Do good RV / Camper warrantees Exist? Good Sam vs XtraRide?

Larry0071 · 07-23-2019, 08:11 AM

I am looking at 2 potential warranty companies for my 2020 Apex UL 289TBSS.

One being the Good Sams "Gold Premium" $100 deductible for $1586 with 6 years coverage and the ability to extend it 2 additional 6 year periods for 18 years total. Add ons are tire coverage for $307 for 6 years,

The other is XtraRide Platinum (Exclusionary) 84 month for $1796. What they do is add ala carte tire/wheel for $350 (84 month), consequensial coverage $250 (84 month) and enhanced service call for $75 (84 month).

I see a LOT!!! of warranty negativity, not really at any one company, but to all. But it does feel to me that Good Sam gets more negative press coverage on forums compared to others, and I am attributing this to the fact that they may have a much larger user base than others primarily due to 2 facts.... 1 being that they do allow for up to 18 years of total coverage and the second that they allow a person who otherwise couldn't or wouldn't afford a warranty to buy on a monthly payment plan with a modest markup. So the potential exists that folks looking to buy a warranty start to do research and are attracted to the potential length of coverage as well as the ease that a person could afford to make simple monthly payments.

To show example, on my quote they present it as such:
6 year (72 month) plan is:
$26.05 monthly, or $1875.60 over the term of the contract.
$72.15 quarterly, or $1731,60 over the term of the contract.
$264.60 annually, or $1587.60 over the term of the contract.
$1586.91 one time charge.

So, am I missing a shining star? Or are these companies as good/bad as about any other? I've read the various horror stories on tire blow outs and lack of timely response from a truck being dispatched and of various claim denials. I attribute some of this delay in road service to being outside of the control of the warranty company. I have broken down and used AAA+ and had to wait 4+ hours for a flat bed to arrive. It happens. Some warranty denials are likely from contract limitations and unreasonable expectations from the customer. A contract is a contract. If it is written (in your favor or not), it shall be.

So do you see a company that appears to be "the best", or do you see most to be similar? I am currently leaning at Good Sams and doing the simple annual $264.60. I have AAA+ and I have full $100 comprehensive with my auto insurance company on the trailer, and I verified that if a tire blow out took out the Asdel wall and did $1000's in damage, the comprehensive policy steps in to cover the damage. I'll worry about the $80-$100 tires myself.

I am also going to remove the brand new Castle Rock tires immediately and have them replaced at my local tire shop with a heavier rated tire. If I can squeeze a size up to further increase load capacity as I have done on my other trailers, I will.

What is your opinion? Tell me if you feel that a particular company shines above the frey. Tell me if you feel that one of my 2 choices is a wise choice over the other.

Thank you for your consideration and experience.

Larry

**Flybob** · 07-23-2019, 08:37 AM

You need to look at the exclusions and requirements very carefully. Most of these policies are carefully written by legal teams and have many loop holes. Some people have had very good luck with extended warranties, but the many people simply bank the premium and pay out of pocket if needed. What are your maintenance requirements. Some policies require annual servicing at an authorized RV repair facility that can run $200-$300 dollars. The other thing to consider is warranty work usually pays less than off the street customers meaning you will most likely have a lower priority in the shop. MHO

**ependydad** · 07-23-2019, 08:51 AM

The Good Sam Extended Service Plan was recommended to me by a mobile RV tech. He wasn’t selling it and stood to gain nothing from recommending it. I used it once when I needed a gray tank replaced and the shop that did the work spoke highly of them and their approval process.

Cost-wise, I think I’m going to try Wholesale warranties this next time around. They seem to get good reviews though that could be due to their good affiliate program.

Whatever you do, don’t buy it from the dealer. You should spend less buying on your own. If you do buy from the dealer, negotiate the hell out of the price. It’s my understanding these are only about 1/2 the cost of what they sell them for.

Larry0071 · 07-25-2019, 09:11 AM

I'm 95.376% sure that I'm going to go with the Good Sam warranty. It seems to be pretty good coverage wise, cost is low, there is no allowance for used parts use like the XtraRide has, and while none of them are bumper to bumper, it covers almost all electrical/gas accessories completely.

rmg16744 · 07-25-2019, 12:20 PM

I’ve got U S Plus warranty, they have paid out over 2200 in repair costs, I, would recommend them.

Telstar · 07-25-2019, 12:22 PM

http://www.uswceagle.com/
Our 2005 Cardinal has been covered since new. Ive had multiple claims and pleased with all outcomes.

jbrosecity · 07-25-2019, 01:05 PM

There are distinct differences in RV extended service policies. But the first consideration is reputation of the company as there are many bogus companies out there, quick to take your premiums but hard to squeeze a dime out of for repairs. Good Sam probably has a decent reputation. But the key differences with any company come down to the kind of policy... is it an "Exclusionary" policy or a stated coverage. Stated coverage are ALWAYS cheaper and come at different levels depending on what they say is covered in their list. Exclusionary are the premium kind of coverage and generally cover *everything* except a short list of excluded items such as battery, brake pads, tuneup items, etc. If an item is not on the excluded list, then it is covered... period! You get to decide how much you want to spend for the quality of coverage you want. For my last three motorhomes, the choice has been simple... US Warranty Corporation Eagle Guardian plan out of Mayfield Heights, OH. We have had numerous coaches covered with their Exclusionary policies and have always been VERY happy with their customer service and claims handling . We're in the Portland area and bought our curen policy from Annie's RVs in Vancouver, WA

United States Warranty Corporation

wcrafter · 07-25-2019, 02:31 PM

Over the years I have all types of extend warranty's and they all are the same you pay them for the warrantee and then you try to get them to pay for the work. Like pulling hens teeth, they always try to find a way not to have the work done. The last time I used the warranty it took them 4 months going back and forth to fix my RV. Missed all of my winter camping.

**Mr. Dan** · 07-25-2019, 02:44 PM

I realize I'm taking my sanity into my own hands by posting here. We have a member or 2 who will post 7-8 times in a single extended service contract thread that one is entirely stupid, grossly lazy, incompetent mathematically, or doesn't own any tools if they even consider purchasing same.

My experience: I paid $1800 cash (didn't finance) for a 5 year XtraRide Platinum extended service contract. They paid for two major repairs - a total of $4200 dollars including one repair approved a couple of days before the contract expired and paid a couple of days after the contract expired.

I never spoke to them. The warranty clerk at my service center (not my original dealership) did all the negotiations.

Larry0071 · 07-25-2019, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

I realize I'm taking my sanity into my own hands by posting here. We have a member or 2 who will post 7-8 times in a single extended service contract thread that one is entirely stupid, grossly lazy, incompetent mathematically, or doesn't own any tools if they even consider purchasing same.

My experience: I paid $1800 cash (didn't finance) for a 5 year XtraRide Platinum extended service contract. They paid for two major repairs - a total of $4200 dollars including one repair approved a couple of days before the contract expired and paid a couple of days after the contract expired.

I never spoke to them. The warranty clerk at my service center (not my original dealership) did all the negotiations.

Thank you for your response. I really do appreciate that. I'm not helpless by any stretch of the imagination. What I have is limited time to deal with things! Being that I'm not retired, and have a demanding job.... I like buying new cars every couple years and staying inside of warranted periods, I like paying people to do things that I do not want to do and I like paying people to do things that afford me time to do things I would rather do. The camper is like that. While I can fabricate, weld, plasma, carpentry and do about any other hum drum shop work and I have a 7 bay shop to work in.... I work in the nuclear power industry and my off time is much more limited than my income! So if I've got time off to spend with my family, my dogs, my rock crawler or my tractor..... I don't want to waste it fixing some dumb crap that I can get done by someone else while I'm fabricating parts for my crawler or doing something else that I prefer to be doing.

Scheinin · 07-25-2019, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wcrafter

Over the years I have all types of extend warranty's and they all are the same you pay them for the warrantee and then you try to get them to pay for the work. Like pulling hens teeth, they always try to find a way not to have the work done. The last time I used the warranty it took them 4 months going back and forth to fix my RV. Missed all of my winter camping.

I don't find that to be true with "Wholesale Warranty". I have used them twice. I paid the deductible and they handled the rest. The contract period is for 7 years, and is on the expensive side. I did a lot of research before choosing them.

I did have Good Sam insurance coverage on my RV. When I needed it, the adjuster was in a different time zone. Not happy with them at all. Next year went with GEICO.

ross0547 · 07-25-2019, 05:29 PM

The more I have researched and chatted with people, the more I am convinced that Extended Warrantees are not worth it. Drawbacks include the fact that there are loopholes; companies tend to pay a lower service rate and often dealers or service centres put the warranty work at the end of the line. Better to put the several $1000's of dollars into an interest-bearing account. (AND I am not a banker!!)

jbrosecity · 07-25-2019, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wcrafter

Over the years I have all types of extend warranty's and they all are the same you pay them for the warrantee and then you try to get them to pay for the work. Like pulling hens teeth, they always try to find a way not to have the work done. The last time I used the warranty it took them 4 months going back and forth to fix my RV. Missed all of my winter camping.

you had the wrong company or the wrong policy, my friend. I probably submitted a dozen claims over 5 years of Class A ownership and never once had a single claim denied by United States Warranty Corporation in Ohio, usually paid within a day of taking my RV in... also never had a shop refuse to honor the warranty and when it looked like they would need to wait for approval, I paid out of pocket and USWC reimbursed me quickly

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