NEW RV WEBSITE AND BLOG!!

I'm super excited to announce that we have a whole new website and blog dedicated to our RV'rs.  Please check out www.epicrvinsurance.com for the new info and posts AND we have a new Facebook page, please like it.  I won't be posting anymore on this blog but I will leave it up as it still has quite a bit of valuable information on it from years past.   Our RV'rs have become a huge part of our business and I, personally, plan to move forward with more of a focus on the RV business so now we've got a site just for you!!  Check it out!!

Technology.....

I'm the first to admit that while I tend to know the "terms", there are some points of tech knowledge that I leave firmly in the hands of experts.

Unfortunately, my experts sort of had oops and apparently my Contact Us page has been inactive for sometime now.  I apologize if anyone attempted to reach me through that page unsuccessfully or if you have tried and not received a response that is my worst nightmare.

Today, Troy, my IT guy, is coming in to sit down and talk about mobilizing this site so that all of you folks with Ipads, Iphones etc etc can check out the website in a friendly format.

For future reference, my cell number, office number and email are all on the website.  If ever you do not hear back from me within 24 hours, then I probably didn't get your message.  Send me a text, shoot me an email, call my cell!!  I want to talk to you!

Thank You!

Big Thank You to Dennis and Bettie who stopped by the office to meet me after working with me for 5+ years.  They brought me these lovely flowers and made my day!  So good to finally meet them!!

 

I LOVE MY FULL TIMERS!!

Every now and then I will get a call from a potential client who really puts me through the paces and I mean that in the best way!!  It's those folks that test my knowledge about Full Timers and why I do what I do and really wants me to explain each and every coverage.  Earlier this year I had the pleasure to talk to Scott and Jennie.   Jennie is an amazing woman who took the time to analyze and understand her Full Timer Insurance needs.  She's great and I'm going to post the information she gathered while purchasing insurance on her 2006 Country Coach.  Check out Scott and Jennie's website www.muniac.com.  Also thanks to Bob and Ede for sending them my way!!

Full-Timer's RV Insurance

Jeannie newbie Registered: 01/13/10 Posts: 48 Loc: USA

Our 2006 Country Coach Allure has been insured under a full-timer's policy (included purchase price guarantee) with National Interstate for 5 years (6/2/2009 through 6/2/2014). Fortunately, we have never had a need to issue any claims. With that said each year the premium increased quite a bit except in 2011 when it actually went down 0.7%. A summary of the premium increases are as follows: 2010: Up 10.2% 2011: Down 0.7% 2012: Up 8.3% 2013: Up 8.7% 2014: Up 29.3% The largest increases were with comprehensive and collision. They are: Comprehensive 2010: No increase 2011: Down 0.9% 2012: Up 10.6% 2013: Up 89.0% 2014: Up 31.9% Collision 2010: No increase 2011: Down 1.0% 2012: Up 14.4% 2013: Up 7.3% 2014: Up 27.9% Due to dissatisfaction with these increases we wanted to work with an agent that would understand our needs, assist with lowering our premiums and also be able to develop a work relationship. We had been working with PoliSeek AIS Insurance Solutions and one knows the deal. Every time you call you get a different person on the phone. So, friends of ours (thanks Ede & Bob!!!) referred us to Gina Shaver at Epic Insurance in Sioux Falls SD. Within a few moments of speaking with Gina we knew we were in good hands. Gina quickly produced a few quotes from several other insurance companies for comparison purposes. With the 29.3% increase in 2014 it was obvious we were going to switch insurance companies. After gathering the information and tweaking the policies we decided to switch from National Interstate to Blue Sky. In comparison, the premiums effective 6/2/2014 were: National Interstate $3,505 with Purchase Price Guarantee $2,520 without Purchase Price Guarantee but with increased liability limits Note: our Purchase Price Guarantee was to expire effective 1/1/2016 Blue Sky $1,766 without Purchase Price Guarantee and with same increase in liability limits as NI policy Note: our deductible went back to $1,000 but will diminish over 3 years Switching to Blue Sky was administratively easy. Their paperwork and email communications were very clear and well organized. In summary, Gina has been a total pleasure to work with. She is very responsive and understanding to our requirements and extremely knowledgeable in the insurance industry. We would recommend Gina to anyone for all their insurance needs. Her contact information is: Gina Shaver Epic Insurance 5032 S. Bur Oak Place, Suite #130 Sioux Falls, SD 57108 (605) 271 8100 office (605) 929 1333 cell (605) 271 8898 fax gina@epic-ins.com

Full Timer getting cancelled by GEICO???

It appears that the Lizard has finally conceded that he cannot offer the type of Personal Liability Coverage that is needed by Full Timer's!!  I hate to say I told you so.....but......:)

I've received calls from several GEICO policyholders who are being cancelled because they have a mail forwarding address.  That is because GEICO offers Recreational Liability rather than Full Timers Personal Liability Coverage.  I've addressed the difference in past posts but wanted to get the word out to any Full Timers that may be looking for good comprehensive insurance coverage.

If your mail forwarding address is in any of the states below, call us for a quote!!

AZ, FL, IA, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, SD and TX.

(And YES, we can insure those Medium Duty Tow vehicles too!)

Gotta Love Florida!

Well getting my license to sell insurance in Florida was a real lesson in patience but was nothing in comparison to what my clients have been going through trying to establish residency there. Now, if you are just getting a mailing address and registering your RV and or vehicle there, no big deal. Just make sure you set up the insurance in advance so you can take your Florida insurance card to the DMV.

HOWEVER, should you decide to purchase a home or park model in Florida be ready for some interesting hoops to jump through. I recently had long-time SD full-timers purchase a small $15,000 park model in Florida. They carry a SD umbrella policy with me through RLI. I explained that in order to comply with the umbrella requirements, they would need to carry at least $300,000 liability coverage on the park model policy........WELL apparently, that is a BIG DEAL!!! These people have had a heck of a time finding an insurance company first to insure the park model as it was older and then second finding anyone who would provide higher than $100,000 liability coverage!!!

They are still going to RV but just wanted a place to go to in the winter and now we find out that it will take an act of Congress to get the insurance they need. After I called RLI to find out what to do, I was told if they couldn't provide the required $300,000 liabllity, then their SD umbrella policy would be cancelled. Finally they had no choice but to give up their SD residency and move it to Florida. RLI only requires $100,000 liability in Florida because they found out no one could buy higher limits there and of course now they really need an umbrella!! That's right, the company made special provisions to insure Florida residents and are charging more than double the price for the umbrella policy. I guess something is better than nothing but word to the wise....picking up that cheap park model may be more of a issue than you would think!!

Finally, I have noticed a fair amount of folks moving out of SD and TX and moving residency to Florida. I am really curious what the advantages could possibly be. If you can provide me some insight on that, I would love to hear from you. An email to me at gina@epic-ins.com would be great as I only come on the blog when I need to vent or inform!! Happy Travels!

Florida!

Well you've been asking for it and after much work and a fingerprinting process that was interesting, the state of Florida has approved my license to sell insurance! For those of you who are currenting domiciling in Florida or are thinking of it, I now have several companies that I can provide insurance quotes for auto and RV. Some Park Models located inland would also be OK.

Stationary Trailers

More and more of my clients are purchasing smaller RV's to travel in and parking their larger RV's in one or two places per year. The insurance companies are getting REALLY picky about insuring these RV's full time in one spot and sometimes even two if one or both of the locations is in a state with a high weather related claims history. If you are planning to park your RV in one location for more than 6 months at a time, please contact me. There are several steps that I need to proceed through to make sure that your RV coverage is tailored to fit this type of usage. I have already had trailers located within 90 miles of the coast of TX declined so it's important to address this upfront. If you are not insured with me but have decided to park your RV for an extended period, please call your agent and notify them of the address where the RV will be located so they can get pre-approval from the insurance company.

MISSOURI IS NOW ONBOARD!!

Missouri residents are now able to purchase insurance through Epic Insurance. Please call me for a no obligation quote!!

Welcome Nebraska

I haven't posted alot this year because I have been feverishly trying to get licensed in several more states. This is an expensive and timely process but eventually hope to be able to serve clients across the country. I expect that Kansas and Missouri will be coming up sometime this year. I did some advertising this year in the Freightliner's RV Haulers newsletter and on their website and perhaps that may have been a little hasty as it appears I may have upset a few folks by not being licensed in every state. My initial goal was to bring on the states where most of my Full Timers are domiciled so Texas, South Dakota, Montana, and Arizona were top priority and now I will focus on states nearest to me here in South Dakota. So to recap, I am able to provide high quality RV insurance for folks domiciled in the following states: Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas. Florida is still in process**

Welcome TEXAS!!

We have added the great state of Texas to our corral. If you are a full timer with a Texas residency, you need to call me for a no obligation quote on your RV and or Auto insurance. Just to recap, we write business for full timer's with residency in the following states:

Arizona
Idaho
Iowa
Minnesota
Montana
North Dakota
South Dakota
Texas

Insurance Agencies vs Insurance Companies

When I get a chance I like to check out the various RV forums online just to get an idea of what you RV'rs are discussing when it comes to your insurance. Today as I was reading through some of these it became quite apparent that there is alot of confusion about insurance agencies vs insurance companies. Let's see if we can clear this up a bit.

In terms of Full Timer RV Insurance, there a handful of insurance companies that offer the correct type of coverage. They are:

Blue Sky also known as Companion Insurance Company
GMAC also known as the Good Sam Insurance Company
Foremost now owned by Farmers Insurance Company
Progressive
National Interstate also known as Great American and Triumphe Casualty
Allied

Now I have come across some others who claim to insure full timers but in my opinion don't offer the right coverage options. Those include Geico, State Farm, Hartford and a couple of others. To be fair I don't represent these carriers but I have seen some of their policies and they appear to be lacking in comparison on what you get from the companies listed above.

Insurance Agencies are independent insurance agents who represent one or all of these companies and when you call them they will likely quote all of the companies they offer and give you the best price for coverage. At least that is what they should do. Most of the big agencies are licensed in all states so it doesn't matter where you domicile, they can write the policy for you. Some of the bigger agencies are:

Explorer RV
AON/Poliseek
Miller Insurance
Gilbert RV

When you buy a policy from these agencies you are actually buying your policy from one of the insurance companies listed above and using one of the agencies as your representative. Yes, these agencies get a commission for selling you a policy but to be fair if you buy directly, you pay the same or more generally because they have to pay the employees and for advertising etc.

When purchasing insurance you should consider whether or not you are comfortable working with the insurance company directly and talking to whoever answers the phone to make changes or file claims and if you are not, then you should use an insurance agency to obtain your policy.

When I started out, I just wrote insurance for Full Timers domiciling in South Dakota and that was great for the first 10 years or so. Then my customers started moving to other states for various reasons and since I can't bear to lose anyone, I started licensing in those states so I could remain their agent. Now I have taken on several states and it has been great. My service is very personal. My clients call me with changes, questions, payments etc. I work directly with the insurance companies so they don't have to. I've been involved in many claims directly because sometimes I just don't like what the insurance company is doing. My clients have my cell phone and we do business via phone, email and even texting is getting popular. All of it works because I don't keep regular 9-5 business hours. Also, traveling in different time zones creates issues for some clients. They call my cell. If I am unavailable, I will always call them back. I have taken many clients away from the big agencies simply because they didn't feel they were getting good personal service and never talk to the same person twice. If you are OK with that then by all means buy from a big agency or from the company direct but if you are looking for an insurance AGENT then call me. I will take care of you. Check my prior post for the states I do business in now.

PS. TEXAS was added to my list today!!

Welcome Blue Sky!

It's been a busy 2011 for us. I've been so lucky to get to meet several of my full timers who came through South Dakota this year. I haven't posted much lately because frankly South Dakota insurance rates have been very stable and not much new to report.

The good news is that I have aquired another insurance company that has some really great rates. Many of you may have heard of Blue Sky but for those who haven't they are an RV specialty company. They do several things that I like alot like insuring medium/heavy duty tow vehicles, scheduling valuable personal property and offering consignment coverage. I am looking forward to working with them.

I also have licensed in some new states so if you are domiciled in any one of these, then give me a call for some great insurance rates:

South Dakota
North Dakota
Iowa
Minnesota
Montana
Arizona
Idaho

and......TEXAS you are next!! Working getting that finished up by the end of the year!

It's Spring!!

This is the time of year that my RV clients are on the move. Before you

move on to your next destination it’s time to make sure that you have your insurance check up.

1. Do you have current Insurance ID Cards in your vehicles?

2. Have you checked your policy to see if the values need to be adjusted?
Remember that RV insurance rates are based upon the value.
If the RV or Medium Duty Tow vehicle is over 5 years, you should do
this annually.

3. Are you planning on staying in the RV more or less than last year?
This could affect the coverage you need.

4. Did you pay off a loan on a car or RV?

5. Did you put your RV into a Trust or LLC?

6. Did you build or buy a home or park model last year?

7. Are you planning a trip to or through Canada this year? If so,
you need to order your Canadian ID cards now.

If you need a check up call me for a no obiligation review of your policies and if you are already a client and any of these apply to you, call me ASAP!!

Happy Travels

"Who Owns It"?

Insurance companies have a special and very important term for ownership. It's called "insurable interest". If you don't have an "insurable interest" in your RV or auto, you might be in some hot water in the event of a claim.

Let me explain.....Let's say your RV/Auto insurance policy is in the name of John and Jane Smith and you have full coverage and good liability coverage and you have an accident. Now let's say your RV/Auto is titled to someone other than you like a Trust or an LLC. The insurance company has the right to deny you coverage for your accident because John and Jane Smith own the policy but John and Jane do not own the RV. Therefore, they have no "insurable interest". If the RV/Auto is titled to a Trust, LLC or someone other than you then that is the name that policy should be in.

It is very important that your insurance agent be informed of who is the titled owner of your vehicles

. It is easy to forget to mention that you have put your RV into a trust or LLC but this information is crucial to setting up your policy correctly. Be sure to let your agent know Who Owns It!!

Great News!!

Epic Insurance is now licensed to do business in the following states:

South Dakota
North Dakota
Montana
Minnesota
Iowa
Arizona

Those of you with auto's, RV's or homes in any of these states are now eligible for coverage with us. Please contact me for a no obligation quote!

RV Replacement Cost

I wanted to quickly post some information regarding Total Loss Replacement Cost and Purchase Price Guarantee coverage. This mostly is going to refer to National Interstate/Triumphe and GMAC clients.

The common explanation for Total Loss Replacement Cost coverage is that if you have a total loss during the first 5 model years, the company will replace the RV with a new one of like kind and quality. OK, that seems simple enough. However, one of my clients who always keeps me on my toes pointed out that if they elect not to replace the RV, then the settlement is based upon Actual Cash Value of the RV at the time of the claim. She is correct and I think this is important to understand.

Likewise, Purchase Price Guarantee coverage which takes over after the 5 model years states that if you have a total loss and replace your RV with one that cost equal to or more than the one you lost then they will give you back the purchase price of the RV that was lost. If you elect not to replace the RV, then once again the settlement is Actual Cash Value.

Finally, let's be sure to understand that 5 model years means current year plus the next 4 model years. For example a 2008 model would have the Total Replacement Coverage for the current model year of 2008, then 2009, 2010, 2011 and through the end of 2012.

Expanding My Horizons.......

Those of you who are my clients or follow the blog understand my committment to the RV business. When we started this agency, my focus was on transferring my existing clients over from the old agency and to continue to develop new clients.

Now we are coming up to our 2 year anniversary!! I have transferred most of my clients and have met many absolutely fantastic new clients. I was so lucky to have many of them stop by for a face to face meeting which is just so much fun!

However, with the national exposure that I have attained through this blog and several other wonderful people passing on my name through different forums, I have also had to turn away some nice full-timers who aren't domiciling in SD at this time. Also, I have had several long-time clients settle down in AZ, TX, and FL and that forced them to change agents since we do not have a license to write insurance in those states.

It's not a difficult process for us to get licensed in other states. All of my companies are willing to jump on board with me to do this. Most of the big RV insurance agencies have licenses in all 50 states. Obviously, if I do start working with other states, I would have to do some heavy national advertising otherwise who would know I even did it??

So in the interest of working smarter and not harder, I want your opinions on this matter. Are you currently a full-timer residing in another state? Do you buy through one of the big RV agencies? Do you feel like a number and would you rather have a genuine business relationship with an agent that you know is going to make sure you are taken care of? In your opinion, what states would be the best option to move into? Do you care where your agent is located as long as you can reach them anytime? Shoot me a comment to help me decide where to go from here.

That's A Discount!!!

We have all seen Progressive's "FLO" screaming "That's a Discount" on TV. Well in conjunction with rate changes in South Dakota, it appears that the companies are also adding discounts. This means that if you have been a long time client of Progressive or many other companies for that matter, you may not even know that you are eligible for additional discounts on your policy. After all, they aren't going to tell you that. So I am. Here are a few of the discounts available:

Educational Discount: Everyone is going to default to a High School Graduate Education level. If you have a attended college, completed college, have a trade school or vocational school degree, or completed Masters or Graduate Degrees those are all a higher discount. However, I have noticed that the discount is small, but why not take advantage if you can. (Progressive Only)

Paperless Discount: Many of you have this already, but those who don't and are willing to use email to receive your billing notices, add this discount as it can be significant. (Progressive Only)

Homeowner Discount: You don't have to actually live in it. This discount does not include mobilehomes or park models with Progressive however, GMAC is letting me apply this discount to park models. (Progressive and GMAC)

EFT: If you don't pay in full and receive billing notices, just go on EFT and save yourself a bunch of money. Call me to sign up. (Progressive and GMAC)

Driver's Safety Courses: 55 Alive, RVAA RV Safety Course, AAA has a course and also if you have a CDL "That's a Discount" with some companies (Progressive, GMAC and National Interstate/Triumphe all have some type of discount for this)

RV Club Membership: Lot's of discounts available here with GMAC and National Interstate. Progressive does not offer this. Good Sam, Camping World, FMCA etc (National Interstate/Triumphe and GMAC)

Manufacturers Club Discount: Winnebago, Newmar, Georgie Boy, Holiday Rambler, Gulf Stream, Freightliners RV Club, and many many more!! (National Interstate/Triumphe)

Alarm Discount: Audible alarm system your RV?? That's a Discount! (National Interstate/Triumphe)

Original Owner Discount: If you are the original owner of your RV, this is a 10% discount! I have to add this manually so if you don't see it on your RV renewal, and you are the original owner, call me to get it added. (New with Progressive Only. I have been adding this to my qualifying renewals and it has been significant)

Looking Forward to Fall!!

Wow, I just noticed that I haven't posted on the blog since June!! Totally unacceptable. My only excuse is that I have been absolutely crazy with weather related claims. Never is my years in Sioux Falls, have I seen the weather we have experienced this summer. Now, we did get through without too much hail which was nice but the rain and wind made up for it.

South Dakotan's like their summer weekends. We work hard and we play hard. Most of us have a summer property or have family or friends with places at the lake or on the river. I don't think we had one weekend without some type of storm all summer! My family did manage to make a few trips to the river this year. Our wonderful neighbors, Tom and Joy Garrison built a place in Pickstown and we get to invade it once in awhile. Both times we were there we watched storms roll in from Nebraska. The first time in June, I was absolutely amazed but the intensity of the storms that go through Wagner, Pickstown, Yankton. One minute I was sitting on the porch in my lawn chair gabbing it up and the next we were tossing the lawn furniture, grills, toys etc into the garage to keep them from blowing away. Paid a few awning replacement claims from that storm. The second time we were there, the entire campground was closed because it was under water!

I do want to thank all of my Full Timers who took the time to stop by my office while traveling through South Dakota this summer. It is always so nice to finally put a face with the name and voice that I do business with all the time. I promise that I will get back to work on the blog and try to get out more RV insurance information to you!