Camera Insurance

[glsammy]

Camera insurance isn't what it always seems when you look at your content insurance cover for cameras. I thought I had everything covered, I had away from home full cover, up to any one item costing no more then £1,500. No problem I thought, my camera, lenses etc. were all bought separately, so no one item cost more than £1,500.
It was whilst I was checking my policy to compare with another that I noticed some small print that makes my equipment under insured.
If any items are used as a group, i.e. camera equipment, then the insured limit applies to the whole group and not to individual items, so my cover is limited to £1,500 max. Nowhere near enough.
I can add on at extra expense for items worth more than £1,500, which is what I'll be doing first thing in the morning.
No doubt you lot are all better organised than me, so you'll know this already!

[Boddie]

Thats a good point.

Prevent burglars stealing everything in your home by simply moving everything in your house into your bedroom when you go to bed. In the morning simply move it back again

[DaiTheDragon]

What makes you think they won't come into the bedroom and take everything.

Dai

[GerryNick2]

Originally Posted by glsammy

Just a quick post to alert some of you to a potential problem with contents insurance, when used for camera equipment. I thought I had everything covered, I had away from home full cover, up to any one item costing no more then £1,500. No problem I thought, my camera, lenses etc. were all bought separately, so no one item cost more than £1,500.
It was whilst I was checking my policy to compare with another that I noticed some small print that makes my equipment under insured.
If any items are used as a group, i.e. camera equipment, then the insured limit applies to the whole group and not to individual items, so my cover is limited to £1,500 max. Nowhere near enough.
I can add on at extra expense for items worth more than £1,500, which is what I'll be doing first thing in the morning.
No doubt you lot are all better organised than me, so you'll know this already!

Insuring any expensive equipment removed from the home whether it be sporting equipment or camera equipment can be a bit of a nightmare. I would strongly recommend that you document the equipment and obtain written confirmation from your insurance company as to the extent of coverage and in what circumstances you are covered.

I made a point of itemising all my camera equipment and sports equipment along with replacement value and registered it with my insurance company. Last year I broke a very expensive piece of fishing equipment and had to make a large claim. As it was listed and appended to the house contents policy there was no questions asked and I received the cheque within the week.

When travelling abroad it is also wise to take further precautions to ensure you are adequately covered. Due to previous problems experienced colleagues going on a photo shoot abroad now notify their insurance companies in advance of where they are going, duration and equipment being taken.

Gerry

[Paul mabbott]

Only useful for people over a certain age but SAGA has a very good insurance policy which allows quite a lot of valuable items (10 I think) to be added on freely/cheaply as long as they are notified. They're also quite cheap on *very* expensive items. Don't remember the details but always worth getting a quote .... if you're old enough!

Originally Posted by glsammy

Just a quick post to alert some of you to a potential problem with contents insurance, when used for camera equipment. I thought I had everything covered, I had away from home full cover, up to any one item costing no more then £1,500. No problem I thought, my camera, lenses etc. were all bought separately, so no one item cost more than £1,500.
It was whilst I was checking my policy to compare with another that I noticed some small print that makes my equipment under insured.
If any items are used as a group, i.e. camera equipment, then the insured limit applies to the whole group and not to individual items, so my cover is limited to £1,500 max. Nowhere near enough.
I can add on at extra expense for items worth more than £1,500, which is what I'll be doing first thing in the morning.
No doubt you lot are all better organised than me, so you'll know this already!

[henrya]

Originally Posted by Boddie

Thats a good point.

Prevent burglars stealing everything in your home by simply moving everything in your house into your bedroom when you go to bed. In the morning simply move it back again

So what do you do during the day, when you are out/at work?

henrya

[glsammy]

I've added on the extra cover, costing another £30 per year. At least they will pay out if the goods are taken from an unattended car, provided they're out of sight. Some companies wont.
I'm now paying about £62.00 per year to cover the camera etc. I'll have to look around and see if I can get any better.

[MTR]

I hope Fourwings is reading this
Mark

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by MTR

I hope Fourwings is reading this
Mark

Is our Steve uninsured?

[Beryl]

I thought I was covered when a concrete slope came up to meet me on the estuary and smashed my £200 lens of two weeks. I wasn't.
I honestly can't emagine wheeling my Huge TV and all my furniture and longe stuff into my bedroom avery night and back again in the morning to prevent it getting nicked at night by a burgalar.
I would be very fit in know time it's true I must admit

[MTR]

Originally Posted by glsammy

Is our Steve uninsured?

He probably is now after the shear panic on his face when he dropped his camera on a day out earlier this year.
But at the time he wasn't

Mark

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by MTR

He probably is now after the shear panic on his face when he dropped his camera on a day out earlier this year.
But at the time he wasn't

Mark

I hope so! I'm a big believer in insurance, over the years it's saved us more than once. No more so than the time a fire broke out in my garage. Our garage is built into the house, our bedroom is over it.
it was quite spectacular at the time as I had a load of aerosols in there, hundreds of them, and they all went off like rockets!! That's one of the few times my name has appeared in the national press!

[colincurry]

On the advice of my daughter, who worked for an insurance broker for many years, I have costed all my equipment and raised the sum insured to more than cover this total. This is part of my contents insurance. The max on each item is £1500 but I will check out the point about the small print and the need to itemise everything.

She also made the point that I should include items such as watches, rucksack, glasses, specialist clothing and mobile phone within the overall total. The company is Norwich Union.

I will let you know what I find out.

As to the question of muggers, don't let the bxxxxxxs get you down. Life is too short not to try to enjoy it, having taken sensible precautions.

Colin

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by colincurry

On the advice of my daughter, who worked for an insurance broker for many years, I have costed all my equipment and raised the sum insured to more than cover this total. This is part of my contents insurance. The max on each item is £1500 but I will check out the point about the small print and the need to itemise everything.

She also made the point that I should include items such as watches, rucksack, glasses, specialist clothing and mobile phone within the overall total. The company is Norwich Union.

I will let you know what I find out.

As to the question of muggers, don't let the bxxxxxxs get you down. Life is too short not to try to enjoy it, having taken sensible precautions.

Colin

If your checking the policy, look out for phrases like, "kit items", Ours gave an example of a set of golf clubs, no matter if you bought them seperately, your valuation must be the total kit, not the individual parts. I've increased mine to £2,500, and I've insisted they phrase it : "camera and accessory equipment." That way it includes tripod, mono-pod, bag etc.

[Paul mabbott]

A possibility regarding accidental damage (and absolutely useless regarding theft &c) but some camera manufacturers will cover damage (or do free mends) for cameras dropped in water, sinking in bogs, knocked over cliffs &c *as long as it is purely accidental*. Nikon is particularly good at this but it's worth trying on any manufacturer?

[Paul mabbott]

Norwich Union is notorious for quoting small print that most people can't even see! But, truly, you should look at the small print in detail particularly when it deals with 'sets', 'working units', 'linked equipment' and the like. Some insurance companies are better than others for different things.
Not relevant to this particular subject but some companies will regard series of books (e.g. New Naturalist series) as *one* item when/if they pay out on damage. Others treat an 'item' as most of us would ( a book is a book is a book!).
And *always* get three or four quotes noting the peculiar items - do they need notifying separately, do they incur a premium separately or as a group, do you need to provide written documentation of their value, is there a maximum claim? An obvious thing, which many people overlook, is to ask whether you're going to be refunded market value or replacement value for anything you lose ....
Sleep well .....
PS: As I mentioned before, if you're over 50, go for Saga - or, if you find someone better, please let me know!

Originally Posted by colincurry

On the advice of my daughter, who worked for an insurance broker for many years, I have costed all my equipment and raised the sum insured to more than cover this total. This is part of my contents insurance. The max on each item is £1500 but I will check out the point about the small print and the need to itemise everything.

She also made the point that I should include items such as watches, rucksack, glasses, specialist clothing and mobile phone within the overall total. The company is Norwich Union.

Colin

[Paul mabbott]

One thing, which I think hasn't been mentioned, is that, as with 'kit', some insurers count series of books as a single item or with a single upper limit. [The same applies to CDs and such like.]
Basically, if you have a whole set of books (New Naturalist, Kafer Mitteleuropas, ... ) worth hundreds or thousands of pounds then you *may* only be reimbursed the maximum 'per item' sum rather than the individual value ... again, something you need to clarify before it's too late.

[colincurry]

Following on from my previous post, my daughter checked with the brokers who then checked with Norwich Union who were of the opinion that my equipment was not part of a kit, and that it would be new for old.

Notwithstanding this, I have today written to the brokers asking for clarification that NU would pay new for old on every item of my equipment up to a max of £1500/item within the overall limit of the cover; and would do likewise with any item that I might add in the future up to a maximum of £1500 and within the overall cover.

I raised the point about kit items. I explained that a DSLR is a camera body to which you add lenses according to your needs. Sometimes you can buy a DSLR with one or two kit lenses. I asked them to clarify whether that sort of deal would be regarded as linked kit items as I had colleagues who would be keen to know. I pointed out that, although I purchased my 30D and pump at the same time, they were separate items. I also listed all the photographic and allied items, including bag, binoculars, monopod and other digital cameras.

I will keep you posted.

Colin

[Paul mabbott]

Good, Colin. Yes, it might be helpful if those who have gone through this tedious and long checking process (by and large the first people that you talk to have no idea ...) to give recommendations or the opposite. The companies that I've found understanding and intelligible are Saga, Co-op and (for students) Endsleigh. Don't quote me but I think that they are worth talking to ....!
I forget all the ones who I ruled out, but Tesco, quite straightforward about it (which is better than hiding, humming and hawing ...) just didn't want to know about 'odd' cover .... These all may have changed so please don't sue me!

Originally Posted by colincurry

Following on from my previous post, my daughter checked with the brokers who then checked with Norwich Union who were of the opinion that my equipment was not part of a kit, and that it would be new for old.

Notwithstanding this, I have today written to the brokers asking for clarification that NU would pay new for old on every item of my equipment up to a max of £1500/item within the overall limit of the cover; and would do likewise with any item that I might add in the future up to a maximum of £1500 and within the overall cover.

I raised the point about kit items. I explained that a DSLR is a camera body to which you add lenses according to your needs. Sometimes you can buy a DSLR with one or two kit lenses. I asked them to clarify whether that sort of deal would be regarded as linked kit items as I had colleagues who would be keen to know. I pointed out that, although I purchased my 30D and pump at the same time, they were separate items. I also listed all the photographic and allied items, including bag, binoculars, monopod and other digital cameras.

I will keep you posted.

Colin

[colincurry]

My insurers are Norwich Union and I have contacted my brokers as I said I would in my previous post. They have responded:

"I would like to confirm that your policy will cover the items you mention below (on a 'new for old' basis) and there is no need to specify these items as they all fall below the 'single item' limit of £1500 per item (your insurers have confirmed that they will class each item as single, even if they were attached at the time of the loss). Your policy gives you xxxx of personal belongings cover (cover away from your home) which will also give you cover for your items you mention out of your home.

I have added the list of your equipment to our records and notes for future reference".

They did not respond to my point about future acquisitions, so I asked for clarification again, and the brokers replied:

"I would like to confirm that items falling below the £1500 single article limit would be covered automatically, without being specified, as long as the overall cover is adequate for your insurance needs".

This is my experience and I believe that my cover is adequate and that I am not affected by the "linked items" problem.

The only sensible advice I can offer is to ask these questions before obtaining your insurance - and perhaps to seek clarification if you have already insured. I would not suggest that anyone uses my experience as a precedent with Norwich Union, let alone any other company. I am sure that the cost of my relatively modest equipment pales into insignificance when compared to that of you who have been in the game a lot longer than I and have acquired heaven knows how much gear.

Sorry that I have not been able to provide a simple answer, but the world of insurance is inherently complicated and inhabited by people who would prefer not to pay out.

Colin