Geico RV Insurance

Last week I contacted Geico to remove our 2014 car and add our new car. I found out our insurance was going up an additional $400. I've been a Geico customer for over 20 years with my husband and prior to that 15 yrs. That was the only claim we've had including one from the same trip, the rain started and my husband had to go up on top to cover the broken air conditioner on the motorhome as it was raining and the A.C. had damage from the broken awning, water leading to more damage if it wasn't covered. He broke his denture due to the conditions on top of the motorhome.

Upset that our car insurance increased $400, I was getting quotes from a few other companies and learned that Geico reported this weather related incident to the D.M.V. I haven't had a ticket in 50 years and now this is on my record as well as my husband's. It's not bad enough they have treated a senior couple, both 68 this year and my husband a retired Marine and long time customers of Geico with such disregard and trying to stick us up for an additional $400 knowing they put a smear on our driving record hurting our rates with other comp. due to that.

It is now mid Feb. and 2 more adjuster visits to the repair facility where it is parked and Geico will only tell me it is in process and they haven't decided whether they will cover it. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told that under no circumstances would they accept any phone calls from customers. There was no one that I could talk to about my claim, I should just wait to hear from them but they had NO idea when that might be. Now I understand why their advertising rep is a reptile. WORST customer service EVER.

Having been a Fraud Agent for a major bank, I was livid over being treated like a potential fraudster. Called Good Sam and got a very reasonable quote in minutes, regardless of how I intend on using the RV. I am not the type of person to take this type of abuse lightly, as my primary vehicle is still insured with them. Having been a finance manager in the car business for 30 years, I know GEICO is a good company, but this problem is more of a reflection of BAD ATTITUDE on the part of customer service. The idea of blocking your own customer from getting a quote for 6 months, because they are considering different uses, for the vehicle, is insane.

Let me preface this by saying that I never place any kind of negative review online. I own a business and have done much consulting in regards to customer service and customer satisfaction, and the worst thing any company can do in a frustrating situation is respond slowly or not communicate at all! This is exactly the experience I have had with GEICO. I will also state that I have placed complaints with several consumer watchdog agencies and will be retaining legal counsel. So the quick version:

In 2017 I purchased my first RV. A beautiful pre-owned diesel motor coach (not a cheap adventure), the plan was to use to use this bus with its full appliances and cherry wood and leather interior as an enjoyable “summer home”. With friends and family I spent 3 months in the vehicle with never an issue of leaks or water flowing through the ceiling, I was so excited. (Let me say during this time it rained almost daily- many times heavy with plenty of wind). Imagine my surprise when in late June (as I was at home and friends were onboard the RV) when a tropical storm blew through where I was parked. 24 to 36 hours of straight wind and rain followed by 3 additional days of rain.

Wind blew and damaged awnings on the outside of the coach, excessive water from the rain was forced in through outside vents presumably damaging a/c units and onboard refrigerator, water was pouring from the slide ceilings throughout the entire bus. All of a sudden, instantaneously every corner of the coach leaked- excessively. Veteran RV’ers are thinking “they all leak...” I promise, not like this! So my friend who was onboard managed to get from a local contractor help to tarp off the coach, pull back carpet to dry, get multiple fans set-up, get a dehumidifier going, and start to try to dry it out. A week or so later I made the 6 hour journey back to the beach to assess the damage. It was bad. I contacted GEICO and filed a claim.

So here begins the dog and pony show. Understanding that they were happy to accept my policy and payment and were the most responsive and customer friendly of the 7-8 companies I shopped when the coach was purchased. So I file the claim through their 800# and am told that a claims specialist will get with me shortly. 3-4 days later I finally get a call from someone in Georgia and they leave a message. We play phone tag back and forth for another week before I get frustrated from lack of return calls and I press “0” to get to "another team member.”

I am told that my claims adjuster has been moved to another role and that they are sorry no one let me know or reached out to me. Truth is I hadn’t received an email or call and even the GEICO Claims App didn’t show any new information. I am then told that the original claims adjuster “wasn’t an RV specialist” and that I must’ve been placed with them by mistake. I am given a new person's name and phone number, so I call and leave a voicemail. Approximately a week later we finally connect and again I am apologized to (should have seen the red flags at this point).

Arrangements are made for an assessment of damages and a claims specialist is assigned to my case. Again I am not called by them but instead have to reach out and leave a message. I receive a prompt and friendly call back and an appointment is scheduled. A few days later the claims specialist shows up, walks through the coach (now with cabinets torn down and fans going, towels throughout to soak up water) is there for 10-15 minutes, walks around the coach but never inspects the roof where the leak is, takes a few pictures and says “there’s not a lot I need to do, this damage is major, and I assume this is going to be a total loss once we determine the value...” He is polite, kind and seems very informational and very experienced and knowledgeable. I’m told that he will be sending his report up to Georgia and they will be getting with me soon. The date is around July 15- almost 4 weeks after the loss event.

After a week with no communication, I call the claims specialist in Georgia and leave a message. And then another. And then another. And then I call the local adjuster and voice my frustrations. He says he will try to get someone to call me back. Two days later I receive a call and am told that she hadn’t called me because she was waiting on an appointment with her supervisor to review my situation. She was hoping she would be able to get that appointment “sometime in the next couple of weeks.” In the meantime I am paying additional rent for the place where the bus is parked and cannot really move it 6 hours to my house as it is now in disrepair. It’s now the end of July.

Early in August I follow up again (still no pro-active calls from their side to keep me posted). Again I have to leave a message. And then another. Still no return call. Finally a return call a few days later. They have reviewed my case and decided that it is “pre-existing damage due to wear and tear” and they will not be approving my claim unless I provide new or additional information. So with the burden of proof that my RV wasn’t damaged I reach out to the dealer whom I bought it from. The Dealer I paid additional money at purchase to have the unit gone through thoroughly.

A week or so later I am provided with email documentation from the selling Dealer and I immediately forward it to GEICO and (wait for it) call and leave a voicemail. And another. And another. Finally I press zero to get to another team member and am told that my claims specialist is out on vacation and will be back in a week. Further, that she is the only one in the RV claims area so I will have to wait for her to get back. It’s now late August - Two months into the process. I finally connect with the claims specialist in Georgia (because I called her and happened to get through) on the day after Labor Day (it's now September and I have again paid more rent on my space). She says that she has received the documentation and this should be what they need to re-review the decision.

Unfortunately her supervisor is now on vacation and she has “scheduled an appointment to review with her supervisor in 2 weeks unless she can get to him sooner.” I become a pest. Daily voicemails, sometimes multiple in a day. It gets reviewed and (again) not because I hear from GEICO, but because I call and happen to get through I am informed that what I provided was exactly what they needed and my claim is approved. She says I have coverage for alternate living and that it is MY RESPONSIBILITY to GET AN ASSESSMENT of the damage from an RV repair company and submit to them. I spend the next 2 weeks trying to arrange an independent assessment to no avail and at an average cost for an estimate of $399. I am angry, frustrated, feel abandoned, and I have spent thousands of dollars of extra money out of my pocket at this point.

I call back and luckily she answers right away. She tells me to reach out to the local claims specialist and that he may have a connection locally who can get to me sooner and at a lower cost. I take her advice. They put me in touch with a local RV repair group I wasn’t familiar with, but that has a mobile service. I am told they can come the very next day and that GEICO will cover the cost, rather than the previous option of me having to cover the $399-499 cost. They show up, they are on time, they are professional, and they are blown away by the amount of damage. They comment that they have seen expensive and well-built RV Coaches like mine develop leaks, but never as bad and never to all slides at the same time. They make what seems to be a thorough assessment and I am told that they should have data back within 24 hours.

I receive a call from the local adjuster the next day (it is a Thursday by my recollection). He says the RV shop said the damage was sudden and substantial and that it was definitely a total loss. That the damage was in the $40,000-$50,000 range and that was high enough to trigger a total loss so he told them they did not need to do an actual repair quote - that the dollar amount was all he needed. He said I should start getting my personal belongings together in the RV and prepare for them to write a check.

Asking of the timeframe I am told that the only thing he is waiting on is the valuation report on the motor coach and that the report usually takes no more than 24-48 hours. That once they receive that report they could ask for possession of the unit within gas little as 3-4 days. I reach back Friday afternoon and the valuation is not done. I express my concerns as it is coming into the last week of September and I am trying to avoid paying another $1300 in space rent for October. I am told it will all be resolved by then.

The following Monday I am informed that the agency that sets the values had valued the wrong RV- one with 2 slides and mine had 4 slides. That he has requested a new valuation and expects it back no later than Wednesday. I ask the value of the first and am told it was “in the upper $60,000’s.” Wednesday brings no new news. Thursday passes with communication but no new news. Friday afternoon I reach out to the claims specialist and am informed that “the dollar amount of the claim is beyond my limits” and there is a new person handling the resolution of your claim. I am given the new guy's name and number. I hang up and promptly call but can only leave a message.

The next week I leave a few more messages for the new claims guy and write a $1300 check for October to the RV Resort. I get a callback on Friday afternoon apologizing for the late call as he has “been in a work conference for the week and someone should have told me.” He is with GEICO SIU. Apparently it’s a “Special Investigation Unit” that insurance companies have. My claim triggered their department because of the VALUE OF THE TOTAL LOSS. Apparently when they chose to insure my coach they did not investigate its history but now they are compelled to do so. I am informed that there was a claim paid to the previous owner for roof damage and that they had confirmed that the repairs had been made. I ask what else is necessary and am informed that they need to come to my coach and meet with me to “observe the situation.”

After asking more questions and voicing my frustrations I am told that we don’t need to put this off another week until I am back in town and we can finish up by phone. So we do. I learn that they are trying to determine if the damages I have sustained are a result of the previous claim that was paid to the prior owner- ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! GEICO already told me they had proof that the repairs were made prior to my ownership. GEICO never questioned prior damage when I bought the unit, nor did they request or require any additional inspection of the coach at that time. But GEICO Did ACCEPT MY PREMIUM MONEY and write the policy! And now they are saying they need to investigate ME before they pay the claim? I receive assurance from the SIU Investigator that he has all he needs and he’s going to recommend that they get me settled up quickly. He says he can complete his report that day.

I start calling two days later to Macon, GA and the local adjuster. The local guy says he isn’t seeing any updates. The “only RV adjuster” in Georgia is not returning call again. So I leave another message. And another. And another. And another. Finally I get a call to let me know that we are once again on the schedule for a supervisor review. Hoping for October 24th. More than 2 weeks away. I inform her that this is unacceptable and ask to speak with a Supervisor. I am told that they don’t talk to customers and she says she will try to expedite the meeting. I get a call back saying she has arranged a meeting for the following Tuesday. It is Thursday afternoon in early October...

Over the weekend I happen to log in to the app to discover that the status of my claim has been moved to CLOSED. No one has contacted me. Again I am angry and frustrated and it’s the weekend so no one around to give any answers until Monday. I start leaving messages. No calls back. I finally connect through on a call on Tuesday at some point. In a very “matter of fact” tone I am informed that they had the meeting the previous Thursday and the evidence they collected has led them to decide that MY CLAIM WOULD NOT BE PAID. They decided that the damages occurred due to “wear and tear” of the “seals and gaskets around the slide rooms” (clearly NOT where the leaking water is coming into the unit).

I again ask for a supervisor and am told “that she can leave a message for the supervisor but not to expect a call back because they have already discussed this and made a decision.” I ask who gave this “new” information about “seals and gaskets” four months after the loss event and am told it was everyone involved. “The claims adjuster who was there in July for 10-15 minutes, the 2 SIU guys (apparently there was another one involved in Memphis or north MS) - neither of whom ever saw the unit, the RV repair facility that was recommended and sent by GEICO, and the Dealer I purchased it from.” So I did my research. I spoke to each and everyone of the experts DENIED that they ever said or reported that information. The repair facility said specifically that they never provided any written report to GEICO- only a verbal Comment on the repair cost. The selling Dealer was never contacted. Basically GEICO lied...

After numerous attempts I finally got a supervisor on the phone. He told me that he was aware of my situation and there was nothing he could do the help. I asked for a Manager and was denied. Asked again and was told that managers only interact with supervisors and that there was nothing they could do to help me. It was my problem. After much persuasion and assuring the supervisor that I had personally spoken to each of these other parties and that I had consulted legal advice he finally agreed to listen. Then he agreed to review with his manager. He promised a call back the following Monday. No call. I found out on Wednesday or Thursday after numerous attempts that he had been out sick all week.

It was over a week after the committed callback before we spoke. He informed me that GEICO was prepared to pay a total loss claim in September and that after the valuation came back so high they decided to investigate the claim. Upon further investigation all of their people decided that no part of the damage occurred due to roof or storm damage and that it was all due to “lack of maintenance on the coach.” He said the RV shop involved made the case for them (again DENIED in whole by the owner of the RV shop in question and willing to put in writing). Case closed. No one else I can talk to. 5 months and $7500-8500 of my money wasted so now I can pay $40,000 to $50,000 in repairs by myself.

So Buyer Beware. GEICO paints a rosy picture with their TV ads and all their marketing. If they spent 1/2 of their marketing budget on personnel development or to pay claims I cannot even imagine what that dollar amount would be. But I guess the marketing worked. They got my money and got to deny me when I had an issue and needed to make a claim. Final thought. I have been a licensed driver for over 30 years. I have never had an “at fault” claim on any of my policies. The one time I have a legitimate claim and I’m denied with no chance for arbitration board or anyone with common sense to review the claim. If it was your house and all four corners started gushing water at the same time does it even seem feasible that it could be a maintenance issue? GEICO would have you believe that it is...