Camera insurance

What are folks doing about insuring gear?

It's really quite expensive once you start to acquire a fair amount of stuff. There are so many clauses for this and that unless you have it snatched out of your hand whilst your armed body guards aren't looking, or sleep with it at night, they don't want to pay out. They don't like it out of your hand, don't like it left in a hotel room, don't wnat it locked in a car boot...

Anyone recommend a good insurance company with reasonable premiums for a generally careful sort? I am reasonably well clued up on risk of car crime and always take precautions not to leave it on show but there is always that chance.

As an example Photoguard want all the serial numbers and proof of purchase and expect me to pay around £22 a month for the odd occasion it may get locked in a car boot (mosty it would be with me but just occasionally...) the rest of the time it is in home in a secure place within an alarmed house. House contents insurance (of which I have a good level with specific items) really don't like expensive camera gear. They like to lump it all together with a max. value of £250 although they may come to an arrangement outside of that. It's worth considering though if you haven't done it already.

If you have, any recommendations?

I have to say I am very rubbish with insurance... but then, level of crime here is so incredibly low... my parents for example regularly go away for weekends, even a week - leaving the doors unlocked, and tens of thousands of pounds of expensive musical gear in the house! (Except dad's Gibson - he'd rather die than lose that! ).

I suppose I should think about it - but I'm thinking more in case I drop the camera or lenses... or someone else does

xx

I use Photoguard, not the cheapest but supposed to be one of the best. If your going to take out insurance on your gear then first make a note of the serial numbers and which bit of gear that goes with them. You will be asked to provide this information.

Bazza

Here are some more threads on the topic that you might find useful (just tagged some of them):

Camera Insurance

I have looked at insurance a few times, and each time I am shocked at the premiums. I have about £7,000 worth of camera kit (ignoring the accessories such as filters, cleaning kits, cables, extra batteries, memory cards etc) plus a few hundred quids worth of studio lights. If you say added it up to £10,000 its actually more expensive that insuring a performance car (my BMW, although 10 years old, will still do 140mph and cause a lot of expensive damage if it hit something, I could even kill someone, something I am unlikely to do with a camera!)

I just don't know what to do either

I think £22 a month is excessive, that is £250 a year, you can get contents insurance on all your possessions for half that!

Add to that the 'terms and conditions' of the camera insurance, which is quite frankly ridiculous, it all adds up to an unattractive deal, especially if you pay it and then the claim is refused for some stupid policy rule.

If anyone does find a decent policy, at a decent price, I will be interested.

Alan.

Tried Photoguard as suggested on one of threads Azz pointed too. £500 a year, omg dream on. I could insure my car and house for that! Ignoring the car value (second hand cars practically have none anyway) that's still over £300,000 of cover!

Alan.

will not be getting camera insurance then!!!

xx

Mine is all covered under the house insurance, as far as I know...I'm covered for items I take out of the house up to a value of about £5,000, it doesn't specily any terms other than that. I originally had this policy to cover my clarinet, which regularly gets taken out of the house and is worth £1,500.

Who is that with Nicola? Seems unusual as they often limit items e.g. jewellery maybe individual piece £250, collection of £1000, cameras often very similar terms and many clauses to suggest no cover if left unattended, in a car (particularly hatchback or estate), not if being used in a commercial way etc.

It's with Lloyds Bank