USAA Lucid Experience

[victoryroad]

I assume you are aware that Pure will not be close to competitive on price. But it instead offers agreed upon pricing and excellent service.

Yes, that is my assumption.

 

[Instinctive]

Good afternoon,

Recently, I was rear-ended. As I still have USAA, I decided to use them this time and not go through the other driver's insurance. So far, USAA has been very proactive. When I mentioned I needed to use a Lucid-approved repair shop, USAA wanted to be sure I was aware that if the labor rate of the shop I picked was higher than the local rate and USAA was unable to negotiate a lower price, that I would have to pay the difference between the local rate and what the repair facility charged. This is the first time USAA has ever said this to me, but previously I never had a vehicle that required a specific repair facility. What am I missing?

Because I wanted to use the Lucid-approved repair shop, USAA asked me to send photos of the damage. In the email I received requesting the photos, USAA states:

"You are not required to have your vehicle repaired at a particular motor vehicle repair shop and you have the right to select the repair facility of your choice. Your selection of a repair location will not affect our obligation to pay for your covered claim."

So, if I have the right to select the repair facility and USAA is obligated to pay for my covered claim, why is USAA saying I must pay the difference between the local rate and the rate of the shop I select?

I got the same note and then they paid for everything.

 

[Steveinarizona]

I got the same note and then they paid for everything.

What USAA is saying is that you can go to the shop of your choice and they will pay but the payment will be what they consider to be appropriate. So, for example, if USAA thinks a repair should cost $3,000, you can go to any shop but it will limit you to the $3,000. You can contest the correctness of the amount. Of course, saying that you are limited and actually limiting you are two different things. So USAA may say this but will often pay the full amount but this gives them the flexibility to deny what they consider to be out of spec claims.

The OP was rear ended which means that it is the other driver's insurance company that will ultimately have to pay. Depending upon the laws of the state in question, the OP may also have al claim for "diminished value".

 

[Blkturbos2k]

I have not had any claim in years and then only a minor one with a local insurance company near Boston. No problem with a settlement. Recently moved from CO to VA and am getting quotes. The only certified Lucid repair shop in VA owner told me that USAA settled claims efficiently. Amica quote was more than twice that of USAA. A couple of independent insurance agents in my area in east VA use Erie and their quote was reasonable but much higher than another regional carrier. I await quotes from PURE and Cincinnati. My only claims experience with USAA was hurricane damage for my 1746 house many years ago. The experience was unsatisfactory so I switched to Chubb which covered the replacement cost of losses on an antique like mine that would have required hand-planned interior trim and joinery, etc. I am not inclined to use USAA despite the experience of my closest Lucid-certified repair shop, especially after reading the member's experience here.

Where are you in Va? We are in Ashburn

 

[Blkturbos2k]

I got the same note and then they paid for everything.

USAA has gone downhill the past few years. They were great. The best at this point is Chubb, pure, and Erie.

 

[Steveinarizona]

USAA has gone downhill the past few years. They were great. The best at this point is Chubb, pure, and Erie.

IMO Pure will definitely give you the best coverage but at a price!

 

[eisenmann]

I've had 3 USAA claims in the past few years, each handled with various degrees of competency.

Our daughter had a truck sideswipe her 1997 Audi A3 while in a lane that was parked on the highway in traffic. USAA totaled the car. USAA was quite honestly terrible in handling this situation. I'm guessing because it was a 'total' and as I understand it they farm out a lot of that work to independent contractors (towing, damage estimates, etc). So the lack of communication from the towing facility, their damage assessment back to USAA, and the USAA rep's lack of command of what was going on took us about 3 months to settle on the payout. We opted for a salvage since the damage was mostly cosmetic and I don't think I'll do that again based on the steps involved to keep the car.
USAA claimed we were partially at fault, but wouldn't tell us the %. I guess being on the highway was our fault and not dodging a truck 10x the size of our car and having it plow into the side at 5mph in a stopped traffic situation was our fault too.

I have a BMW i3 in NV that had a Bear tear through and destroy the back seat area of the car . Full replacement interior with OEM parts. Comprehensive claim and handled exceptionally. Not a problem with USAA for about $10k.

I've had the same i3 get hit on the front bumper (same year as the bear incident) in a parking lot while we were in the store shopping. No fault claim at $12.5k damage handled exceptionally by USAA with a local body shop.

Did not see our premiums adjust fyi upon renewal.