimbursment for the damages.

 

Anyway, at least from the perspective of an outside party USAA is a crappy company. They might treat their customers like gold but they obviously try to get out of paying legitimate claims resulting in damages to the other persons property.

 

I vote :thumbdown: for USAA. In my book they are not a good, honest company.

[WTMCassandra]

I'm so sorry that happened to you.

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

Despite this his insurance (USAA) has denied liability and has refused to pay for the damages to my van.

 

Hmm. Odd. Did they say why? It makes me wonder if he didn't pay his premium. This is completely atypical for USAA.

[mommyrooch]

Hmm. Odd. Did they say why? It makes me wonder if he didn't pay his premium. This is completely atypical for USAA.

 

No. They did not give a legitimate reason for denying the claim. When asked why they simply stated that their client had said that I was the one that hit him. :blink: I know I didn't hit this guy. I know it, the cop knew it, my insurance company knows it and the guy that hit me knows it. He's just trying to pawn the blame off on me. :mad:

 

It's not going to work though because there is WAY too much evidence proving that he hit me. If you saw the damages to the side of my van vs. the back bumper of his truck you would know that it is not physically possible to have hit him based on the location of the impact. It is obvious that this guy backed into me!

 

USAA is taking the word of this one man over a written police report and physical evidence supporting the fact that he hit me.

 

My company has no doubt as to who was liable so they didn't even hesitate to seek reimbursement for the damages. If they are rewarded the damages then I will at least get my deductable back. I suppose this is the best I can hope for at this point. :( I do hope USAA is forced to pay.

 

Boo to USAA. :thumbdown: They are certainly a cruddy company when it comes to dealing with an outside party. They may treat their customers great but if you aren't a customer you better hope you don't get in a wreck with someone that is. USAA will likely refuse to pay for damages to your vehicle if you are the outside party.

[asta]

They may treat their customers great but if you aren't a customer you better hope you don't get in a wreck with someone that is. USAA will likely refuse to pay for damages to your vehicle if you are the outside party.

 

Not necessarily.

 

I have a friend whose house was flooded by rain when her roof was taken off by WIND during Hurricane Katrina. Everyone agreed it was wind: the adjustor, the weather folk - everyone. She was nowhere near the water - her house was inland Louisiana. She had full everything insurance with USAA and they refused to pay a dime. Other homes in her area, covered by other companies, were fully covered. Her and her husband ended up repairing their home themselves (couldn't walk away - they had a mortgage with... USAA!).

 

I agree USAA has a good side, but they had a better side when they had a very restrictive membership roll. Like anything else, when you open your doors to more risk, you tighten your restrictions (whether most people notice them on a day to day basis or not).

 

 

a

[NavyWifeandMommy]

While I do love some of the perks of USAA it is a bummer not to have a branch locally so I have the other one, NavyFed (it's nice to have the same bank where ever you go). Also their insurance don't cover motorcycles. Other than that they do have wonderful customer service and direct deposit is great.

So if you can join, I highly recommend them.

[Serendipity]

I've been with USAA for twenty years.

 

Our alleged experiences with USAA and my opinions follow:

 

About 5 years ago we were looking at USAA for life insurance. Our home was insured through them and both of our cars were insured with them at the time. I received a phone call from one of their employees about the paperwork we were to have received and filled out. I told him we hadn't received a packet. He went looking in the system and said that it had been returned to USAA by the post office because we didn't live in that house. I told him he was calling me at the house that they were insuring. After talking with him for TWENTY MINUTES to try and convince him that we DID live in the house that the packet was addressed to, he told me that he would send another packet out, but that if it was returned to USAA, he would cancel all of our insurance policies.

 

We decided NOT to take out life insurance with USAA.

 

Three years later, we bought another house and did NOT use USAA for the mortgage insurance. My mother moved in with us when we bought the new house. I called USAA and had her car placed on our insurance policy. A year later, she and my father (who has his own policy with USAA) bought a house. I called USAA to have her removed from our policy and was told that she would have to call USAA to confirm. She called. The following month, we were billed for her car insurance. I called USAA and was told she would have to call to confirm. She called again. I called back that time and was told by the male employee that if they removed her from my insurance policy before receiving proof that she had car insurance somewhere else, her car would be impounded and she would be arrested...if she were to be stopped by a policeman. I called my parents and my father put her car on his insurance policy at USAA. I called USAA and I was told my father now had to call to confirm that she was on HIS policy. My father called USAA. I called back, and they still had not removed her car from our policy. I told the female employee what the male employee had said about my mother's car being impounded and her being arrested, and she said she would make sure her car was removed from our policy. It was.

 

Two years ago I decided to sign up for a checking and savings account with USAA. I hadn't had the accounts a few months. It was the second deposit I made that wasn't made available. Thanks to my Dh for reminding me of this. I made a deposit in the checking account, but it wasn't available for my use after the amount of days USAA specified it would be available. I called and the woman I spoke to wanted to know in what form I made the deposit. I told her it was a transfer from the Wells Fargo account we had been using to PAY them our insurance premiums for years. She told me the deposit would be available by midnight the next day. It wasn't. I called back. This representative said she couldn't explain why the deposit wasn't available yet or why it hadn't been available when the previous employee had told me it would be. She suggested I wait a few more days to see if the money became available. I told her to close both accounts. She finally agreed to close both accounts and said that a check for the combined balances would be in the mail. I waited and received no check. Then a bank statement came in the mail. It showed that the accounts had not been closed. I called USAA and spoke to a male representative who said he would take care of closing both accounts and that a check would be in the mail. After 10 days, I called back and found out that only the savings account had been closed and that the money from it was moved to my checking account. I called and spoke with a female representative of USAA who, after my adamant requests, closed the checking account. I then waited to receive a check for the balance. I waited a few days and called back. The female representative with whom I spoke THAT time was horrified that I hadn't received a check and said she would send it right out. It arrived in two days.

 

Soooo, I would say that the quality of their service for our family has dramatically declined in the last 5 years.

 

:/

I am now going to copy and paste this into a word document because, really, in my opinion, what horrible service and dishonesty! I shouldn't ever forget.

Edited November 6, 2009 by Serendipity

[mommyrooch]

Soooo, I would say that the quality of their service for our family has dramatically declined in the last 5 years.

 

:/

I am now going to copy and paste this into a word document because, really, in my opinion, what horrible service and dishonesty! I shouldn't ever forget.

 

It is nice to hear that I am not the only one that has had a problem with USAA. I originally felt bad posting about my negative experience with them because everyone else seemed so keen on them. Now I don't feel so bad. ;) It seems that some people that are even members with them have had problems with them.

 

They are definitely not a company that I would recommend. I believe that they are a dishonest company.

[Donna A.]

I've been with USAA for twenty years.

 

Our alleged experiences with USAA and my opinions follow:

 

About 5 years ago we were looking at USAA for life insurance. Our home was insured through them and both of our cars were insured with them at the time. I received a phone call from one of their employees about the paperwork we were to have received and filled out. I told him we hadn't received a packet. He went looking in the system and said that it had been returned to USAA by the post office because we didn't live in that house. I told him he was calling me at the house that they were insuring. After talking with him for TWENTY MINUTES to try and convince him that we DID live in the house that the packet was addressed to, he told me that he would send another packet out, but that if it was returned to USAA, he would cancel all of our insurance policies.

 

We decided NOT to take out life insurance with USAA.

 

Three years later, we bought another house and did NOT use USAA for the mortgage insurance. My mother moved in with us when we bought the new house. I called USAA and had her car placed on our insurance policy. A year later, she and my father (who has his own policy with USAA) bought a house. I called USAA to have her removed from our policy and was told that she would have to call USAA to confirm. She called. The following month, we were billed for her car insurance. I called USAA and was told she would have to call to confirm. She called again. I called back that time and was told by the male employee that if they removed her from my insurance policy before receiving proof that she had car insurance somewhere else, her car would be impounded and she would be arrested...if she were to be stopped by a policeman. I called my parents and my father put her car on his insurance policy at USAA. I called USAA and I was told my father now had to call to confirm that she was on HIS policy. My father called USAA. I called back, and they still had not removed her car from our policy. I told the female employee what the male employee had said about my mother's car being impounded and her being arrested, and she said she would make sure her car was removed from our policy. It was.

 

Two years ago I decided to sign up for a checking and savings account with USAA. I hadn't had the accounts a few months. It was the second deposit I made that wasn't made available. Thanks to my Dh for reminding me of this. I made a deposit in the checking account, but it wasn't available for my use after the amount of days USAA specified it would be available. I called and the woman I spoke to wanted to know in what form I made the deposit. I told her it was a transfer from the Wells Fargo account we had been using to PAY them our insurance premiums for years. She told me the deposit would be available by midnight the next day. It wasn't. I called back. This representative said she couldn't explain why the deposit wasn't available yet or why it hadn't been available when the previous employee had told me it would be. She suggested I wait a few more days to see if the money became available. I told her to close both accounts. She finally agreed to close both accounts and said that a check for the combined balances would be in the mail. I waited and received no check. Then a bank statement came in the mail. It showed that the accounts had not been closed. I called USAA and spoke to a male representative who said he would take care of closing both accounts and that a check would be in the mail. After 10 days, I called back and found out that only the savings account had been closed and that the money from it was moved to my checking account. I called and spoke with a female representative of USAA who, after my adamant requests, closed the checking account. I then waited to receive a check for the balance. I waited a few days and called back. The female representative with whom I spoke THAT time was horrified that I hadn't received a check and said she would send it right out. It arrived in two days.

 

Soooo, I would say that the quality of their service for our family has dramatically declined in the last 5 years.

 

:/

I am now going to copy and paste this into a word document because, really, in my opinion, what horrible service and dishonesty! I shouldn't ever forget.

 

Wow. We've been members for about 9 years now, and have nothing bad to say about them. But if I were trying to close accounts and move things around and not getting results by phone like you did, I would've been writing letters and sending them certified. I was both a legal and accounting secretary back in my pre-SAHM days, so I learned the habit very early of documenting *everything*. If I don't get prompt results by phone contact -- no matter WHO I'm dealing with -- I *always* follow up in writing. That way, at least you have proof that you made the request AND that they received it, with names and dates, should it ever become a legal issue. Otherwise, it's your word against theirs.

 

That's always my advice, btw, to everyone. Documentation, documentation, documentation!

[Mary in VA]

I have been a member of USAA for 32 years. We have car insurance, home owner's insurance, savings and checking accounts, credit cards and previously had a mortgage with them and a renter's policy. My college age dd has both checking and savings accounts and a credit card. They have paid every claim we made promptly and fairly. One claim for theft, which I thought they could deny quite reasonably (I would have agreed with their reasoning) they paid. I realize some people may have had problems with them, but I believe overall the satisfaction rate of their customers would beat every other insurance company out there.

 

Mary

[Jennifer]

USAA really came through for us after Katrina. Everything in our house was completely destroyed by the storm surge (we were less than 1 mile inland). Of course it was attributed to flood and we weren't covered for flood by USAA. But they were out at our house within 5 days and we received reimbursement for wind damage to the roof and they declared our car completely totaled and we had a check in another week. Also, when the girls and I moved to San Antonio, our house and contents in Mississippi were still covered by USAA. I couldn't get rental insurance from them because we still had homeowners. They told me 10% of our stuff can be outside the home and still covered under homeowners. I told them 0% of our stuff was in our home and what little we owned was in our minivan parked outside a rental in San Antonio. They waived their policy and issued renter's insurance!

For everyday banking and insurance needs we've never had a problem.

Jennifer