BajaNomad

Good insurance experience!!

absinvestor - 6-10-2012 at 11:04 AM

For the last couple of years I have purchased motorhome and tow car insurance from Bajabound Insurance. The policies have been issued by Ace Seguros. On our last trip south in January 2012 I had a truck veer over into my lane and clip and rip off my drivers side motorhome mirror. I stopped and clipped the wires holding the dangling mirror that was bouncing off the side of the motorhome. I was in a remote stretch of Mex 1 and couldn't get cell coverage until I was near San Ignacio. The accident happened on a Saturday and I was happily surprised when I didn't have any trouble getting a claims representative on the phone. (Their non-800# worked perfectly.) The rep was professional and didn't have any trouble locating my policy. He said to stay where I was and he would have an adjuster meet me within two hours.. Within about 15 minutes the rep, with the adjuster on the line, called me to get better directions to my location. Turned out that I was not where they thought and it took a different adjuster 4 hours to get to my location. However, on the first return call, the rep accurately told me that it would be 4 hours since the "new" adjuster was coming from a distant town etc. The adjuster called me twice from the road to clarify exactly where I was and arrived within the 4 hour window. The adjuster was professional and well organized having my policy info with her,a camera to take pictures etc. Motorhome remote mirrors was not her specialty and she asked me how much I thought the replacement would cost. I told her I also had no idea but thought that since it was an electronically controlled remote and heated and that I had to cut the wires that it might be in the $2000 range. She gave me a claim number, her cell and office phone numbers and told me I could have it fixed in Mx or the US and to call her when I had an estimate. Luckily the manufacturer had a new mirror with wiring harness etc available for $254 shipped to the US. A person heading to Mulege brought it to me. About a month after the accident I received a call from the insurance company asking for an update. I told them that I had found the mirror at a cost of $254 and that I would advise when it arrived and I had an estimate to install. When the mirror arrived all I had to do was unplug the old harness and install the new one so I did it myself. I had intended to call the insurance company when I return to the States the middle of this month but Thurs of last week I received another call from the insurance company. I don't receive cell service at my palapa so on both calls I just had messages to return their calls. When I returned the call I told the rep that my damage was less than my $500 deductible and therefore I did not have a claim. In summary the phone numbers given by the insurance company were easy to navigate while in Mexico and it was easy to return calls and get a real live person on the phone. And every person that I spoke to had an easy time pulling up my policy and could read the notes from earlier calls!!(ie on the second phone call my message was "I see that you are waiting for the installers estimate etc".) Although I didn't have a reimbursable claim I found the company very easy and professional to deal with.

Udo - 6-10-2012 at 11:55 AM

Very good positive experience, ABS. Thanks for posting it.

sancho - 6-10-2012 at 12:30 PM

When I see a positive Mex Ins experience I
take a note, recently read on a Baja fishing board
of a guy towing a boat wrecking around B of LA,
had HDi Ins thru Bajabound, he was satisified with
HDI. That would be a concern with me, trying to
get the Mex Ins Co on a toll free connection
in Mex, glad to hear the Co's response

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 6-10-2012 at 02:03 PM

Hola absinvestor,

thank you for your testimonial.

about 2 years ago, i posted here requesting good and bad experiences with mexican insurance companies and didn't receive responses, just supposedly funny remarks.

i did see the post on bloodydecks recently as well.

i do think it is very important for all of us to be informed of ALL insurance related situations " JUST IN CASE ".

BIEN SALUD,

DA RAT

David K - 6-10-2012 at 03:23 PM

Thanks... yes, it is great to hear how it works... In my 39 years since first driving in Mexico (at 16), I have never needed to use it, but who knows what tomorrow will bring?

I have an annual HDI Seguros policy (available through Baja Bound and also available through Discover Baja)... so I am sure I am in good hands (even if not AllState, lol)!

Alm - 6-10-2012 at 06:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by sancho
he was satisified with
HDI. That would be a concern with me, trying to
get the Mex Ins Co on a toll free connection
in Mex, glad to hear the Co's response

I think the OP said it was non-800 number in his case.

durrelllrobert - 6-11-2012 at 12:45 PM

I only have MX liability insurance through Mapfre but that didn't stop them from paying for damage I caused in a (very) minor fender bender.
I was pulling into a tight parking spot in front of La Fonda and the security guard kept motioning me to pull forward. My front bumper just barely scaped the paint on the rear fender of the car on my left who's owner didn't want to accept a CASH SETTLEMENT. The insurance adjuster was called, drove all the way down from TJ, we both signed all the papers and he was off. Great service that I certainly did nt expect.

Lee - 6-11-2012 at 03:06 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by absinvestor
For the last couple of years I have purchased motorhome and tow car insurance from Bajabound Insurance. The policies have been issued by Ace Seguros. On our last trip south in January 2012 I had a truck veer over into my lane and clip and rip off my drivers side motorhome mirror. I stopped and clipped the wires holding the dangling mirror that was bouncing off the side of the motorhome. I was in a remote stretch of Mex 1 and couldn't get cell coverage until I was near San Ignacio.....


This happened to me in a Class C years ago, going S. just N. of San Ignacio. Caravan of 5vers going N. and the driver of the 1-ton was riding the middle lane. The mirrow smashed but not the pod it was in and no wires involved.

At the Riviera RV park in Loreto, a Class A there had the same thing happen that day up in that area.

RVers need to pull their driver mirror in while traveling in Baja. Leaving it out is an accident waiting to happen.

Never claimed the damage.

mirrors

captkw - 6-11-2012 at 03:10 PM

we used to cal lit "swaping mirrors" and it can be exciting when your mirror blows and and the window is down !!

BajaBlanca - 6-11-2012 at 05:31 PM

we had the driver side mirrow on our titan pickup broken off by a truck that was too far over on our side, as we were going south on the cuesta del fuelgo road north of santa rosalia. scary stuff.

baja hwy 1

captkw - 6-11-2012 at 07:58 PM

hours of boredom with moments of shear terror !!! but the road is damn good now IMO few cows,,alot wider..no more coke curves. and you now can get a radar ticket !! K&T:cool:

absinvestor - 6-12-2012 at 10:21 AM

Just to clarify- I have ATT Viva Mexico cell service and I can't call toll free numbers from Mexico. What I liked about the insurance company is that they provided both a toll free and a non toll free number. Even when they left me a message they gave both numbers!!!

sancho - 6-12-2012 at 11:07 AM

Being a skeptical person, I tend to be vary of
any Ins Co, expecially in Mex, I don't have any
negative dealings, but the following tends
to back up my concern. Read an account
off an Rv site, a guy was towing a vehicle with his
motorhome somewhere on the mainland, fully
insured for towing, etc., a local on a motorcycle
rams into the towed vehicle WHILE it is being
towed by the motorhome, going down the road.
The clown Ins Adjuster that showed up tries to
deny the claim, his reason, there was no driver
in the towed vehicle... the guy had to sit in an
impound yard for 5 days or so until it was settled
in his favor, that kinda of stuff makes me very
cautious of Mex Ins co's and there interpertation
of their policies

absinvestor - 6-12-2012 at 05:11 PM

People have good and bad experiences with both US and Mexican insurance companies. My experience was good which is why I posted the name of the insurance carrier.

Alm - 6-13-2012 at 06:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Lee
RVers need to pull their driver mirror in while traveling in Baja.

No extension mirror on that side then?

Alan - 6-14-2012 at 07:47 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by sancho
When I see a positive Mex Ins experience I
take a note, recently read on a Baja fishing board
of a guy towing a boat wrecking around B of LA,
had HDi Ins thru Bajabound, he was satisified with
HDI. That would be a concern with me, trying to
get the Mex Ins Co on a toll free connection
in Mex, glad to hear the Co's response
Just to be sure the right travel company gets the credit. I am the guy who lost the boat and I got my HDI policy through Discover Baja. They have my highest recommendation. They followed my claim very closely through the entire process and I can't say enough about them. They are an awesome travel club. As a result my 2003 Seaswirl Striper has now been replaced by a 2005 Parker and my old Yamaha F225 with 1200 hrs. has been replaced by a newer Yamaha 225 with only 120 hrs. :bounce:

BajaGeoff - 6-15-2012 at 02:01 PM

Thanks for the feedback Absinvestor!

ACE and HDI are very good underwriters and they are both backed by large parent companies, which we feel is important. Baja Bound has been working with both of them for many years.

Alan....glad you had a positive experience with your boat. Discover Baja might be our competition, but they are definitely good folks over there!

Have a great weekend Nomads!