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Insurance, Coverage, and Claims


SmoothWaterMan

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Boat Insurance has been battered about in a couple of threads, but I didn't see any thread with good solid information. I am posting this as I am experiencing issues with some customers getting damage properly covered by Progressive.

As a dealer, we have seen customers with claims through most of the larger companies. State Farm, Ski Safe (Sullivan & Strauss), Boaters Insurance for example, and even some smaller (tiny) local insurance companies like Kemper. To date I've never seen what Progressive is doing to their customers. They did pay the estimate in one case, but only after the adjuster was here 2 hours taking photos of his company supplied dial indicator showing that a prop shaft was out of tolerance. In another ongoing claim, a customer has his boat stolen from his dock. It was recovered and the thieves captured, but the Progressive adjuster does not want to cover all items damaged. He claims that items damaged are "normal wear" items, and are not theft related. (Customer is going ballastic) In another ongoing case, an adjuster looked at the boat at the owners house before he brought it in. The adjuster proceeded to write his own fiberglass repair estimate and then he _wrote a check_ to the owner for $6,000 to cover the 4 foot hole in the front of his boat. The repair estimate totals over $15,000 and the customer doesn't know what to do. I don't understand this one. How does an adjuster write his own estimate and a check for it - does he have a boat repair facility too?

So in light of this, I strongly urge anyone that is with Progressive Insurance to look around and talk to people that have had claims with other companies. Find one you are comfortable with and move everything with Progressive to another company.

Off the cuff :

Ski Safe - Claims are straightforward, painless and paid. Both as customer and a repair facility, they've been great.

State Farm - Claims are straightforward, painless and paid. State Farm actually is very pro-active in obtaining an estimate and handling the claim fast. They call often before I get the boat to set up a communication channel.

Boaters Insurance - I don't recall any recent claims, but my understanding is they have been good to deal with.

Kemper - Claims are straightforward, painless and paid.

If you have any great personal experience with a boat insurance claim, please post it so others know what companies take care of their customers.

Every time I write a check for insurance, I fully expect to be covered to the extent of the policy!

Peter

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State Farm: Peter's description of my experience is spot on.

2 boat claims with two different boats.

1) Hit submerged...something, ripped the shaft out of the tranny, imbedded the prop in the bottom of the boat. SF covered all but the deductible. They helped me find a good shop with positive history for repairs.

2) Stolen stereo equipment. Since it was attached (bolted down) to the boat, SF covered everything undercomprehensive. Now, State Farm has it's own electronics subcontractor that they use to replace equipment (no longer just writes a check for the estimate). I think it works well.

Edited by DIE2SURF
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One man's experience: I had a trailer claim with Progressive last summer and they were great. Blew out 2 tires and damaged the rims and fenders, and they covered all repairs except the tires no questions asked. Covered more than I thought they probably should of and they made the whole process easy.

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SKi Safe - Good company, and provides year round coverage with no lay-up period.

Had my 1997 MasterCraft Prostar 190 and trailer stolen complete with a full compliment of gear (Barefoot boom, ski, life vests, ropes, anchor, etc...etc.). They were totally professional with handeling the claim. I had to supply a copy of the police report, itemized list of accessory equiment in the boat, and wait 30 days before I got full payment. The boat was 8 years old with 600+ hours on it, but because of the coverage I had, I got exactly what I paid for the boat (less $500 deductible) when I bought it new. :thumbup:

Added a couple grand to it and bought a brand new Rlxi :blush:

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I was involved with USA Waterski back when Ski Safe was their insurance provider (7 or 8 yrs ago). We were actively working on getting Hydrofoil setup as an official discipline of USA Waterski so we could sanction events around the country. Initially Ski Safe was very cooperative about the whole thing. Then as members began to sign up with USAW, and ultimately insure their boats with Ski Safe, they just decided they didn't want to insure foil riders. Initially they would force us to pay for an additional rider or addendum to their policy. Then it was just complete rejection. Come to find out they didn't insure several other oddball disciplines either... eg; parasail for one. I guess we were just being grouped into those others. :crazy:

Things may have changed as hydrofoil has gotten more popular over the years. But it would definitely be worth a phone call if you have Ski Safe as your insurer.

BTW, USA Waterski dumped Ski Safe after that. I believe they are using Global Marine now.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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Recently my mechanic asked me who my insurance was with. When I told him Progressive, he commented that he hoped I didn't have any trouble because they were awful to the repair shops with low ball estimates. The last dealings he had with them, they insisted on only paying for a "used shaft" instead of a new shaft even though there were no used shafts available. He eventually got everything worked out but only after a lot of negotiating. He also mentioned the other insurance companies mentioned above as being good to deal with. Guess I better start looking. Luckily, after 30 years of boating I have never had a claim.

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Nearly all the polices are state specific, so there is a lot that can vary in the claims handling. If you know your policy, you will be much more likely to get what you are owed. I never understood why people take as gospel everything an adjuster tells them? If a car salesman did the same we would laugh. Keep in mind the adjusters are paid for and trained by the insurance companies they work for. Their bonuses and company profits are driven by what they don't pay. Sad but true, I promise.

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I have State Farm for everything. They have been fantastic. The most recent claim was wind damage to several small sections of the shingled roof of our house. They covered the bill for a full roof replacement with 30 year Ownes Corning shingles. Thumbup.gif

I've also had an auto claim in college when a deer ran into the side of my car. Also super good to deal with and caught the bodyshop putting a non-OE, knockoff fender on the car and made them re-do the job.

They are more expensive than the competition, but you get what you pay for. My agent also answers her cell ANYTIME which is pretty handy if you want to put your seasonal vehicle back on your plan on an early spring Sunday afternoon if the weather turns out better than expected. LOL.gif

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Yikes! I have a claim with progressive right now. So far so good but the work isn't done yet. The previous owner of my boat had a claim with progressive and was happy which is one reason I went with them. I will try to post back here as this wraps up to let everyone know how it turns out.

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I just had a claim with progressive. Hit a submerged log and bent the prop, shaft, and strut. They were fairly easy to work with, but they cut a check to the repair shop directly....and I had to go back to the repair shop to sign the check (which was over 2 hrs away). It required signatures from both parties. I heard from the shop that they low-balled him and he was going back with receipts to prove it cost more than the estimate.

Also, there was a scratch on the bottom of my boat (gelcoat)...90% sure it was from the log I hit. They wouldn't cover that...they said that they couldn't prove that it was related....I'm still arguing with them....

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My wife and I (even before we met) have State Farm. We've only made a couple claims with them, but it has been pretty painless. One was wind damage to the roof on my rental property/pain in the a** - they did a full tear off and new everything for price of the deductable. Wife drove behind a truck pelting her Audi with gravel (and didn't call the cops then and there = you are screwed), and State Farm covered the paint repair and stupidly expensive windshield without even having to pay the deductable.

I've been happy with their service, but the price seems to be going up to the point I may need to look elsewhere.

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This *is* a great post idea. I would love to hear what anyone else has to say that's had to make a boat related claim. I'm through a lesser known insurance company called erie insurance. Anyone ever have a claim through them? Also interested in what people have to say about safeco or liberty mutual as well.

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Same thing happens in the auto part of insurance but most of the time it has more to do with the adjuster than the insurance company. Progressive and Geico seem to be the worst to deal with from a shop's standpoint. Incentives (raises at the end of year and some companys will give vacations) are given to these adjusters based on their average claim amount payed. This is why it seems like the adjusters try to pay as little as possible even when you can prove the cost to repair/replace equitment is higher.

wakeboarder3780, Erie is a great company. You will not have a problem with them.

Edited by stumpf101
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My Dad told me many, many years ago to never take a check from an Insurance company before the repairs have been done. Once you accept that check, they can consider this as a settlement and any undiscovered damage won't get paid for.

You may also want to consider who is running Progressive insurance. It's no coincidence that the name is the same as a far left political ideology. Scroll to near the end of this story:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/liberal-fundraising-groups-raise-10-million-for-obama-democrats/

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One man's experience: I had a trailer claim with Progressive last summer and they were great. Blew out 2 tires and damaged the rims and fenders, and they covered all repairs except the tires no questions asked. Covered more than I thought they probably should of and they made the whole process easy.

I had similar experience with Progressive. I store my trailer in a storage garage during the summer while the Bu is on the lift, and there was a fire in the garage. There were a lot of melted parts but the overall trailer looked in fairly good shape. When the adjuster arrived, we talked about it a little while, and he pretty quickly indicated that the entire trailer should be replaced since it was unknown what damage the fire could have done that was not visible (wiring, tires, bearings, etc.). Within days, a check was cut to the dealer for a new Eagle trailer. When it arrived, it had the swing-away tongue that my original trailer did not! So, for just the $100 deductible, I got a brand new trailer that was better than the original.

I found Progressive very easy to work with and willing to make it right. It seemed that at the beginning, they were trying to low ball the estimate for the trailer, but once I got a couple of dealers to show what the cost was on a new trailer, they upped the amount. And keep in mind that this was a $4500 trailer. I do hope I never have to submit a claim for the boat, but I feel confident that I would get treated right.

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I've been with State Farm since 1974. In that time I have had both good and bad results, but nothing that would make me move to another company. Well, that and my deep seated fear of change anyway. We have the house, both trucks and the boat with them. Over all I would say they are about as good as any insurance company in experience. They are not the lowest cost and are certainly one's to look for an "out" in the claim, but once in they do it right for the customer and repair facility.

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:unsure:

Boat Insurance has been battered about in a couple of threads, but I didn't see any thread with good solid information. I am posting this as I am experiencing issues with some customers getting damage properly covered by Progressive.

As a dealer, we have seen customers with claims through most of the larger companies. State Farm, Ski Safe (Sullivan & Strauss), Boaters Insurance for example, and even some smaller (tiny) local insurance companies like Kemper. To date I've never seen what Progressive is doing to their customers. They did pay the estimate in one case, but only after the adjuster was here 2 hours taking photos of his company supplied dial indicator showing that a prop shaft was out of tolerance. In another ongoing claim, a customer has his boat stolen from his dock. It was recovered and the thieves captured, but the Progressive adjuster does not want to cover all items damaged. He claims that items damaged are "normal wear" items, and are not theft related. (Customer is going ballastic) In another ongoing case, an adjuster looked at the boat at the owners house before he brought it in. The adjuster proceeded to write his own fiberglass repair estimate and then he _wrote a check_ to the owner for $6,000 to cover the 4 foot hole in the front of his boat. The repair estimate totals over $15,000 and the customer doesn't know what to do. I don't understand this one. How does an adjuster write his own estimate and a check for it - does he have a boat repair facility too?

So in light of this, I strongly urge anyone that is with Progressive Insurance to look around and talk to people that have had claims with other companies. Find one you are comfortable with and move everything with Progressive to another company.

Off the cuff :

Ski Safe - Claims are straightforward, painless and paid. Both as customer and a repair facility, they've been great.

State Farm - Claims are straightforward, painless and paid. State Farm actually is very pro-active in obtaining an estimate and handling the claim fast. They call often before I get the boat to set up a communication channel.

Boaters Insurance - I don't recall any recent claims, but my understanding is they have been good to deal with.

Kemper - Claims are straightforward, painless and paid.

If you have any great personal experience with a boat insurance claim, please post it so others know what companies take care of their customers.

Every time I write a check for insurance, I fully expect to be covered to the extent of the policy!

Peter

Awesome feedback, as I was struggling with who was going to insure the boat. I may be rethinking Progressive. :unsure:

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I have had 2 claims with State Farm and both have been positive.

Like others have said, I like the fact that I have an agent who is local and who knows me.

First claim was about 10 years ago. Pulling boat home from the lake, double vehicle left turn. Trailer on the semi next to me hit my trailer and punctured a tire and destroyed my fender. semi has cross into my lane and driver admitted it to the police. State Farm paid for my repairs immediately and then they collected from the trucking company. Painless for me.

Second claim was this summer. I hit something in the water and had to be towed back to our houseboat. Turned out to me minor and I fixed the boat, but State Farm paid $500 of the towing bill (that was the max allowed) since i was disabled on the water. All I did was fax them the receipt and I got the check in about 3 days.

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