Good Sam Extended Service Plan

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arcticfox2005

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Apr 18, 2011
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I have had this Good Sam Plan for several years on three different rigs, but have never had the need to use it. We have a new motorhome on order and will take delivery some time in March. My question has to do with all of the new vehicle warrantys that will be in effect. Would it not make sense to wait at least one year before covering it with the Good Sam Plan, so as to not pay for additional, basically duplicate, coverage?

Also, what are good alternatives? What other companies have a good reputation and offer comparable plans?

Any insight will be appreciated.

Bill
 
Don't know that any of them have a good reputation. We found that the only advantage to purchasing one when buying new is that it is easier to negotiate a reduced price for the warranty as part of the new unit negotiations. Most people do not realize that the cost of extended service plans are negotiable, and we negotiated a real low cost when compared to full retail. We have been pretty satisfied by ours but it was partially underwritten by the dealer (Lazy Days) and all claims were submitted through that dealer. Probably the next time we will self insure.
 
I wonder what the statistics show for the chances of ever being able to file a claim?  I guess it's like 0.1% or less. 
 
The plan for a new RV usually figures in the manufacturer warranties already, e.g. they will call it a 5 year plan buy actually only provide 4 years of coverage, starting with the expiration of the OEM warranty. You can be pretty sure the fine print says they won't pay for anything that is covered by another warranty. On the other hand, there is no reason not to wait until the OEM warranty is nearly expired.

I've never had problems making claims with our extended warranties. At worst there has been a delay of a day or tow for a review of the need. There are, however, things that are not covered and if you don't take the time to familiarize yourself with the policy, you will surely be disappointed. It is NOT anything like the OEM bumper-to-bumper warranty in coverage.
 
A while back I skipped buying the Good Sam plan because it did not cover seals & gaskets.  I asked if an engine failure caused by a seal failure was covered and the guy said probably not.

A few months later they sent me info on their new improved GOLD plan and it said I could pay extra for seal & gasket coverage.

Then I asked to talk to the fellow I first spoke with and was told that he no longer works for the company.

The cost would be $2,947 per year with $500 deductible.  So far I have decided not to get it.  Also, I did forget to ask about whether they can drop me or am I locked in as long as I keep paying.

JerryF

 
JerArdra, It sounds to me like you would be better off being self insured.  I had Good Sam extended warranty for a couple years.  I submitted one claim and was denied.  In my opinion the insurance coverage is a waste of money. 
 
I have the Good Sam's Extended Warranty.  It costs me $1740 per year and is a $250 deductible policy.  In the 2 1/2 years that we have had the policy and have owned the now 8 year old coach, we are about breaking even.  We have been paid for basement air conditioner repair, convection/microwave oven repair, satellite dish replacement, rear air bag on the suspension and a new lift pump on the engine.  They pay for everything except some wearable items (brake shoes, wiper blades), misc parts, shop supplies, etc and the deductible.

I figure that when I have a major engine, transmission, refrigerator or other costly problem, maybe I will be ahead.  Otherwise just gambling which is what any insurance policy is.

Back to the OP, I wouldn't buy the policy until the new-coach warranty has lapsed, unless you can really lock in a low rate.
 
I had GS for a total of 6 years on 2 different MH's. While they paid all claims, 4 total, but it became a real hassle when I had one in excess of $1000. The claims people are contracted by GS , not GS employes. It took several phone calls and asking to speak with their management to get the claim paid. They were trying every way  they could to deny or add deductibles. They even went so far as to approve a new part  and then the next day called back to say they found a rebuilt part elsewhere ( rebuilt parts are part of their program). The problem was the new part had already been ordered by Winnebago and I would be stuck with the cost of that or at best a $700 restocking fee. ( $3500 power steering assembly). They  argued for several hours being insistent they wouldn't pay for the $3500 part but after getting to their management they agreed and pay since they had approved a new part the day before. When I wrote GS about this very difficult situation, their response was simply "since we in the end paid the claim you should be happy".

So I now no longer use GS for their extended service program and have tucked away funds for future repairs. I may come to a point where I may reconsider but I suspect if I do it will be with another company.
 
I had what I thought was a good plan w/GS, but after paying on it for about 6 months and reading all the controversy about these plans...(who whats to stress over haggleing with people you are paying for a service...we already do enough of that), I decided to self insure.  I am a DIYer for almost anything on our coaches, but if I ever get hit with a huge expense I'll negotiate and then pay the cost.  We are cutting back on the non-essentials and an extended service warranty is a non-essential for us.
 
An extended service plan is a rip off on anything. The first year is covered by the manufacturer, then most minor repairs after that can be fixed for less than the cost of the extended plan. Your best bet is to put the money you would have sent them and put it in a savings account. You draw interest and will have more than enough money to cover any repairs after 2 or 3 years or 5 years depending on how much you plan on driving your coach.  I am a mechanic and do all my own repairs anyway. But thats me.
 
Here is what one of my favorite bloggers has to say about extended warranties in general, and Good Sam in particular.

http://www.rv-dreams-journal.com/2012/02/reviewing-extended-warranties.html

Paul
 
All I know about GS extended warranties is that I asked for a quote about a year ago which came back too high for my budget.  Since then GS has hounded me over and over trying to get me to buy an extended warranty.  I wonder just how long it will take for them to give up.
 
First of all, these plans are repair insurance, not an investment and not a warranty. You buy insurance in case you have a major problem that would be more than you can afford under the normal budget. If you buy one and expect it to pay for all needed repairs, or if you expect to recover more than your premium, you are almost sure to be disappointed.

Extended service plans are generally not a good deal for trailers - they simply don't have enough risk of high dollar repairs to justify the insurance. About the only big ticket items are air conditioners and fridge, and those aren't all that bad even if total replacement is needed (rare in the first 5-10 years). Motorhomes in general have more risk because of the drivetrain and the higher level of amenities in most of them.  Gas motorhomes are somewhat risky, but it's the diesel motorhomes that have the major high dollar repair exposure.
 
Hey Paul, your rv-dreams-journal blogger has the right approach to extended warranty/service warranty plan question/search.  I looked at a couple of plans, one from a dealer and the GS plan, but as mentioned earlier, like insurance its all a gamble; and all of the exclusions in an affordable plan appeared to me to be maneuvers to the path of denial...(denying the claim) for coverage of the major items I want to include in the coverage.  A DP is obviously going to be the most expensive RV to cover, so I haven't found a plan that looks good from the ROI point of view yet.

Thanks for the link.
 
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