A case for gear insurance - my story

As some of you know, I was in Botswana recently on safari and took a lot of pictures. It was a great life experience, but one of the things I did not count on was having to make a claim on my camera equipment insurance. On the last leg of our safari, I was changing lenses in our cabin and removed my 24-105, placed it on the bed (I mean the bed is flat and soft - what can happen?), walked down to the end of the bed to retrieve the 100-400 out of my pack and as my wife let out a small shriek..."watch out....", I turned to see the 24-105 roll from the bed and fall about 30 cm onto the hard wooden floor. The UV filter was cracked and broken and the lens frame around the objective was slightly bent. With the help of one of the guides - a photo buff himself - we managed to remove all of the glass from the filter, but could not, for the life of us, remove the filter ring. The lens still functioned for the remainder of the trip, I just could not use it with a filter, nor could I get the #$% filter ring off the lens. :mad2:

When I returned home, I called my agent and we entered a claim - within two weeks, it was settled and I had a new 24-105 and hopefully, once the Canadian postal service gets its act together (they are on rotating strikes against the government), I will have a cheque for the full price including tax back in my hands - no fuss, no muss, no bother, no static, no problems. :D

So, if any of you folks are wondering if it is worth insuring you photo gear - my answer would be a big resounding - YES - I figure I got back in this one claim, all the money I have paid out over the last several years in insurance premiums. :D

Cheers,

WesternGuy

Good advice, WG. Wish I had been as astute when my 70-200 L + 2X TC "fell" off my camera after descending a mountain last month. My story doesn't have the happy ending your's had.

So sad Ken, I sympathize with your loss - I learned my lesson when I was in University and I was out hiking with a GF one weekend in the mountains. I was scrambling down a hillside only to learn that it ended in a very high, steep cliff...wanting to take a picture of the view, I flipped my pack off my back to get my camera which was resting inside but on the top of the pack - top unfastened - the overall momentum sent the camera and its film with pictures, out of the pack and over the cliff to its demise about 500 metres below. Cheap camera, cost less than $100 in those days (you know the days when dirt was still new LOL), but that was, at the time, a very good and not so cheap lesson...since then...everything over about $500 is insured for full replacement cost anywhere, anytime, any conditions...thus this happy ending as you so aptly put it.

Cheers,

WG

Glad you had a happy ending - it took me a ton of talking to get my Insurance Agent to insure my equip.... He insisted that I was a professional ! - I insisted that I'm just an enthusiastic hobbyist and he pointed out my website where I offer prints for sale if someone wants one, and he states that with that, I'm in business... Finally got him to insure me under a separate policy with a reasonable rate, but I really got a little upset with him - He wasn't judging my professionalism by the qualify of my photographs, or the fact that I didn't make any money in this, just the fact that I had a website !!

r

LRRP, I guess I won't be setting up a web site any time soon to sell my images!! It would appear that you ran into one of those "by the book" kinda guys" and he looked at what you were doing and said basically "walks like a duck, quacks like a duck" (to coin a phrase) - must be a professional photographer - I think I would have been off to look at another agent...

Cheers,

WesternGuy

This past 2 years I have acquired a crapload of gear it seems. This year I started feeling very exposed. So I looked into it and got insurance for my gear. Not some goofy rider on my homeowners either. A separate policy from a company that does photography policies. It is about $500 a year. The problem with homeowners is that they will not cover you are using it professionally in any way shape or form. Got a smugmug account? Sell a few pics here and there? You be screwed with homeowners. For me I go to events, have my gear out. Someone could walk away with my camera bag, camera, whatever. I could fall off a stage or a cage? Get run over by a motorcycle. Who knows. But if you have 10K hanging off your body and you fall off of something that would suck. Way more than the $500 per year you pay for the peace of mind. Remember insurance companies make billions for a reason. They will squirm out of a claim if they can. Don't give them any more rope to hang you with. Get the right kind of policy for your needs. I went with Hill and Usher at the recommendation of quite a few dudes on Dgrin.

How about public liability insurance?
To shoot at Brands hatch, they require signed indemnity and £5million in liability insurance.
Most other tracks only require £1million indemnity cover.
Do you need cover for your events, too?

Yes that is part of my policy too. There was a bunch of liability in there. I forget how much but it was a shocking amount.

zerodog, you are right, I do believe that I would not be covered if I was shooting professional (need to check with agent), but I am not, nor do I ever aspire to at this stage of my life. I don't sell my images and the only "web" account I use is Flickr. I thank you nevertheless for making the point and if I ever get to the situation where I might sell some things then I will definitely check with my insurance company.

WesternGuy

WG, what kind of policy do you have on your gear? I have mine covered as a rider on my home owners policy, but have never had to make a claim. Just wondering if that's what you have, or if you have a special policy for your gear.

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Originally Posted by mjs1973

WG, what kind of policy do you have on your gear? I have mine covered as a rider on my home owners policy, but have never had to make a claim. Just wondering if that's what you have, or if you have a special policy for your gear.

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Mike, that is exactly what I have - a rider on my home owner's insurance. I have had it for quite a while. I also make it a habit of not including anything that is under $500, so you could say I have "pseudo-deductible" or "self-imposed deductible", the only exception being my tripod and ball head as individually they are less than $500 each, but since they are a pair most of the time, if someone is going to steal it/them or it is going to get damaged, then they will probably both be in it together. The real coverage is more for the cameras and lenses and flashes and that sort of equipment. The policy is for complete non-deductible coverage, so if something is damaged, lost or stolen, then I get the full price of the replacement from the insurance company. I call it risk management, but it is also makes it easier to sleep when travelling. :)

Cheers,

WesternGuy