Snapping Up Camera Equipment Insurance
Is it really important to consider taking out camera equipment insurance?
Well, let’s think about the nature of life and cameras.
No use at home
A camera isn’t much use to you if it sits at home permanently in a cupboard.
Although some people may generally tend to use their cameras exclusively at holiday time, many more carry them more frequently.
That’s obviously even more the case for serious amateur and professional photographers who typically rarely leave home without their camera round their neck or in a pocket.
However you use your camera, even if it’s only a week or two per year around the beach and pool, once you take the camera out of the house then the risks start to grow.
Things go wrong
While no one likes to consider the worst case scenario, things do happen.
Your camera might typically be vulnerable to:
· damage caused due to an accident;
· theft;
· breakdown of the camera after the warranty has run out.
None of these things are likely to be a laughing matter. Not only might you be faced with the cost of having to repair or replace it but also the inconvenience of being without your camera.
That’s where camera equipment insurance might usually come to the rescue – that’s is of course, if you have taken out a policy.
Camera insurance
Having a camera insurance protection can’t insulate you from bad luck and life’s little traumas but it may be able to help minimise the impact.
Such a policy typically provides:
· financial protection against the effects of theft or accidental damage;
· repair costs for breakdowns outside of manufacturer’s warranty (electrical or mechanical);
· quite possibly a 48-hour replacement of your camera.
Cover may also be available on a global basis meaning that you’ll be protected even if you’ve taken your camera outside of the UK.
If you have specialist and higher-value additional lenses, some policies may also be able to offer cover for an additional cost.
Cameras and gadgets
You may have other gadgets that are valuable.
Camera cover is only one form of a wider gadget insurance marketplace and it is typically possible to also cover things such as your laptop and iphone.
Things to remember
When considering a policy there are some things that the insurance may not cover:
· loss (although some providers might typically also offer optional loss cover too, for an additional premium a month);
· theft where the camera was left unattended;
· anything happening to the camera due to your tampering with the internals of the camera.
In the case of theft, you will typically be obliged to have reported the theft to police within 24-hours and have obtained a police crime number reference.
Do note that your insurancewill be subject to policy limitations, exclusions, terms and conditions. Usually there is also a certain amount of excess that you need to pay when making a successful claim.
Your camera is precious
Nobody can tell you that you need this form of insurance protection. While it is not compulsory it may make sense to have the insurance.
Yet camera equipment insurance may generally be surprisingly affordable. It might be worth finding out more.