Bay Area Houston

We just completed an outdoor patio. The contractor did a GREAT job! If you are in the Clear Lake area and are interested in his contact information email me at johncoby@sbcglobal.net. His crew was fast, very professional, and the results are fantastic! So how did USAA get involved? Glad you asked.

Ceiling fan, lights, power for a TV.

Paving stones, stones around the base

Last year USAA raised my home insurance from $4000/year to $5000. I have been with USAA for over 25 years so it was difficult to leave because I believed they would always take care of their members of the Armed Forces. I was wrong. I eventually found a better policy for $3000/year and I also switched my cars to GEICO for another substantial reduction. 

Last year USAA increased by home insurance premium by 25% from $4000 to $5000. I had been a member of USAA for over 25 years. Obviously loyalty means nothing to USAA. This increase was enough to consider moving away and it came with a surprise.

If you decide to leave USAA insurance the balance of your “Subscriber Savings Account” is returned to you after 6 months. If you have been with them for as long as I have, 25+ years, that could be a significant chunk of change. In my case it is paying for a family trip to Italy with money to spare. (If we can ever get past this virus!)

If you are considering moving and getting much better rates, call them and ask what your balance is. It might help you make a decision. USAA may be competitive in other areas and their service has always been outstanding but it is not worth that much. Many people in the Clear Lake area has dumped USAA because their premiums are just so out of touch with the industry. It seems like all they want to cover is the areas that are safe. BTW. I moved from USAA last year. Saved $3000 a year with the SAME coverage. Moved my home insurance and auto insurance. GEICO was actually much cheaper. They will have to find someone else to donate to pay for their 18% bonuses to their employees.

I saved $3000/year by switching from USAA.

I’ve been with USAA since 1981 for my auto insurance and for about 25 years for my home. Ever since 2003 when the state deregulated the insurance industry my insurance premium has increased with no end in sight. The last increase in 2020 was 25% and that did it for me.

I eventually went with GEICO for auto, saving $1000/year with the same coverage. My home insurance was provided by an agent and was reduced to $2000 for a savings of $2000/year. As I have said before:

USAA claims to “support the troops” and to be loyal to those who served and their families. It’s hard to believe when you receive an increase of 25% after being a loyal customer who paid their premiums on time and had only 1 claim in 11 years.

So screw them.

I’ve been with USAA insurance for over 25 years. That ends today.

USAA claims to “support the troops” and to be loyal to those who served and their families. It’s hard to believe when you receive an increase of 25% after being a loyal customer who paid their premiums on time and had only 1 claim in 11 years.

Back in 2003 the great Republican Party reformed the insurance industry to allow more competition and remove those pesky restrictions set by the State. Insurance premiums have since skyrocketed. USAA took complete advantage of the reforms. (See below) My premiums have risen according to the chart below. After 2015 the premiums seemed to have stabilized. Looking for a competitive alternative was not easy and I eventually stayed with USAA not willing to risk a new company. It was easy to stay with USAA. So easy a caveman could do it. I did. That ends today.

I’m done with USAA. On the bright side they create a Subscriber Savings Account for every new member. After 25 years that account grew and I will be able to cash it out when I leave. It will fund a very nice trip to Italy.

Arrivederci USAA!

Many Texans have a pre-existing condition including Congressman Pete Olson from Sugarland.

During one of the very few town hall meetings Pete has had with his constituents he discussed how he fainted during a workout in the Capital gym. According to CNN:

“While working out in the House gym, I got quite dizzy and fainted,” Olson said in the note sent Friday by his campaign committee. “After being rushed to George Washington University Hospital, it was determined that I had a condition called bradycardia, which is medical talk for a slow heart beat. Whatever they call it, it wasn’t good and I don’t recommend it.”

Unlike Pete, most Texans will find their insurance that covers pre-existing conditions will be cut allowing the insurance company to raise premiums or opt not to cover your family in your time of need. Lucky for Pete his insurance, provided by the Federal Government, and paid by tax dollars has always covered pre-existing conditions and will alway cover them.

The insurance industry wants to fool you. Again.

Back in 2003 the Texas Legislature created the Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC). You are probably wondering what this has to do with Senate Bill 10 and the insurance industry. I am glad you asked. SB10 sets up a long legal process homeowners must maneuver before an insurance company will pay a disputed claim as a result of a hail storm, hurricane, or other event. This process will take months to complete therefore requiring blue tarps to cover the roof of homes to prevent further damage. This long process is just like the State-sponsored Inspection and Dispute Resolution Process. (SIRP),  the shining star of the TRCC created in 2003. In 2008 the Texas Sunset Commission reviewed the results of the process and deemed it to be so worthless their report recommended the abolishment of the TRCC. The bill to save the Commission died in the Senate and the TRCC ended just 6 short years after its creation. From the Sunset Report:

This recommendation would abolish the Texas Residential Construction Commission as an independent agency and repeal the Texas Residential Construction Commission Act (TRCCA).

Now the insurance industry wants to force that very same process on homeowners who have had damage to their home that their insurance agency refuses to repair. What is the old saying? “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, same on me.” Hopefully the fooled can’t be fooled again.