I paid for a years insurance on my motorhome conversion with state farm. 3 months down the road, they welsh on the deal and say they're not going to insure my motorhome any more. Wait for it - because I don't have an oven cook top combo. Hell, I don't use that in my normal house. I cook solely with a steamer, crock pot and microwave. Have you ever heard anything so ludicrous? Needless to say I'm looking at other insurers and will transfer all my policies awsu from those buffoons.
I have a nice ceramic cooktop (or hob, as we call it) in my house which I've never even turned on. I believe though that if a motorhome doesn't have a cooktop/oven and a toilet then it's technically not a motorhome but a truck - ie., a commercial vehicle, with all that that implies tax and licence-wise. So it's not just an insurance issue and it's probably a very good idea to fit a cooktop into your bus even if you know you'll never use it.
Jeremy
Lots of places it's a licensing requirement to be a legal RV. Doesn't matter if all you do is store shoes and boots in the oven, you have to have it. Not saying it's right, mind, just I bow to the inevitable more often these days, saves my fuss time for the big stuff.
Brian
How would they know?
they often require/request photographs.
Quote from: Jon on January 06, 2015, 08:18:25 AM
How would they know?
What about a stove top only with a cabinet mounted microwave/convection oven over head?
My nice apartment has an electric oven and I can not remember the last time the oven part of it was ever used. Like already said better, the micro wave, the crock pot and only one or two electric stove top elements seem to be used. We are using the microwave for more and more stuff. The place also smells so good with the crock pot working. Yumm, yumm. Now you have made me hungry ... again!
When Progressive insured the Crown Supercoach ex schoolie almost Bus Conversion the only thing they were concerned with was matching the then Oregon State requirement of having cooking and sleeping facilities of a somewhat permanent nature. This included a bed bolted to the floor and an apartment sized propane stove/oven that worked. Nothing more. But this was also 13 years ago. HB of CJ (old coot)
Has it been that long ago? Yes ... I guess it has. How time flies. :)
Edited; Out here in SW OR USA, (43N 123W) (kinda) we pay a whopping 0.04447 cents per KWH. Wow!
Thats a bummer.
since i have none of the requirements yet the specs required are. And these are from my inital chat with the DOT officer that will eventually do the inspection in my area.
Permanently installed independent life support systems.
ANSI A119.2 standard requires four of the following "cooking, refrigeration or ice box, self-contained toilet, heating or air conditioning, or both, a portable water supply system including a faucet and sink, seperate or liquidfied petroleum (LP) gas supply or both."
a. Cooking facility - would include a stove, microwave oven, standard oven, or convection oven, which is permanently installed and has adequate clearance as specified in terms of their listing. Clearance spaces shall be framed in or guarded to prevent storage space within the clearance specified by its UL or manufactures listing.
others on ultra super request guys i was a mechanic not a typist 8)
Things got interesting today. I am in possession of a letter dated December 23rd that states that my insurance would be canceled on January 13th. Today I found a letter dated December 26th with a check from the insurance company. This despite the agent and I were talking about photographs of the kitchen etc as late as yesterday. Something is very fishy at State Farm and this was first commented on by my girlfriend when the agent rang me on Christmas Eve to tell me I had to produce photos of a kitchen and toilet by January 13th.
So... Today I switched my bus insurance to Progressive and my car and renters insurances too. Fortunately they were all due for renewal next week!
I'm just left with the feeling of dishonesty somewhere - either at State Farm or with the agent. I can't see anything that anybody would gain though so I'm mystified but happily insured with Progressive.
Quote from: Zephod on January 06, 2015, 06:25:20 AM
I paid for a years insurance on my motorhome conversion with state farm. 3 months down the road, they welsh on the deal and say they're not going to insure my motorhome any more. Wait for it - because I don't have an oven cook top combo. Hell, I don't use that in my normal house. I cook solely with a steamer, crock pot and microwave. Have you ever heard anything so ludicrous? Needless to say I'm looking at other insurers and will transfer all my policies awsu from those buffoons.
They just want to get rid of you for some reason.
They and Allstate are the worst auto insurers in the US.
Go to Progressive, different folks altogether.
It's just elimination of risk on their part. Similar things have happened to me, I just stop doing business with that company. They don't want me, I don't want them, we're all happy.
Brian
[quoteGo to Progressive, different folks altogether.[/quote]
We bought our bus on a private contract. Part of the agreement was insuring it for $35 K. In the event of a total loss they would get their money. Another part of the agreement was providing a life insurance policy for the same reason. The purchase agreement was filed with Progressive, as support, with the understanding that it was an "agreed value" policy. 5 years later we had a hail claim. (2008)
They claimed that they had dropped the "agreed value" policys. I never got any notice regarding such.
I paid the premium in full once a year. Their offer was $20K. In addition they said salvage value was $12K. After producing nearly $20K in receipts I got them up to $33K. The only reason they came around was the letter I had my attorney send threatening action, to include filing with the State Insurance commision, and the BBB. We kept the bus and got $21K.
I spent the next several years repairing the damage. In 2012 it was inspected by the State of Oregon and deemed "Rebuilt", in other words "repaired". This year on July 7th we got hit by hail again. Our current insurance is "National General" formally "GMAC Insurance. It has been 6 MONTHS now with no
deciscion. They have sent out 3 people to "inspect", several "appraisers" have been assigned and changed, 3 or 4 people have been assigned to "handle" the case. The latest is they are waiting to hear back from a radiator shop on a quote. FOR OVER 3 WEEKS NOW.
Our car sustained $4K in damage, (it was parked 4 FEET away), my enclosed trailer was parked 10 FEET away and was totaled.
The only thing they are concerned about is proving that prior damage existed so that they can deny the whole claim. Here's the "rub" I purposely left "1 square foot" on the driver's side and 1 "square foot" on the roof unrepaired from 2008, just in case it ever happened again. (2008 was much worse). I have asked them to explain why there is only a dent here and there around those areas ? It is obvious that the unrepaired areas contain 5 times the hail strikes.
Still with me stating that I repaired the previous damage, the State of Oregon inspection, and the obvious unrepaired areas for comparision they are refusing coverage.
When this is over I'll be going with USAA. more expensive but stands behind their promises.
Don
State Farm has been OK until now. I have no idea why they took a dislike to my schoolbus yet had it in their system. Needless to say that since my car insurance is due on the 10th and they just mucked around, both bus and car insurance have now gone to Progressive. Its hard to believe that companies will not try to retain 10 year customers but oh well. I think I can do without neighbors like State Farm.
Don,
Don't rush over to USAA-- I have them for car insurance, but last time I checked they won't cover the bus except for liability!
Steve Toomey
Progressive won't do stated value, or at least their agent said that they don't do it anymore. Don were you in Oregon when you got the hail damage?
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Quote from: digesterman on January 07, 2015, 10:54:59 AM
Progressive won't do stated value, or at least their agent said that they don't do it anymore. Don were you in Oregon when you got the hail damage?
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We were and are still in the Denver, Colorado area. The final straw with Progressive was the 27% overall they tried to raise our premium. When I asked why the reply was "the cost of doing business in Colorado" What they never had to pay a hail claim here before ???
Don & Sheila
Any insurer is going to look at your "declared value" at the start of your policy and compare it to the date of your claim.
Common sense is going to reveal that it is no longer worth what it was 5 years ago or 10 years ago..just the way it is.
That's true eagle, I pay extra each year and declare a stated value, the insurance co has to agree to it too BTW, they ask all sorts of questions, want bunch of pics, but then they agree and all is good for another year.
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I'm hoping and praying that switching to Progressive means no more problems - at least for a while. After I've fixed the bus up as a motorhome (half my battle has been undoing somebody else's conversion work), if i'm asked "did you buy it as a motorhome", the answer will be an honest yes. LOL
I've had State Farm on my bus since I bought it. They wouldn't insure it as a motorhome because it didn't meet the requirements but they would insure it as
a commercial vehicle, so that what we did. We've never changed it, and the agent tells me it's better this way because when I'm not using it, I suspend
the liability coverage and my premiums drop to about $15/month. When I want to use it, I call them and tell them to activate the liability. Done!
Every state is different, and every agent is different. I suspect it has more to do with it being a school bus than anything, but I don't have a clue why
that would matter, but it does.
don't think for one second that your/a new insurance carrier doesn't compare notes with another/previous carrier... they do. The info is just a VIN # away ... ;D
PS i have been with Progressive for 12 years on a declared value....
annually I "depreciate" my coach about $1000 - $1500. they seem amenable, they continue to lower my rates.
And Progressive won't do non-professional conversions.
That's not exactly true! We have progressive and our bus is far from professionally done!
We have Progressive right now on our "new to us" bus. Right now I have it insured for the price that we bought it. It's insured as a Bus, personal use commercial vehicle. My agent said even after it's done and we have the title switched over it will still be insured this way. She said it's the best and safest way to do it. Even if we converted it to RV it would't drop the rates much but would open up a can of worms. I also have it set up to turn on and off the liability for when I need to drive it. It's just a shell packed full of parts at the moment. I talked to her about upping the coverage as we improve it and make it worth more and she said no problem.
FWIW
Eric
Well tell me who your Progressive agent is that will approve it, because they denied mine and when I told them that a lot of people I knew had the same coverage on their conversions, they said that they shouldn't and that they wouldn't pay the claims if they got into an accident.
How might declared value be established for insurance purposes, and does this realate to just parts. I am curious and especialy at time of re-titling as RV.
Good Day
Quote from: brmax on January 08, 2015, 12:38:38 PM
How might declared value be established for insurance purposes, and does this realate to just parts. I am curious and especialy at time of re-titling as RV.
Good Day
Mine was determined by appraisal at the insurers request, it was done by a company that buys sells brokers and maintains fleets of coaches, another of their clients is Disney and George Strait.
And photographs to verify. This was all accomplished in 2002.
again I am with Progressive.
Flo must like me best ... ;D
Yes, but Don, your bus was never seated, so Flo likes you. Flo hates those of us who have conversions from once seated buses.
Quote from: mung on January 08, 2015, 05:38:21 PM
Yes, but Don, your bus was never seated, so Flo likes you. Flo hates those of us who have conversions from once seated buses.
hmmm... as i recall the words conversion, seated, and bus never came up.... ;)
Mine was converted before I bought it. I just had to strip it because of rot and rodents.
In 2010 I needed a new insurer. My old one dropped all conversion RVs bases on school buses, coaches and trucks. I called Progressive because several people here were using them. They flat out said "no way". Someone on this forum gave me the name of company in CA that got me insurance, get this, with Progressive!
I'm not sure I'm happy with the price at $390 a year, but Amica and Geico wouldn't insure it either. Crazy that I need four different insurers for house & car, sports car, RV and motorcycles. Nope, five, forgot the snowmobile.
The insurance companies have divided up the markets but it works for 90% of the people. When you add sports cars, RV, bike and sleds, the price goes up and convenience goes down. It's the cost of having fun.
For reference, the company I use is:
PoliSeek AIS Insurance
Artesia, CA
800 496-7879
Mark
I wonder if they can write a policy for me in Florida when it is time to renew mine? I am paying more than that right now.
Hello Everyone, Had the same problem with my bus. I was insured with progressive but they dropped me like a hot potato. I am a member of Good Sam Club. So I called them about insurance. They will insure your bus conversion. It is done through Nationwide. I am very happy with them . Also Good Sam is very good incase you break down and need to be towed.... John
That is what I have currently, but it is more expensive than other options.
i'm the one who suggests poli-seek.
they insure everything i have except my house. they won;t insure them in ak.
i have 6 things on my policy.
All good stuff. As I was showering this morning, I wondered if anybody had tried insuring their bus as a tour bus. You could say its a tour bus for motivational speaking. All you have to do to make that be true is to yell "Go gettim" every time you see a copper or a store detective nabbing a crook
Quote from: OneLapper on January 09, 2015, 07:04:22 AMIn 2010 I needed a new insurer. My old one dropped all conversion RVs bases on school buses, coaches and trucks. I called Progressive because several people here were using them. They flat out said "no way".
Very similar to what happened to me. I had car and bus (liability only) with Allstate; they said that State of NC had adopted new policies and they wouldn't renew my bus policy. I went to Progressive - they would have happily jumped on my car insurance but after an hour of "please hold - I have to speak to my manager ..." "OK, my manager wants me to ask you, is this a bus converted to an RV?" (Yes, it is, just like I told you 10 minutes ago before you put me on hold.) "please hold, I have to speak to my manager ..." "OK, Is this vehicle registered as a bus?" (No, like I told you 20 minutes ago before you put me on hold the first time, it is registered in North Carolina as a House Car, class HC on the registration; it is a classification of a private vehicle in NC.) "please hold, I need to speak to my manager ..." The answer was "No, we won't cover a vehicle like that". I'm guessing that the fact that they never heard of a Daimler bus didn't help, but the bottom line was "no way".
I had had Progressive on my car before. I had a company car when I was a useful, productive, valued citizen -- you know, befoe I got to be fodder foh dem Obommer Death Panels and before I got my snout in dah Gummint trough -- so I hadn't owned a car for about 10 years. I retired, moved to NC to take care of my ailing parents, and bought a VW TDI Jetta. After about 4 months, I got a letter from Progressive -- we're dropping you, you don't have a history of car ownership in the State of NC. WTF???? (This was a couple of years before I owned my bus so that wasn't an issue then.)
They're all thieves, liars, and scoundrels. I'd love to see them get their comeuppance!
Zephod, sure you can insure it as a tour bus. Do you have it registered as a tour bus and have a valid CDL?
Quote from: eagle19952 on January 09, 2015, 07:55:19 AM
i'm the one who suggests poli-seek.
they insure everything i have except my house. they won;t insure them in ak.
i have 6 things on my policy.
Ah! Thanks for the reminder Eagle! Poli-Seek has worked out fine for me but I never understood how they were able to get me insured with Progressive when I couldn't. I sent them exactly the same info I had sent to Progressive directly. Obviously as an agent they know how to work the system.
Mung, I'm in CT and they got it insured, I would think they can do the same for you unless there are some different Fla laws.
+mung No CDL but I'm still young enough to get one.