Patricia Barnes

Review of USAA

My HVAC system broke down in a monsoon in mid-July...

My HVAC system broke down in a monsoon in mid-July in Tucson, AZ. USAA said they couldn't send a technician for five days. The temperature in my house was a health endangering 110+ in my house. I implored USAA to hire of the hundreds of HVAC techs in AZ but USAA refused. Instead, the USAA rep. asked me to list any chronic health conditions to see if USAA could pay for a hotel room. I said I didn't want to take my 15-year-old dog to a hotel. On July 19, 2018, a USAA rep. wrote the following: "If they are able to confirm that it was damaged from the lightning and was not due to the units age I will be able to approve this and issue payment less your deductible." Based upon this promise, I replaced the HVAC system and paid for it myself. I provided proof the damage was monsoon related, and not due to the age of the system. USAA denied my claim. The rep. cited a report from an out-of-state company that there was nothing wrong with the HVAC except lack of refrigerant. This conclusion contradicted the findings of two independent, licensed HVAC contractors in Tuscon as well as myself. USAA's net income for 2017 totaled $2.4 billion, up from $1.8 billion in 2016.