I left USAA for insurance but have continued with checking and a few other services. My SSA would not be as large a check as some on here so I am content that I have remained a member, but I too was disappointed to see how much I could save using an independent broker who shopped around my policy.

If you choose to stay, that is fine as USAA will take care of you with good service but it doesn't hurt to look around. Too many just assume that USAA is the best because it used to be, but increasing the pool of risk has diluted their product. They are COMPLETELY non competitive on mortgages too which always surprised me.


I hope one or two management types might read this thread, but alas they are probably reading their own flag-wrapped glossy magazine propaganda of how awesome they are now that they are USAA execs on top of how awesome they were as flag officers in the military!

 

Still with USAA for insurance (great/prompt service on several claims over the years) and bank accounts (really like the ATM fee reimbursements) but won't use them again to get a mortgage. Had a bad experience with them a few years ago, they were very inflexible and seemed to not care about the customer service provided. Local banks have provided much better service since.

 

They would not let me declare a value on a 1967 Firebird I had restored. They would only go for market value. Hagerty Muscle Car folks let me declare a value much closer to what the restoration costs actually were.

 

USAA mortgages aren't even the least bit competitive...I feel sorry for the people they dupe into their product. Surprised even more that they have a mortgage department to begin with.

 

I tried their home buying service. That was a big mistake.

 

I've made $1,900 on the home buying/selling service.

 

I have used both mortgage brokers and USAA over the years. The only time I used USAA it was very inflexible (over 10 years ago) and the closing was horrible (USAA only gave me one option/office that was an hour away). They haven't been competitive enough since to even consider. The one thing I did like was that they guaranteed to keep the servicing of the loan despite who actually owned it. I've changed servicers/owners on other loans and it can be a hassle. I do like the ATM fees waived but see other banks offering that as well. I moved my car loan to PenFed on my last car because USAA wouldn't match the rate but haven't been too impressed with their customer service. Finally, when I moved to FL they informed me that I had a set period (somewhere around a year) to purchase a house to qualify for their home owner coverage. Basically they were only offering to cover me because I had been forced to move there by the military. Now in NJ, I still have their car and renters insurance and have three sons hitting driving age so may need to shop around.

 

When I was on active duty, I wanted to buy a new truck. I called USAA and tried their car buying service. They put me on hold, then I was on a 3-way call with USAA and a dealer but I couldn't actually hear the dealer. After telling them what I was looking to buy, they quoted me a price roughly $1500 below sticker. I laughed out loud at the lady and asked ... "that's it? That's the best price?" I told her no way would I buy the vehicle at that price and ended the call.

Fast forward today. I was called by a third party contractor for USAA. The purpose of the call was to update my auto insurance policy. I questioned the call because I don't take any unsolicited calls from companies (is this a scam?).

The lady told me that USAA sent me an email informing us to expect the phone call. As she was telling me this, I checked my email and sure enough she was correct. After authenticating her, we began the policy update. Unfortunately, her database had 6-7 year old information regarding drivers, vehicles, and addresses. I immediately questioned the information and the overall purpose of the call again. She mentioned that her database may not have the must up to date information. She then started asking for information about family members who don't even live with me and that's when I decided to end the call. She immediately says, "Oh well that's ok, I can bypass those screens. That's all we needed to know."

Very sketchy.

 

I dropped USAA.... when I told them to cancel the policy via email, they told me to call them to talk to a senior rep.... I reasoned it was part of their new business model.. that they've accepted a percentage of members to cancel... Bye USAA....

 

Huh, they let me declare a value on a '63 Bug, I really have had nothing but good service from them, but I am reading this thread with an open mind.