Equipment Insurance [UK]

[laimis.s]

Hey all, since i got my first L lens i got quite worried about my eqiupment being stolen and what not.. So i started looking around on internet for an insurance company. so far i only found one site... http://www.photoguard.co.uk/home.asp

I think my equipment is worth around 1050 pounds. this is for:

400d with kit lens - 550 quid
50mm F1.8 - 90 quid
70-200mm F4 L USM - 375 quid
2gb sandisk extreme III card - 35 quid...

Since my nifty fifty and 70-200mm were bought from ebay, will i be able to insure them!? i only have an invoice and no "receipt"

for UK and EU coverage it will cost me around 40 pounds a year. does anybody know places where they would insure gear from ebay or have better prices?

i tried searching the forum but didnt notice any insurance threads.

feel free to share where you got your insurance/how etc.

thnx!

[Dandaman_24]

Have a look here http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=245142

Was only posted a couple of hours ago

Type in camera insurance Uk and you should get loads of results come up.

[laimis.s]

okay thnx, but my main concern is which insurance companies will insure gear from ebay?

[steved110]

I insured my gear by adding it onto the household insurance, it was surprisingly cost effective. I think it would suit your collection too.

Regarding your ebay purchases, simply discuss this with the insurance company. you will be able to provide serial numbers and photographs if need be, coupled with the invoce from ebay - there should be a paypal receipt also, just print the stuff off. Discuss fully with the insurance company and make sure thay are happy to cover the gear, try get it in writing as circumstances are not the same as shop-bought - and that should be enough. If they aren't willing to agree in principle that the gear is covered - move on. the UK is crawling with insurance companies. Only advice I would give you is don't go with E&L. sharks.

[laimis.s]

I insured my gear by adding it onto the household insurance, it was surprisingly cost effective. I think it would suit your collection too.

Regarding your ebay purchases, simply discuss this with the insurance company. you will be able to provide serial numbers and photographs if need be, coupled with the invoce from ebay - there should be a paypal receipt also, just print the stuff off. Discuss fully with the insurance company and make sure thay are happy to cover the gear, try get it in writing as circumstances are not the same as shop-bought - and that should be enough. If they aren't willing to agree in principle that the gear is covered - move on. the UK is crawling with insurance companies. Only advice I would give you is don't go with E&L. sharks.

thanks for that. very useful! i asked my dad to look into his insurance. Do you think it will cover my gear if im outside my house?

i remember when my friends bike got stolen quite far from his house, he still got the insurance back. maybe it will be same with cameras?

[steved110]

Mine is covered outside the home, theft and accidental damage, and it includes up to 60 days abroad. The item limit is £2000

I wasn't sure if that was enough but the agent said it was - ie Camera £900, lens $ 700, flash $300, CF card £100.....each item is claimed separately.

It added about £50 onto the cost of my household insurance.

As my collection of gear expands I might need to look into more specialised insurance, but I am so careful with my gear and usually take camera, 1 lens and flash at the most ( perhaps 2 lenses) - so it is unlikely I would lose a whole bag ful of gear.

You need to be aware though, that a lot of insurance companies do not cover anything stolen from a car unless there is visible damage relating to a break in, others only cover what is locked in the boot, others cover nothing stolen from a car at all.

They ALL require the owner to take reasonable care of their property - this means if it gets stolen while not locked up securely or in your personal possession or supervision, cover can be null and void.

Some even don't cover you if the gear is stolen in a 'risky' public place eg train station - ( E&L!) which pretty much means the cover can be useless. Take good care!

On the whole adding it to the house insurance means that the insurance company wants to keep your other business and are more inclined to be helpful

If all else fails, there is the insurance ombudsman, and small claims court.

Bottom line - trust no one! Except fellow POTN'ers in good standing!

[laimis.s]

hehe cheers :) i just got emails from the insurance companies i asked about my situation. apparently even though my lens costs 375 from ebay, i should insure it as 490 pounds which is like the highstreet standard. sounds kinda funny because they would pay much more to replace it... this kinda confuses me more though! but if they say its ok - il probably go for it...