Insurance for My Guns

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LubeckTech

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Sep 13, 2006
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Parkersburg, WV
Are there any insurance companies that specialize in insuring guns? I have about 10K in guns a homeowners policy with State Farm and could add a rider to cover them. The problem is my agent is an untrustworthy, lying piece of crap. I know the answer would be to get different homeowners insurance but the downside of being married is the agent's family are friends of "she who must be obeyed" so that is out. I am hoping to find a company that I trusted which would write a fire/theft policy on my guns and possibly related equipment.
 
The NRA has a policy for members. I don't remember what the coverage levels are, but I think there is an automatic $5000 coverage just for being an NRA member. I know you can buy more, but you'll have to call them to see what the numbers are.

Good luck on your search!
 
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Insurance

I have my guns insured with Collectibles Insurance Services LLC Tele: 410-876-8833 I pay $168.00 every 6 months. It covers your guns in shipment and on premises. My limit is $15,000.
 
...an automatic $5000 coverage just for being an NRA member.
Click to expand...
I thought it was only $1,000 IIRC.

Collectibles LLC is a good looking place. I've had them give me a couple quotes before. I would like to hear from someone who has filed a claim with them and see how the payout was handled. I doubt I'll ever find such a testimony, but you never know.

Anyway, I married into the insurance biz. The agent being a liar isn't anything that should stand in the way of your coverage. He's just the guy you deal with. You probably have about $2,500 in firearms coverage on your homeowner's policy, and you can bump it up to $5,000 for cheap. Something like $15/year. The state you live in might or might not affect specifics in the policy.

Riders can be less expensive than outside policies like Collectibles LLC offers. For about $330 per year, you could get something like $15,000 coverage from Collectibles LLC, but for half that premium, a rider on your homeowner's policy could cover say $10,000. The homeowner's policy would probably have a zero deductible, but the outside policy would have a couple hundred dollars as a deductible.

This was the case for me anyway. The rider turned out to be the far less expensive option.

hth
 
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Dude, if you don't like/trust/esteem your St Farm agent, then just switch agents. Any State Farm office can handle your account.
 
"she who must be obeyed" spoken like a man who's been married for a while. LOL I got mine thru USAA, but you must be military (active, reserve, retired) or be related to someone who is (father, mother etc...).
 
Try this; it's the best program that I've found to date:

Eastern Insurance Group LLC
The Historic Firearms and Collectibles Insurance Program
933 Webster Street , Marshfield MA, 02050

Toll Free - 800.545.9326 X59398
P-781.596.8915 C-781.974.3737 Fx- 508.647.3266

[email protected]
[email protected]
 
CoRoMo - Riders can be less expensive than outside policies like Collectibles LLC offers. For about $330 per year, you could get something like $15,000 coverage from Collectibles LLC, but for half that premium, a rider on your homeowner's policy could cover say $10,000. The homeowner's policy would probably have a zero deductible, but the outside policy would have a couple hundred dollars as a deductible.
Click to expand...

I've used Collectibles for several years http://www.collectinsure.com/. They are much cheaper than the rates you quoted for me (like less than 30% of that). For this last year I paid about $70 per $10K coverage. I'm sure there are some regional variations, but I wouldn't think it would be all that much. I haven't see any quoted rates that compare value-wise with Collectibles.

Firearms are excluded from my homeowners policy with USAA as written and I have to carry a rider for any coverage; the rate is much higher, they want a lot more information, and the standard deductible is the same as your homeowners policy (1% of the home value).
 
That's pretty good. I wish they had quoted me that price. I'd never opt for a rider if I had that sort of alternative.

You brought up a good point though. Rider policies usually require an inventory/appraisal of what is being covered. A lot of the time, the outside policies do not. Whether or not you have issues with an insurance company knowing the extent of your collection, might or might not be worth the extra cost that may apply.
 
Switch agents. The claims adjuster will be handling a loss anyway, that agent has absolutely no say in it (I'm a claims adjuster). State Farm seems like a solid Co (not who I work for btw), if you like and trust them, just get a new agent. Life is too short to deal with jerks when it is avoidable.

Make sure you are familiar with the details of the firearms coverage. Loss due to theft should have a (likely low) limit, hence the need for a rider. Loss due to any other covered cause will be the limit of your contents coverage. Also, my company changed the wording on the new policies to include "firearms accessories" (scopes, slings etc.) in the theft limit. So if your default theft limit for firearms was $1,000...that's only 1 good rifle and scope attached.

Edit: I just read the "switch wives" part about the agent. Yeah, an outside policy gives plausible reason (it is specific coverage for my guns SF doesn't offer...) to avoid the touchy agent subject all together. Or, just call a different agent to ask Q's about the rider through SF and get it through your agent....like I said, he won't be handling any claim.
 
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Question for strambo

Can an agent be both an agent and adjuster? The reason I ask is this agent cuts checks directly to settle claims which I have never heard of. From all the dealings I have had with claims you call in the claim, provide proof of loss and/or estimates and the company either arranges for repair, cuts a check or brings in an adjuster. This weekend my wife was about 65 mi from home and her brakes went out this was 2:00pm on a Sunday afternoon. We have towing insurance and had the vehicle towed to a shop in our home town because we don't know anyone who does that kind of work in the nearest town especially on a Sunday afternoon. In fact I don't know of anyone any where that would do that kind of work on Sunday afternoon. The towing charge was about $300 and my wife took the paperwork to the agent who was willing to give her a check for $75.00. According to him what we should have done was call him at home on Sunday afternoon and he could have gotten it fixed in the nearest town which was about 20mi away or he would have been willing to pay for rental of a towbar and I could have pulled it home. I have never used a towbar and No way am I pulling a vehicle with no brakes 65mi!!! I understand the terms of the policy wanting to pay to tow it to the nearest repair facility but due to the distance we were from home and the fact there was nowhere to get it fixed that day I felt it was prudent to return it to our home town where there are people who could fix it the following week. Where is it the agent's place to decide if a claim is valid or not and how much to pay? Shouldn't it be the company or an adjuster that makes that call? I have had other problems with this guy like him telling us to leave a wrecked car at a towing company and the insurance would pay the storage fee only to later say he was mistaken and then made no offer to correct HIS mistake - would not even say he was sorry he made a mistake. Can't really buy into him having the magical ability to get brake work done on Sunday afternoon either. I would love to get another agent but my wife is a friend of his family and she won't hear of it so when it comes to my guns I just want to find a separate company so I don't have to deal with the guy.
 
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Towing Charges

I am not an insurance agent but I do know they are bound by the conditions in your policy and his company rules. I would be glad that your wife wasn't injured. In my home town they tow the car to the repair shop of your designation in that city. They leave it there. The next day you call or go into that shop to do the paperwork for repairs
 
FWIW...

I wouldn't insure a used vacuum cleaner bag of dirt with State Farm, let alone anything I value. The agent I had wouldn't lift a finger to help when I had a major claim, other than allowing me to use his fax machine.

As I understand it, it's the AGENT who gets paid for selling you the insurance. And collects a percentage of each premium you pay. So why can't the AGENT be of help when you are in need???

Claims "adjusters" jobs seem to be like used car lot owners--valuing whatever you have at the absolute insulting minimum, and then offering you only a percentage of that. IMX they only "adjust" in favor of the company who pays their salary. And the company holds all the winning cards, and you don't have much leverage against them. IOW, if you make an insurance claim--after paying premiums and never costing the company a dime, for years--you're gonna get screwed.

Self-insuring might cost more to recover from a loss, but all in all, it'd be less humiliating, less nickel-and-dimeing, less irritating, than dealing with a large insurance firm. You'd just shrug, pay for new stuff, and move on. I already have a full-time job; I don't need another full-time employment fighting with a huge corporation, and justifying every darn penny, and supplying serial numbers and receipts for things I bought 30 years ago, etc, etc, ad nauseum.

If I sound bitter it's because I am. If I can steer any business, ever, away from State Farm I will.
 
Of course I am glad there was no accident or injuries and I understand the terms of the contract. Further I did not expect that the company would pay the full tow charge. What I question is why the agent is even involved in the process of deciding IF the claim is valid let along how much to pay. I would think that would be for an adjuster to decide.
 
Why the heck not???

Lubeck Tech--You said
Further I did not expect that the company would pay the full tow charge.
Click to expand...
But you didn't insure the car for only being towed 2/3 of the way to the repair shop, did you??? You didn't deliberately damage the car so as to inconvenience the insurance company, did you? You don't want the car only 2/3 fixed, do you??

Oh, and you WERE planning to sell the car this year, for pennies on the dollar, and buy a brand-new car, and ante up the difference yourself, weren't you??

Why the heck shouldn't they pay in full to tow the car to the repair shop of YOUR (not their) choice?????

Grrrr.
 
Let's put it this way the contract states they will tow it to the NEAREST repair facility so sticking strictly to the agreement that would have been about 20mi away. The point of contention is one of reasonableness in that there was nowhere closer to home to get it repaired that day. What is the definition of can repair and where does reasonableness come into play? If we left it at the nearest repair shop we would have to either get a motel room or commute back and fourth over 60 miles each way to complete the repair. Then if there were a problem with the repair more 60 mile trips for the shop to make it right. The question to me is what is prudent to do in such a situation? The agent's idea that we should have called him is absurd. The problem is that a contract is a contract and all the company is LEGALLY obligated to do is go to the nearest repair facility. I think I should get the full but would we willing to settle for half but basically the agent thinks I acted improperly by not calling him at home - his attitude stinks.
Bottom line is I agree with you!!
 
Call

Does your contract state that you are required to call your agent in matters requiring service?? If so, I can understand his attitude to some extent. At a minimum the agent lacks people skills. The incident described would not require an adjuster since the repair of your brake system is likely not covered. How did we get from gun insurance to towing insurance???
 
LubeckTech, I've never heard of that (agents paying claims), but I'm a relative newbie as I only handled claims for a year before my latest trip to the big sandbox. If you don't trust your insurance company to be there if/when you need them...you are paying premiums for nothing. All we offer in return for your money now, is the contract (that you had no say in) and that you trust we will hold up our end of the deal fairly (not paying for better than what you had, but not worse either.)

It makes me kinda sad the reputation adjusters have. I've never dealt with auto before. I know as a property adjuster, I was wary of the industry when I entered it, nervous about them making me give people the shaft etc...

I'm a nice guy and I think very fair...my supervisors sometimes let me pay for stuff I even think is unreasonable. We err on the side of the insured and try to perfectly pay exactly enough to replace what they had with the same quality (which really means better since it will be new). Most claims seem to err on the client coming out a tad better minus just their deductible. If a contractor says something will cost more and has a reasonable reason why...I send more $. I currently have a nice lady staying at a Holiday Inn Express Suite while her home is getting dried out.

Good luck, your in a tough situation with the family issues.
 
Agent

I have Allstate if I have an accident or claim my contact with the Company is my agent. If I then need an adjuster he arranges for it. I looked at my policy It allows $50.00 for towing. Your mistake was authorizing the towing 65 miles. Did you ask what it would cost when you first contacted the towing company??
 
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Thanks For Your Input Strambo

I have worked as a consultant for insurance adjusters MANY times in a former job and can appreciate your position which is often between a rock and a hard place. Sometimes customers are trying to defraud the company but from my experiences this was rare, the biggest problem I had to deal with was customers trying to upgrade equipment at the expense of the insurance company. People don't realize that the adjuster is bound my the actual limitations of the agreement and the company policy. From my point of view the proper relationship should be the adjuster being an advocate for the company and the ageant being an advocate for the customer. Stubbies brings up a couple interesting points. Our policy has no stated limit on towing and we looked for a towing company that has an agreement allowing them to bill State Farm directly which is common. I can't agree it was a mistake to authorize a 65mi tow as it was not serviceable where it was, no local shops could service it and leaving it at a local shop, then 2 people having to take off work to go back after it when it was repaired - really didn't make sense to us.
In the past 24 hours we have determined the agent was supposed to send any out of town claims to the company and they would make the decision as to how much or if they would pay. That is happening now. It was a bad place to have a problem and I would like to have all of it but would be content with half at this point.
 
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