Amateur insurance

landwomble

landwomble

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Hi All,
About to take the plunge and go full frame. I'm an enthusiastic amateur and I want to be able to cover all eventualities, but don't need public liability.
Ideally I want to cover the camera and a few lenses, flash gun, other oddments (say 2-3k total value) and know that regardless of what happens I'm covered.
Reading most insurance companies T&Cs I'm a bit concerned that they have a lot of wriggle room, e.g. insisting that it be locked inside a car and excluding hatchback parcel shelves etc. I want cover not just for theft but also in case I were to drop the camera (i.e. accidental damage).
Anyone have any suggestions? Who are the good guys?

Ric
 
Short answer in my view....there are no good insurance guys.

Ever so helpful whilst taking your premium until you want to claim, then they squirm like a worm to avoid liability. Plus they will not want to give you the price of the latest model in most cases, and the price of a depreciated camera is usually zilch after a few years.

Check your household policy. Some of the better ones do cover cameras up to a certain amount.

My advice is to put the premiums away in a savings account and after about 5 years you will be quids in and can afford to upgrade on the proceeds.
 
My household does not cover accidental damage, so...still looking for someone to cover my gear...!
 
I'm with Photoguard. Had to make a claim and it was dealt with quickly.

Have become quite expensive, so now, I just insure the camera body.
 
Got an idea of cost? They don't have an online calculator and so if it's not a goer I don't really want to hand them my phone number...!
 
Just enter some made up contact details.......... like I just did :D

£2000 cover, £54 per annum or £76 with in car protection.
 
landwomble said:
My household does not cover accidental damage, so...still looking for someone to cover my gear...!
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Probably the best deal you'll get is to change your home insurance. Most people who buy standalone camera insurance pay more than the average house insurance for it.
 
johnnypanic said:
Just enter some made up contact details.......... like I just did :D

£2000 cover, £54 per annum or £76 with in car protection.
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Ta v much. Does that cover "dammit, I dropped it!" scenarios where you're at fault?
 
landwomble said:
Ta v much. Does that cover "dammit, I dropped it!" scenarios where you're at fault?
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You'd need to read the fine print as it changes. When I made a claim, it was due to an accidental drop, of the camera & lens. Had no hassle.
 
Phil V said:
Probably the best deal you'll get is to change your home insurance. Most people who buy standalone camera insurance pay more than the average house insurance for it.
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:agree:
 
I'm with Cliik who are excellent but i can't remember if they do amateur policies .... if not aaduki are probably worth a look ( I'd give E&L a large swerve)
 
I'm with Photoguard, a tip with getting the best price. Get a quote online and save it, makes sure you use your correct number as they will ring you back and run through another quote. My online quote was £254, which included a 10% online discount, which I got via Clifton Cameras. When they called back they quoted £190.
 
I spoke to photoguard a week ago and they claimed they were not doing any discounting right now, that was after I'd done an online quote and they called me early in the morning asking if they could help.

To cover £7k for me was going to be £160 a year which doesn't seem too bad. House insurance is cheaper per £ insured of course. But a few claims on your house insurance will soon bump it up.
 
landwomble said:
Hi All,
About to take the plunge and go full frame. I'm an enthusiastic amateur and I want to be able to cover all eventualities, but don't need public liability.
Ideally I want to cover the camera and a few lenses, flash gun, other oddments (say 2-3k total value) and know that regardless of what happens I'm covered.
Reading most insurance companies T&Cs I'm a bit concerned that they have a lot of wriggle room, e.g. insisting that it be locked inside a car and excluding hatchback parcel shelves etc. I want cover not just for theft but also in case I were to drop the camera (i.e. accidental damage).
Anyone have any suggestions? Who are the good guys?

Ric
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I'm with Aaduki. I compared them to Cliik (professional only) and Photoguard (much more expensive). I also looked at adding to my home insurance but was again more expensive for the same level of cover and was quite restrictive with loss/theft/accidental damage conditions IIRC.
 
Also, photo guard wouldn't cover some of the same things as adduce. I think it was to do with stuff being in the car?

I paid around £120 to cover all of my gear including filters and all the little bits that add up too!
 
DBT85 said:
I spoke to photoguard a week ago and they claimed they were not doing any discounting right now, that was after I'd done an online quote and they called me early in the morning asking if they could help.

To cover £7k for me was going to be £160 a year which doesn't seem too bad. House insurance is cheaper per £ insured of course. But a few claims on your house insurance will soon bump it up.
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Interesting that about discounts, I purchased mine this morning
 
Phil V said:
Probably the best deal you'll get is to change your home insurance. Most people who buy standalone camera insurance pay more than the average house insurance for it.
Click to expand...


What he said. Why anyone would do anything else is a little confusing. Unless you're using the professionally this will be far the cheapest and best option
 
Change your home insurance. Mine is through my Santander bank account and also covers all my gear in my car providing that when the car is left unattended it is locked and kept out of sight in the boot. Items are not individually listed. I have recently increased my premium to cover any event whereby ALL my gear is left in the car, or indeed anyone else's car.

landwomble said:
Reading most insurance companies T&Cs I'm a bit concerned that they have a lot of wriggle room, e.g. insisting that it be locked inside a car and excluding hatchback parcel shelves etc. I want cover not just for theft but also in case I were to drop the camera (i.e. accidental damage).
Anyone have any suggestions? Who are the good guys?
Ric
Click to expand...


....Anyone who leaves heavy items loose on a parcel shelf or indeed anywhere in the cabin interior is frankly stupid! I once rolled a car on black ice one christmas morning and had a magnum bottle of champagne on my back seat (it was a hire car). It was a 'slow' accident in which I controlled the car onto the verge but was heading for a tree so managed on grass to steer into a hedge but there was a long steep bank on the blind side of the hedge and the car nosed down it and rolled when we hit a ploughed field at the bottom - It was just like in the movies! I was left hanging upside down in my safety belt and laughing but that magnum came close to hitting my head and that would have been a story with a very different ending.

Also, on car trackdays, many circuits (Spa for example) don't let you out on track if you have any items loose in the cabin interior - That should tell you something.
 
I never said left on parcel shelf. What I'm getting at is a lot seem to exclude cover when gear is in boot in a hatch because a parcel shelf isn't considered secure as it can be lifted up, or a saloon with split rear seats may not be covered as it can be accessed from inside. As I say, lots of wriggle room...
 
landwomble said:
I never said left on parcel shelf. What I'm getting at is a lot seem to exclude cover when gear is in boot in a hatch because a parcel shelf isn't considered secure as it can be lifted up, or a saloon with split rear seats may not be covered as it can be accessed from inside. As I say, lots of wriggle room...
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....To be fair you didn't state that about the parcel shelf so clearly in your first post and so it was ambiguous. Interesting about some insurer's attitude to parcel shelves though.

Either way, if someone really wants to break into your car they will! All you can do is delay the process by making it as difficult as possible and keep your gear hidden from view so it is less of a temptation to such scum. Having discussed my policy in great detail and face to face in person, I am confident that all my insurer requires is that I have taken due care and attention to the security of the insured goods, which I do anyway. A break-in is a break-in.

So to answer your original question again, my advice is to insure under home insurance through Santander or similar bank.
 
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Mine is insured with Nationwide on my home policy. I had my hire car broken into while on holiday in Portugal. Whole claim settled with very little fuss, rather than pay out cash they replaced the stolen items with new which suited me fine.
 
I should add. I keep a spreadsheet of all the kit I have, right down to memory cards and lens pens. If it has a serial number I note it down and I also note where I got it and how much I paid. You'll be surprised how quickly it can rack up, and having a copy of all your gear and details to hand will help in the sad event of a problem as I found out myself.
 
As other people have said, I find the best option is to add photo gear to home insurance. When I was researching it a few years ago it was much cheaper than insuring separately with someone like Photoguard. You mention that you haven't got accidental damage on your current household policy, but I'm sure you'd be able to add it on? Would also recommend adding all your gear to www.lenstag.com.
 
DBT85 said:
I should add. I keep a spreadsheet of all the kit I have, right down to memory cards and lens pens. If it has a serial number I note it down and I also note where I got it and how much I paid. You'll be surprised how quickly it can rack up, and having a copy of all your gear and details to hand will help in the sad event of a problem as I found out myself.
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If I did that I'd have to make sure it was password protected so the wife didn't find out the real cost of my equipment ;)

I insure my stuff with Photoguard
 
At all the amateur guys really don't bother, ring your house insurance company and tell them you'd like to add £??k onto your policy to include loss, theft and accidental damage whilst outside of the home. Go through it in detail match it like for like.

Glover and Howe = £200/year for me
Home insurance increase in premium was £24.

That as Kevin bacon says is a ...
 
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