Does gadget insurance cover lost phones, laptops, cameras and other tech?
For most people, it takes being denied a claim before you actually start checking more carefully what's covered on your insurance policies. The truth is that we should all pay a little more attention. Considering how much modern technology costs, this applies to gadget insurance too.
If you're paying for gadget or mobile phone insurance but you're not covered when it matters, you're throwing away money. So if you've already asked the question "does my gadget insurance cover lost gadgets?" then you're on the right path and we're here to help you find the answer.
Insurance policies vary widely so you need to make sure yours isn't just to cover you for things like damage or theft. Loss is a very common issue and if you're not covered you could end up out of pocket.
For the most part, gadget insurance will be there to cover you for things like a dropped phone with a damaged screen. Or perhaps water damage where you've dropped your laptop in a puddle or your earphones in a pint. Mechanical failure outside the warranty period is also usually covered by this type of insurance too.
The good news is that most types of gadget insurance will also cover loss and theft when outside the home. But not all.
So be sure to check your policy terms to see if loss is covered in your case. Some insurers will have an excess in place for loss that could end up costing you as much as the gadget is worth anyway. Do you really want to be giving the iPhone insurance company £100 to cover a lost iPhone SE you bought three years ago?
Another issue to look out for is exclusions. For example, if you leave your phone unattended, or fail to report the loss or theft - in some cases within as little as 12 hours - then you could invalidate the policy.
That said, there are some better policies that not only cover you, without an excess charge, but also send you a replacement phone to tide you over.
If you think you're getting your gadget insurance on the cheap, chances are there is going to be a catch. So always check what's covered.
What about lost laptops and cameras?
Since laptops and cameras cost more than the average phone or smartwatch, it's important to check that any policy you have taken out has the laptop or camera's value noted. Lots of policies will cover you for most PCs and snappers but for some higher priced tech you may need to check you're covered.
Does home insurance cover my lost gadget?
Home insurance does usually let you add your tech gadgets to the policy up to a certain value per item - generally up to around £2,000. The issue is they nearly always apply to inside the home only, so when you leave the house you're not covered. That makes separate gadget insurance for loss much more pertinent.
You can read more about tech and home insurance in our dedicated advice page.
How much does gadget insurance cost?
Gadget insurance varies in price widely depending on what you're covering, how much cover you need and even how you want to pay.
That's why we recommend that you check out the best gadget insurance deals to find the right one for you.
HILDERBRAND: Losing things in the zone
No result found, try new keyword!Absent-minded people are not stupid, nor are they uncaring. They are just somewhere else most of the time. I am fairly organized and seldom permanently lose anything. I use baskets and bins and stacks ...February’s traffic safety spotlight
Some things are easy to forget. The password to your computer, your aunt’s birthday, the name of the actor in that movie about that thing. But – even for the most absent-minded among us – it usually takes only a couple of reminders to make something “click.”
Except, it seems, when it comes to seatbelts. During 2018’s Traffic Safety Spotlights, police reported more than 4,700 offences for failing to wear a seatbelt or not using the appropriate car seat for kids. That’s why February’s Traffic Safety Spotlight is on seatbelts and car seats.
Police across Saskatchewan will be looking for people not wearing a seatbelt, wearing one improperly, or not having children properly secured in the vehicle.
Seatbelts have been the law in Saskatchewan for more than four decades, so the odds are pretty good that every single person who was handed a seatbelt ticket last year was already well aware they should have buckled up. So… why didn’t they? What’s it going to take to make it click?
“Whether it’s a conscious choice to not buckle up or it simply slipped your mind, travelling without a seatbelt has potentially deadly consequences,” said Penny McCune, Chief Operating Officer of the Auto Fund. “Wearing a seatbelt is the quickest, easiest way to substantially reduce your risk of death or injury in a crash.”
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study estimated you’re 17 times more likely to be ejected in a collision if you’re not wearing a seatbelt, and you’re more than twice as likely to die if ejected. Not only that, you put other occupants in the vehicle at risk if you are not secured in your seat in the event of an accident. So making that seatbelt click seems like a pretty good idea, doesn’t it?
Most people in Saskatchewan – more than 90 per cent according to most research – do wear seatbelts. The small number who don’t are highly overrepresented in traffic deaths. In 2017, 16 people were killed in vehicle collisions in Saskatchewan due to being improperly restrained or not buckled up at all. It was also a factor in 148 injuries on Saskatchewan roads.
Not wearing a seatbelt or driving with a child improperly restrained results is a $175 ticket and also costs the recipient three points under the Safe Driver Recognition program.
Drivers are responsible for ensuring that all passengers under the age of 16 are buckled up, and can be ticketed for each unrestrained child in the vehicle. It’s estimated that half of all kids under the age of 8 in Saskatchewan aren’t properly restrained when they’re in a vehicle. Have a little one travelling with you? SGI sponsors car seat clinics across the province throughout the year where you can learn how to properly install the seat in your vehicle and ensure your child is in the appropriate seat for their size and age.
SGI recommends these tips to make it click and keep you and your loved ones safe:
• Always #MakeItClick before driving or riding in a vehicle.
• When you #BuckleUp, make sure the lap belt sits across your hips and the shoulder belt fits over the middle of your shoulder and across your chest (don’t reposition the shoulder belt behind you or under your arm).
• Don’t let children 12 or under sit in the front seat of a vehicle.
• Ensure your child is in the correct car seat. Visit an SGI car seat clinic or book an appointment with a car seat technician.
• Put blankets and coats over child seat straps – remember, the fit should be snug; you should be able to fit only one finger between the harness straps and the child’s chest.
Follow SGI on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for safety tips to #TakeCareOutThere.
No comments:
Post a Comment