Is there an insurance person in the house?

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swee'pea99

Squire
I've just been looking at the Ts & Cs of the policy proposed for the laptop my daughter's buying, and I note it specifically excludes: "Damage to Equipment that is not suitably stored, packed or protected whilst being transported or carried."

I can see why it's there. They don't want to be liable if a gormless student just chucks the thing in the boot of their Muppet GTi and then goes off on a joy ride. But it does seem on the face of it to exclude also her accidentally dropping it while leaving a lecture (at which point she certainly won't have 'stored, packed or protected' it). Is this just to be expected, and de rigeur for a policy like this? Or do some such policies have wording that would cover her in such a situation, while also protecting the insurer from muppetry?

Any advice much appreciated.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
I'd have thought it was reasonable for the insurer to expect her to take care of the laptop, which includes getting a shock-absorbing sleeve to keep it safe. Don't most people buy a case and screen protector for their cellphones?
 

Paul99

Über Member
As @Globalti has said as long as she has taken reasonable care of it, it shouldn't be a problem. It's a muppetry term IMO. However if your daughter drops her laptop leaving a lecture and it wasn't stored in her new laptop bag then she would be a muppet.;)
 
OP
OP
swee'pea99

swee'pea99

Squire
I'd have thought it was reasonable for the insurer to expect her to take care of the laptop, which includes getting a shock-absorbing sleeve to keep it safe. Don't most people buy a case and screen protector for their cellphones?
Yes, absolutely - I can see their position and TBH I can't really see any other way they can protect themselves from muppetry. I just wondered if someone might know of a way (a form of words) that safeguards their reasonable interests but also protects her from non-muppet unfortunateness.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
You mean in case a meteorite crashes though the ceiling, distracting her and making her drop the laptop? I don't think there's any possible excuse for lack of care.
 
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swee'pea99

swee'pea99

Squire
You mean in case a meteorite crashes though the ceiling, distracting her and making her drop the laptop? I don't think there's any possible excuse for lack of care.
No, I wasn't thinking meteorites, I was thinking a fumble while in a hurry to get to another lecture and distracted by someone speaking. We can all fumble. It would be nice to think insurance would cover her for a fumble. Is a fumble 'lack of care'? Maybe. I'd call it 'being human', and it's the kind of thing insurance might be worth paying (quite a lot of) money for. I recognise it's a grey area. But no, not meteorites. Or tigers.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
is a pc worth insuring these day? I appreciate thar as a student it would hurt to lose one, but a couple of hundred quid item new, worth perhaps £80 after two years - with most risks excluded and maybe a £50 or £100 excess - I'd take the risk and e carefull
 

srw

It's a bit more complicated than that...
Depending on the insurance and claims management companies that clause will either be interpreted reasonably or unreasonably. To be honest, I'm surprised it's written like that because the regulators have got gadget insurance in their sights as something that often fails to deliver customer expectations - but I'm neither a wordings nor a compliance specialist.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
As @Globalti has said as long as she has taken reasonable care of it, it shouldn't be a problem. It's a muppetry term IMO. However if your daughter drops her laptop leaving a lecture and it wasn't stored in her new laptop bag then she would be a muppet.;)
Step forward every teenager in the world.....
I watched my nephew juggling with his iPhone. It is the 3rd or 4th one that he has owned, the previous ones having been killed by careless handling. I suggested that it was not a clever thing to do, but he carried on. And then dropped it! Ooops, how did that happen ...

The phone actually survived that impact, probably because it bounced off a sofa onto a carpeted floor.

It was not so lucky the following week when it was taken out in the storms which led to the local flooding. It got waterlogged and never recovered!

I think this ties in with parenting approach, as is currently being discussed in another thread. I used to only get presents on my birthday or at Christmas, and then only what my parents could afford. If I broke my things - tough - wait until the following birthday/Christmas to get a new one.

These phones/tablets/laptops etc cost way more than anything I ever owned as a child (even allowing for years of inflation) but they are being treated as if they are cheap disposable items. How can kids value those things seriously if they can get the latest model at the drop of a hat an iPhone/iPad/MacBook? :whistle:

As for the original insurance question ... I have heard of mixed experiences with insurance companies. Some do the decent thing and pay up in full without fuss. Others wriggle out of paying whenever possible.
 

vickster

Squire
John Lewis offer accidental damage cover on new laptops which you can buy on top of the standard 2 year warranty .not sure on cost or ts & cs
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
I watched my nephew juggling with his iPhone. It is the 3rd or 4th one that he has owned, the previous ones having been killed by careless handling. I suggested that it was not a clever thing to do, but he carried on. And then dropped it! Ooops, how did that happen ...

The phone actually survived that impact, probably because it bounced off a sofa onto a carpeted floor.

It was not so lucky the following week when it was taken out in the storms which led to the local flooding. It got waterlogged and never recovered!

I think this ties in with parenting approach, as is currently being discussed in another thread. I used to only get presents on my birthday or at Christmas, and then only what my parents could afford. If I broke my things - tough - wait until the following birthday/Christmas to get a new one.

These phones/tablets/laptops etc cost way more than anything I ever owned as a child (even allowing for years of inflation) but they are being treated as if they are cheap disposable items. How can kids value those things seriously if they can get the latest model at the drop of a hat an iPhone/iPad/MacBook? :whistle:

As for the original insurance question ... I have heard of mixed experiences with insurance companies. Some do the decent thing and pay up in full without fuss. Others wriggle out of paying whenever possible.
Mine have had to put up with the cracked screen or pay to have it fixed.... The middle summerling broke the glass screen protector of their brand new iPhone (bought from their wages over two years in 6th form), but we have mentioned the word insurance based on how often they seem to drop stuff! In fact all have had phones with cracked screens for a while though we managed to replace at least one screen eventually. I think they are more careless with these objects but I can't think of anything of a similar expense that we had as kids, the nearest I can think of is a camera.
 

Beebo

Firm and Fruity
Location
Hexleybeef
The clause is very vague. It would be the insurers responibility to profe that you have not complied with the condition. I doubt it would hold much water if the ombudsman was to rebiew it.
You have to consider what is reasonable. If you are taking your laptop on a train to london it would be reasonable to expect someone to protect the laptop in a proper bag. Where as if you were carrying it from the living room to the bedroom it is not unreasonable to just be carrying it in your hand.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
also they are tougher than you'd think. I used to carry my work laptop loose as it were and it slipped out of my hands in the car park - unfortunately my attempt to catch it turned a 3 foot fall into a 5 foot spinning parabola. Bent the power switch in which had to be prised out to work. Still worked a couple of years on. Just to be clear, this isn't recommended treatment
 
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