slide-in camper insurance

[JohnE]

I just purchased a used slide-in camper for a great price. I contacted my insurance carrier to add this to the pick-up policy.



Well, the battle started. Insurance agent how much insurance coverage I want. I gave a level and asked if the insurance company would pay this amount if I had a loss.



The answer was NO!



I can insure it for any level I feel is the value, but the coverage is still based on what the company feels is value. I asked for the company value, but they don't have one.



This really stinks. Over insure and they won't pay to the level. Under insure and they pay to the coverage level. Either case, the customer pays the balance, be it excess premiums or out of pocket replacement.



I'll start by finding a new insurance carrier. The next is a letter to state insurance commission.



Use this as a warning for you slide-in owner's where it is part of the base vehicle coverage.



Anyone have any tips?

 

[GFritsch]

Points to ponder. My camper is financed and the finance company was happy just to have me be insured by the truck policy. I let my insurance company know that I had a new camper and my agent said no problem, but we all know "no problem" becomes a finger pointing contest when a problem arises.



I would not worry, use the camper, have fun.

 

[dresslered]

I'm sure that just about every insurance company is going to offer a 'value' that is different than your own. I guess that you just have to hope that you never have to make a claim. However, when it came to my slide-in camper, I gave my agent (Allstate) just about every scenario that I could think of as far as accidents are concerned. They always responded with, "that would be covered". After feeling ripped off for all these years paying for the coverage on my 7 vehicles, I for once, feel that the $65/6-month coverage on my Bigfoot slide-in was a bargain regardless of what they value it at. As GFritsch points out, it is considered an extension of my truck whether it is attached at the time of the accident or not. Just think how much your are saving in registration fees (compared to a travel trailer or 5th wheel) in the mean time.

 

[JohnE]

I'm sure that just about every insurance company is going to offer a 'value' that is different than your own. I guess that you just have to hope that you never have to make a claim. However, when it came to my slide-in camper, I gave my agent (Allstate) just about every scenario that I could think of as far as accidents are concerned. They always responded with, "that would be covered". After feeling ripped off for all these years paying for the coverage on my 7 vehicles, I for once, feel that the $65/6-month coverage on my Bigfoot slide-in was a bargain regardless of what they value it at. As GFritsch points out, it is considered an extension of my truck whether it is attached at the time of the accident or not. Just think how much your are saving in registration fees (compared to a travel trailer or 5th wheel) in the mean time.

Not all states consider a slide-in as part of your pickup. I believe Washington state still requires a license and registration of a slide-in.



I expect insurance companies to live up to the contract. This is one time that the contract has too many BS outs. I am not one that tries to make money on claims, just get my "covered" fair share.

I got my camper for a great price and I really doubt I could find a comparable quality unit for the same price. I want the insurance to cover for a like replacement. I cannot get that guarantee.



Bigfoot campers are not cheap. If you suffer a loss and the insurance offers a $10k settlement that takes $15k to replace sounds really bad. What happens if you still owe $8k on the original loan?



David;

Please, know I am not attacking you personally on this. I'm just using the posted information to bring up the "what if" questions.



I got screwed on the theft of a fiberglass topper (canopy, cap, etc. ) for my previous pickup, both by the thieves and the insurance company. The "replacement" value paid by the insurance company did not get me enough money to purchase a like replacement.



-John

 

[HBarlow]

JohnE:



The insurance coverage you are asking for is "agreed value" or "stated value" coverage. This is a type of coverage only written by insurance companies who specialize in a specific area such as recreational vehicle or classic car insurers. The way it works is you contact the company, discuss your needs, and meet their guidelines. Normally their requirements include having one or more experts in the field provide written appraisals of value on your camper and you submit the appraisal(s) along with photographs and descriptions of the camper including any optional or special equipment and condition justifying the amount you claim it is worth. The insurance company will then write a policy agreeing in writing as to the value of the camper and premiums will be based on the appraised value. Regular automobile and property insurers normally don't write this type of policy. Regular insurers will always ask what you paid for it and may or may not base the premium on that amount depending on whether it is advantageous to the insurance company. But that amount will have little or no influence on the settlement if your camper is destroyed or stolen. The adjuster will try to determine "acv" actual cash value based on sales of similar campers.



Harvey

 

[JohnE]

Harvey;

I understand what you write very clearly. Insurance companies need to make a profit to stay in business. All the numbers are based on probabilities. Probalities include the @sshole that decides they deserve to profit from the venture.



This is factious estimating meant to illustrate my point on slide in campers.

An agent will agree to write coverage for $10,000 knowing full well the insurance company will do everything possible to pay less than insured value for a replacement. Granted, if I had $10K coverage and could find an immediate like replacement for $8k I would only expect payment of $8k.

However, if I had 10k coverage and it took $8k for immediate replacement, but the insurance company decided my loss value was only $5k then we have a problem. I expect coverage to mean coverage, not paid premiums, but we'll decide what you get.



This part is fact. I paid around $1000 for my fiberglass toppper. Insurance estimated replacment value around $700. I could find no immediate replacements at that price. 3 months later and still no market value replacements. By this time, I would have gladly bought my stolen unit back to prove my point. Those appeared to be the only units sold for the insurance company's estimated value.

 

[dresslered]

John-

Believe me, I know what you are saying! I have only made two claims to insurance companies in my entire life: once when I was hit by an uninsured motorist, and the second time, when my wife was hit by an uninsured motorist. Both times, should have been easy settlements but they were stories from hell. In each case, I dropped the insurance company after the ordeal (Mercury Casualty and USAA). All insurance companies are your friends until you make a claim. Presently, I have Allstate (auto, home, and umbrella) and a perfect driving record and have never made a claim with them. In fact, the broken windshield and deer incident that I had with my Ram, I chose to pay the damage myself because if you ever do make a claim, your rates will go up much more than the out-of-pocket payment you make to cover the incident. I will only use insurance in extreme cases.



You can definitely buy the insurance that you are after, but if you calculate out the costs, you will be far ahead by taking on some of the risk yourself. The costs far exceed the benefits unless the incident occurs during the first year or two. That is the unfortunate way the game is played. Enjoy life and hope for the best.

 

[Reddog1]

Hello brother JohnE.



I too made a super deal on a 1988 Bigfoot 11. 5 foot slide-in camper. When I bought it, was one of those days that two fools met. Neither the owner nor me knew what it was worth.



The camper sat under an Oak tree for seven years. It was covered with moss. The guy told me to make an offer. I offered $800. He said not enough, but he would take $1000. I hesitated but agreed. It looked bad with the moss on the outside. The inside was like new. After I got it home, I looked it up on the camper equivalent to Kelly Blue book. They said from $1500 to $2400. I search USA and Canada for used for sale. Only found one 11. 5 foot, three 9. 5 foot Bigfoot campers. They were from 1989 to 1991. They ranged from $9500 to $10500.



Did I insure it? No. I didn't even try. My guess is that the insurance company would base the premium value on the $10500, and if totaled, replacement on the $1500 book value.





I cleaned, compounded, buffed and waxed the outside. Almost looks new.





Wayne

 

[SMorneau]

John and I trade emails at work and this is exactly what I warned him about. This is a scam anyway you look at it. In the event of a loss the VERY FIRST THING an insurance company will do is assign a value to your camper. But when you are getting a policy they act like assigning a value is impossible. When you make a claim they will likely use a "book value" that will no where near reflect the value of your camper, or boat, or ATV, or dirt bike, etc, etc... The books aren't as good as those for autos and trucks and you know how far off they can be.

 

[JohnE]

Wayne;

Long time no chat. How's the career change proceeding?

You got a lot better deal on that BigFoot than the Cascade I purchased. Funny thing NADA RV Blue book put the same values on my unit which means as Scott replied "... The books aren't as good as those for autos and trucks and you know how far off they can be. " Cascad is out of business, but with Bigfoot still going stron one would thing the book value would be tighter, especially the price they charge on a new model.



Thanks again for the heads up Scott. I had this first hand with my topper theft, but never thought it would go into the Rvs, too. I haven't insured the 4 wheeler, yet. Is that going to be another battle becuase I got it cheap?



Maybe we should have state registration on slide-ins and toppers. Make it more difficult to sell without the title?

NAH! The next step would be licensing as WA.

 

[Mad Bomber]

Camper

Not all states consider a slide-in as part of your pickup. I believe Washington state still requires a license and registration of a slide-in.



-John

This is the way the gov gets more money out of us

 

[Servis]

Your best bet is to get an umberlla poicy for one million dollars from trucking insurance company. I did this and it worked well.

It will cost you $85 dollars a year.

 

[Reddog1]

JohnE - The career change sucks . I injured both knees, got to do surgery :{ . I am back to teaching, only at San Quentin State Prison. I am only home Thursday evenings through Sunday evenings. With all my pains and misery, I have not done much playing, just licking my wounds. I did get a Zuke (toad), looking forward to playing Oo. .



We should not have state registration on slide-ins and toppers. We have enough regulations now. I trust the thieves on the street more that those in politics. Thieves on the street get some of us on occasion, but those in politics get us all constantly (taxes).





Servis - An "umberlla poicy for one million dollars from trucking insurance company" sounds good and I am sure they will collect their $85, but do they pay replacement value, and based on whose value? Using the NADA RV Blue book, I will remain self-insured.





Wayne

 

[HBarlow]

An umbrella policy is a liability policy that will protect the insured from claims or lawsuit awards in excess of the limits of his or her automobile liability policy and/or the liability portion of homeowner's policy resulting from injuries suffered by other persons or damage to property belonging to others. It will not pay for damage to property owned the insured.



Harvey

 

[LEggers]

Not all states consider a slide-in as part of your pickup. I believe Washington state still requires a license and registration of a slide-in.



-John

John

You got that right in a way. If you have full coverage on a Washington state truck you can add the camper at an additional cost.

I have liability and underinsured insurance on my truck so to get a good rate to cover my camper it was cheeper to get the camper policy all on its own about 80. 00 a year.

If I added it to my truck and had full coverage it would have been 3 times that amount but my truck would have been fully covered as well.



Lance