“A few months ago, the pipe under my front lawn which leads to the water main, as well as two of my neighbors’ pipes, burst as a result of city firefighters cleaning the hydrants and shutting the water off too quickly. There was a nice little stream going down the street until the city came and shut off our water the next day, routing our service through a different (unaffected) neighbor’s pipes. The Water Services Department informed us that we were financially responsible for hiring a plumber to make the repairs, and that if we failed to do so within 30 days, we would be disconnected from our neighbor’s service. All of the estimates we got from plumbers came in around $1,500.”
Of course, we tried to fight the city on this, but to make a long story short, we lost. To make matters worse, the city reversed its decision at one point, leading us to believe that they would pay for the repairs, then waited a month and decided again that they weren’t responsible. All this time, we were drawing water from my neighbor’s service, so his water pressure was terrible (as was all of ours) and there was nothing he could do about it. Thanks to the city’s flip-flopping, we were finally able to get the repairs done just three weeks ago, after dealing with poor water pressure for over two months.
In speaking with other neighbors who had seen the same thing happen before, I was told that, in their experience, insurance companies typically don’t cover this kind of damage. Nevertheless, I thought it was at least worth making a claim and seeing what happened, so I called USAA (of which we’re members because my wife’s grandfather was an airline pilot), and to my great surprise was immediately told that it was covered (minus our $500 deductible). We relievedly faxed in the plumber’s invoice and waited for the check to come.
A week later (last Wednesday), we got a phone call at 9am from an agent named Lisa, who apologized profusely and said that USAA wouldn’t be able to pay the claim, because (as I had initially expected) that kind of plumbing damage wasn’t covered. Normally, I might have demanded to know why this differed from what she had initially told me, but she seemed genuinely distressed that she wasn’t able to help us, so I just thanked her for letting us know and left it at that.
An hour later, Lisa called again. She told me that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about our case for the past hour, couldn’t stand the fact that we were going to have to pay so much money for something that wasn’t our fault and seemed like it should be covered, and was now determined to get USAA to pay our claim. I was a little stunned, but told her I really appreciated her extra attention to our case.
We didn’t hear back from Lisa for hours after that, and I was starting to figure she had just given up and moved on. At 3:30pm, though, she called back, sounding practically ecstatic: USAA had agreed to pay our claim, and we’d be getting a $1,000 check in the mail in 3-5 business days. I asked her if she’d been working on our case all day, and she admitted that she had. She said that what made the difference in the end was telling her manager that we had been customers for 11 years and had never previously made a claim. In a world where most customer service reps are loathe to spend five minutes of their time on the phone with you, to have someone spend their entire workday on your account was pretty incredible.
We got the check in the mail yesterday, and now I’m wondering how to thank an employee of a company who went so far above and beyond the call of duty because she felt personally responsible to set things right. It certainly wouldn’t have changed things for her one bit if she had simply followed standard procedure and denied our claim – in fact, that was surely the politically safe option. I’d like to at least send her a card, but what would really make me happy would be if her great service were to give USAA some good publicity in the form of a Consumerist post about this story.
Matt
Other companies—we’re looking at you, telecoms—proffer the “valued customer” spiel when conceding defeat for something that was clearly their fault. Not USAA. USAA loves their customers. They spend all year thinking of what to get them for Valentine’s Day. They carry pictures of them in their wallet. An honest, genuine concern for their customers is one of the many, many reasons that USAA may just be the best company in America.
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USAA has the best customer service of any company I have ever used, hands down. I know I pay a bit more for my auto insurance but I love their customer service for banking and insurance.
When was the last time you talked a cust. svc. rep who just kept you on hold forever why she “researched” a particular errant charge? With USAA, I just tell them to figure it out and call me back… and guess what? They do. Always a pleasure to do business with, I actually LIKE calling my bank. Who can say that?
USAA may charge a little more than other companies but they actually handle insurance in “high risk” states that other companies won’t. Me: 5 years car insurance with other company in AL with no claims then move to NJ, other company says “have a nice day but we don’t service that state”. Call parents and get on their USAA as former dependent and bingo car insurance much cheaper than any other companies I had called around for in NJ.
USAA also has free CFP financial advisors for its members. FREE, as in no sales pitch, straight forward honest advice. I’ve been a member since 1991. I’ve got the full meal deal with them; I even booked my honeymoon cruise through their travel service. If you have a chance to become a USAA member, take advantage of the opportunity.
I have had USAA for almost 20 years now. Great service- every time. Never once had a problem, never once did they giggle, or condescend when we have done something stupid-
Rear ended a Sheriff-
Totaled a car after spilling coffee-
etc…
They even send rebate checks when they collect excess premiums and had fewer claims than expected.
I got my homeowner’s insurance through USAA, and a little while later switched my checking account over. Neither transaction was terribly neat (on my end), but they were always available and super helpful. When I got an overdraft on my account due to miscalculating a deposit by a few days, they removed it as soon as I asked, with no hassle at all. LOVE those guys.
If you don’t think you qualify, by the way, call and check. Sometimes they know something you don’t.
Glad to hear more positive comments about the company I work for. I have been working at USAA in the Information Security field and am truly surprised at how well USAA treats their customers and how privileged one should feel being one of USAA’s customers.
Matt…Kudos!
USAA did their best to screw us for 6 months over our Katrina flood claim. They went from total loss to 25% overnight. I had to fight and threaten to sue to get back up to 50% before I gave up before it killed me. The reps were really nice as they gave me their clearly erroneous interpretations of the contract, though.
Sad thing is, I still have all my policies with them as no one else writes in New Orleans except the state insurer of last resort.
I’ve been a USAA customer for about 19 years now. No complaints, always great service. Through no fault of my own, in that time I’ve had 2 totaled cars. They’ve always been great to me.
The press and Consumer Advocates would have had a field day with those clowns. The city balked on their premise that they are not responsible for damages on the building side of the meter incurred by their employees is vague and unfounded. Hand this off to the press and they will make so much hay of this, that the public would be clamoring for their heads at the polls.
i love love love usaa! they’re always super nice on the phone and super helpful!
Just like with Zappos, USAA rules. Some companies love their customers, and they’re rewarded with tons of business and loyalty. Other companies (Sprint, Comcast, Best Buy, I’m looking at you) despise their customers, and look at them as a necessary evil.
Send the CSR some flowers. That way, everyone in the office will know that she did a good job and be similarly inspired.
I love USAA. When my 3-year old Apple laptop gave out on me (the hard drive was done for) they immediately wired $1000 to my account and I was the owner of a brand new MacBook a few hours later. I could serenade them all day.
@siskamariesophie: How was USAA covering your Macbook? I’m confused.
Interestingly we had a similar incident several years ago when we suffered a massive sewage back up in our basement. Concurrent with this mess, my wife spotted a county tank type truck working in a parking lot behind our lot. After confirming that they were flushing the sewer lines, we contacted the county District Attorney in order to have the county pay for our basement clean-up. He agreed. However, several days later, we got an apologetic county letter in the mail disavowing any responsibility for the incident. After contacting said county attorney, he asked us to disregard the letter, admitting these types of letters are sent as a matter of course, stonewalling most taxpayers at this stage. in short, the county paid all clean up costs. Lesson: be persistent!
been with USAA for 8 years now, i LOVE THEM!!!! they rock!!!! had an accident, they were great to deal with. i do my banking, insurance, investing, all with them. i can call them 24/7/365, speak to someone in a matter of seconds who is always happy and ready to help. they may be a bit more, but the service i get for that extra is well worth it. I honestly love working with USAA, they are great.
I guess I’m just bitter when I read these stories and then Matt mentions this, “…we’re members because my wife’s grandfather was an airline pilot”. Apparently USAA thinks its fine that you have can have a rather backhanded, twice removed relationship that allows you to be a member, yet I actually SERVED in the military but becuase I was enlisted and missed my window to sign up a few years ago I can not, nor will ever be allowed to sign up.
I doubt anyone is a member because of airline service. I suspect there’s a pretty good chance that airline pilot was a former Air Force pilot, which would qualify…
I’ve had nothing but good experiences with USAA (insurance and banking) over the past 30 years. I crashed a motorcycle last January and the agent volunteered that my protective gear (jacket, gloves, etc.) that were damaged should be covered by my policy. I hadn’t even considered that, but they were covered. They also kept asking if I were sure I didn’t want to claim pain and suffering – I didn’t, but my feeling was that they were trying to maximize, rather than minimize, my benefit.
Thanks for posting my story, Consumerist. Can’t wait to send an email to Lisa and let her know.
@mstevens: As far as I know, he wasn’t in the military. Could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure he was a pilot for Eastern Airlines his entire career, and retired when they went bankrupt.
We have USAA and I love them. They’re inexpensive and they are the most helpful, polite people on the planet. It’s like they’re run by sweet, little old ladies.
USAA is incredible. Four years with USAA, great service and rates.
As for dealing with government torts, you should always consult an attorney. Most people just aren’t aware of all the deadlines, notices, and procedural hoops through which a plaintiff must go to win a settlement, must less a money judgment against a sovereign. Yes, you could try to do it yourself, but you’ll probably screw it up. And, unlike when a lawyer messes up, there’s no one’s malpractice insurance to go after.
As for your local small claims court, it’s most likely that it lacks plain ol’ subject matter jurisdiction.
@Frank Grimes:
Same thing happened to my father. The only way I was able to become a member at USAA was to give in to their extradorinary benefits/rewards as an employer. Sigh.
@mbouchard: I agree with this a hundred percent. Write a letter to Lisa’s managers all the way up to the CEO of the company and make them absolutely certain that her behavior was exemplary and illustrated the kind of can-do spirit that any corporation should be stumbling over themselves to keep employed.
I would go so far as to say that she deserves a raise/promotion/bonus/whatever because of her amazing service.
You’ll absolutely make Lisa’s day and will hopefully reinforce this kind of customer service in the future.
@AndrewJC: I’d like to do this; unfortunately their website doesn’t appear to have any organizational chart or anything like that where I’d be able to find the names of her managers. Any thoughts on how to identify the right people to send letters to?
I’ve had nothing but positive experiences from USAA. I received a $150 gift card to the Apple store for no apparent reason from them, and their CS representatives are just about the most helpful I’ve ever interacted with.
@moosetoga: Probably the easiest thing would be to call Lisa and ask her who her managers are and how you would get in touch with them. Ask her to give you as much information up the line as she can and stress that you only want it to pass up positive remarks about her. (It doesn’t have to be a surprise to her that you’re writing good things.)
Great story! To send thanks, send a letter or email clearly labeled as “Letter of Compliment” so it doesn’t get swept away with the rest of the complaints. Send it to everyone in the company you can find, and make sure you talk about how much money you’ll be giving the company in the future through your continued, enthusiastic patronage, as well as referrals. The CEO and the head of homeowner’s insurance are probably good people to read this.
USAA has always been there for me and my family, how would I ever live without it, and they send you money in december, if there is a better company to do business with i havnt found it, lol
I Love USAA and have always loved them. I love them even more when I get a refund check for just being a member and having renters and car insurance and them not paying out much in claims. They are always nice, and even when I do have a problem they fix it and apologize quickly!
Long time USAA employee, now retired, and I think this was covered to start with. USAA is a good company.
It is true that unlike for-profit insurance companies USAA does not try to cheat its policyholders, and mstevens’ experience (claims assistant pointed out that personal property lost in the accident was covered). When I had a blowout on a French motorway years ago, the adjuster pointed out that I had property cover and invited me to list all the lost and damaged goods, and they paid new-for-old anything I replaced. Some time after they paid for the totaled car, they rang somewhat perplexed because they were having trouble junking the car because it was tax-free due to my official status. Even after I explained that, they said not to worry, they would not reclaim from me any of the money they’d paid even though (of course) a tax-free car’s bluebook value is lower than a tax-paid one’s.
When, a few years later I had a “warning letter” from them because of 4 purported “claims” in two years, I wrote the CEO, said I’d been a member for 30 years, and by the way those weren’t claims but calls to inquire about extent of cover and, in two cases, to warn them about lost luggage — but that the luggage having eventually been found by the airline, there was no claim at all. USAA called to apologize (and to explain how to avoid such confusion in the future), and then I got a formal letter of apology from the CEO.
I am puzzled that people so often select their insurance on the basis of price. Few seem to realize that insurers can and do go bankrupt.
(In addition to the scope of membership earlier discussed in this thread, USAA employees themselves are also eligible for membership. Perhaps that makes them more appreciative of its value.)
USAA used to have portions of its services open to the public, like the Bank. Late last year they closed things off to new members for banking unless you met the aforementioned criteria. Since that time, they have slowly been rolling out new features available exclusively to their “members” of which common public members are not included. Features like Deposit@Home and many of their other services are for members eligible for insurance products only.
On one hand I see why they are doing this, but on the other hand they are intentionally provide sub-par service to a large subset of members in an effort to see that subset go away.
I’ve been a member of USAA for 10 years now, but only as part of the bank. They have the best online banking system I’ve ever used, but aside from that I have yet to experience any wonderful customer service stories.
I just want to say that I work for USAA and I can tell you that this company is the best company in the entire world. The reason everyone gets great serivce is because they actualy have happy employee’s. USAA is not only about serving the military but about serving the people who work for them. I can tell you that everyone I work with loves working thier and loves all of the members. The way we are trained is to always go above and beyond for the members. I work in claims and claims can be black and white…covered or not covered. If we feel there is any room for a gray area we will always side with the member. If your claim was not covered then thier is a good reason for that. Do you know of any other company that gives a percentage back to all who have paid an insurance premium? This year if you are a member USAA is giving you back 4% of what you have paid them in your monthly premium. On top of that the company gives all employees an extra pay check in December and in February we get a percentage of our salery that could range from 0-21%. I have never worked for a place that is so great.
MOOSTOGA:
I searched on google for USAA news and I came across this article. I read some of the comments posted, and as a long time member and now current employee, I thought I would clear some things up. First, call Lisa back and ask to speak with her manager. You could even actually call any line of business and give them your member #, and they can find Lisa by seeing who accessed your account and you could have that person shoot an email or call her manager and transfer you over. Member service advisors get rewarded and praised when a member goes out of their way to let the manager know how good their service was. Also, airline pilots were elible in the past but no longer are. Active duty military, their spouses and children, and employees are all eligible for membership. And to lock in your eligibility for you and your dependent, you must purchase some sort of insurance product before the end of the year following your or your sponsor’s separation from the military. Once you purchase that insurance product (which can be as little as $5/month for a renter’s policy) you are a member for life. We love to know that we are doing a good job of serving our members and every employee there feels that it is the least we can do to go out of our way for the member since the majority are serving our country.
Lisa, If you can read this PLEASE HELP US! Our house at 216 Sweetbriar Road, Greenville Sc burned on 03/15/06 and we still don’t have our home back. We have delt with Olan Manning and all of his crew only to find ourselves in the stale spot. They payed out on a low ball bid and the builder was dishonest. We have faught the contractor and his license is gone but usaa still wont come back to help. They accepted a bid of 262.000.00 to fix our home and knew they were getting off cheap or simply did’nt know how to adjust fire damage. The real cost to repair the house is 585.000.00 with out unexpected extras. The contractor did do some work and got away with 160.000.00 but our home is nowhere near completion. To add salt to our wounds USAA canceled our insurance because the house is in disrepair. Well, Go figure that one. They wont pay out so we cant fix it. We are still waiting for them to finish paying out on our contents. So, Sweet Lisa, The Reid family is exausted and needs help. We have now moved to a much smaller home about 50 miles away and hold onto hope that our beautifull home that we love in Greenville will be returned to us. Afterall, WE thought we had the best insurance in the world. Sadley to say, we have left USAA and are paying more for Amica. We now know that YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Paying for a burned out house really hurts. USAA should treat us better than this!!!!
I am glad things worked out for you. Perhaps the new CEO is cleaning house.