FinnDave Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 [quote name='Monkey Steve' timestamp='1489164943' post='3254914'] I think you'll find that this is insurance fraud Seriously, it's not about where the gear is when it's stolen, it's about whether the insurer regards it as professional tools. They may have suspicions that your £3k Ampeg rig wasn't for home use only [/quote] Exactly this. I could hardly hide the fact that I do gigs as my wife works there! And failure to declare anything which may be considered relevant to your insurance can result in your cover being declare void. My local pub has been closed for the last 18 months following an 'office fire' which started in a part of the building they had failed to declare existed. The fire dept people worked exactly where it started (bedroom in a non-residential property) and how (laptop left on charge on a bed) with the result that they have not yet been able to make a successful claim. Same as with my car, I could have lied and said I never use it for gigs, but if I needed to make a claim they'd soon suss that one out for the load of nonsense it is, and I'd be uninsured. If you're going to lie, even by omission, you might as well go whole hog and do without any insurance as the policy won't be worth the paper (or screen) it's written on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 [quote name='Downdown' timestamp='1489165500' post='3254918'] How can it be fraudulent if I'm paying a premium for, say, £20k of home contents and then make a claim for a burgled bass worth £750?[/quote] Because they will claim that you failed to declare a pertinent fact and will be looking for anything that will allow them not to pay out. [quote name='Downdown' timestamp='1489165500' post='3254918'] My policy only requires items valued over £1500 to be specified, so why the need to mention the bass at all? If I take it outside the home then that's my risk not theirs ( and fair enough), but inside the house I'm paying for cover. I don't think the fact that I go out gigging affects the risk of a home burglary does it? [/quote] I'm sure they'll find a way to wriggle out of it, e.g., playing gigs publicly advertises the fact that you have 'valuable musical equipment' in your home, which they will claim raises the risk of a burglary (believe me, I looked into this in depth before shelling out!). They will always look for ways to avoid paying out on a claim, so there's no point in handing them a reason on a plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 They are all red hot on information sharing these days too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downdown Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 [quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1489166157' post='3254931'] Because they will claim that you failed to declare a pertinent fact and will be looking for anything that will allow them not to pay out. [/quote] I'd argue that taking my bass outside home is not pertinent to insuring in only when it's in the home. [quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1489166157' post='3254931'] I'm sure they'll find a way to wriggle out of it, e.g., playing gigs publicly advertises the fact that you have 'valuable musical equipment' in your home, which they will claim raises the risk of a burglary (believe me, I looked into this in depth before shelling out!). They will always look for ways to avoid paying out on a claim, so there's no point in handing them a reason on a plate. [/quote] How does playing gigs advertise anything about your home? Who tells the punters their home address? But I take your point about them finding anyway they can about wriggling out of paying a claim, which is why the entire insurance industry has a pi55 poor reputation and no one really trusts them. "Distress purchase" is a very appropriate term for buying insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 [quote name='Downdown' timestamp='1489235940' post='3255360'] I'd argue that taking my bass outside home is not pertinent to insuring in only when it's in the home. [/quote] Good luck with that, let us know how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downdown Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 Well, with support like that we'll get the insurance industry we deserve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted March 11, 2017 Author Share Posted March 11, 2017 [quote name='Downdown' timestamp='1489255637' post='3255556'] Well, with support like that we'll get the insurance industry we deserve. [/quote] My wife works in insurance, I know what they're like. The local brokers are great, but the underwriting companies will leave no stone unturned to avoid paying up. I have no axe to grind, just don't like to see making it too easy to reject a claim. When I added up the replacement cost of my bass gear, it came to ten grand. Couple of hundred for legitimate cover seems reasonable to me. My decision, and no doubt others will see it differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 I went with MusicGuard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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