Double bass insurance

[Jezyorkshire]

How much are people paying for insurance on their double bass?

[neilp]

From memory, for  a value of approx 20k, I'm paying around 180 per year. Allianz

[Jezyorkshire]

2 hours ago, neilp said:

From memory, for  a value of approx 20k, I'm paying around 180 per year. Allianz

I’ve had a quote for £100 for a value of £7000, does not include left unattended in a vehicle

[MuddBass]

After many years of paying without looking around, I have transfered my policy from Allianz to New Moon. For me and my specific requirements they were over 45% cheaper and there were several options for cover level (eg UK / EU / Worldwide, car cover or not etc etc).

Have a look https://www.newmooninsurance.com/musical-instrument-insurance?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpf6pnITM5gIVhrHtCh0YdwEOEAAYASAAEgKutPD_BwE

 

[Jezyorkshire]

34 minutes ago, MuddBass said:

After many years of paying without looking around, I have transfered my policy from Allianz to New Moon. For me and my specific requirements they were over 45% cheaper and there were several options for cover level (eg UK / EU / Worldwide, car cover or not etc etc).

Have a look https://www.newmooninsurance.com/musical-instrument-insurance?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpf6pnITM5gIVhrHtCh0YdwEOEAAYASAAEgKutPD_BwE

 

Thanks mate, just had a quote for £64!

[NickA]

Allianz are very expensive ... but they do pay out and there is no excess.  Not the same as when that were British Reserve and genuinely knew about stringed instruments, but still the most knowledgeable available..  I was going to drop my insurance and just cover any repair costs myself ( only one claim in 30 years ). Then a neighbour had all his guitars nicked from his front room....

Going to look at new moon next year tho.

 

[neilp]

On 23/12/2019 at 14:17, Jezyorkshire said:

I’ve had a quote for £100 for a value of £7000, does not include left unattended in a vehicle

I'd never buy double bass insurance that doesn't include cover in unattended vehicles

[Jezyorkshire]

10 hours ago, neilp said:

I'd never buy double bass insurance that doesn't include cover in unattended vehicles

The quote I got demanded that any instrument be not visible in a vehicle if left unattended, almost impossible!

[neilp]

Cover it with a blanket. 

[chyc]

On 25/12/2019 at 18:38, neilp said:

Cover it with a blanket. 

It'll be a blanket with the contours of a double bass.

On a more serious note, when I raised this as a possible problem with Allianz over the phone, the guy at the other end said something along the lines that he had to say that for every instrument they insure and that he cannot say anything that was off-script. The implication I took from that and a few other things he said was that so long as you've taken reasonable steps to safeguard your bass then you will still be insured despite it being technically visible inside the car.

But then don't trust a random person on a basschat forum parroting third-hand information. Phone Allianz up yourself to confirm and you'll probably get a similar response to me.

[Jezyorkshire]

11 hours ago, chyc said:

It'll be a blanket with the contours of a double bass.

On a more serious note, when I raised this as a possible problem with Allianz over the phone, the guy at the other end said something along the lines that he had to say that for every instrument they insure and that he cannot say anything that was off-script. The implication I took from that and a few other things he said was that so long as you've taken reasonable steps to safeguard your bass then you will still be insured despite it being technically visible inside the car.

But then don't trust a random person on a basschat forum parroting third-hand information. Phone Allianz up yourself to confirm and you'll probably get a similar response to me.

I wouldn’t risk that with an expensive instrument on the word of the guy on the end of the phone, don’t think he will make any decisions regarding a claim!

[chyc]

On 02/01/2020 at 10:07, Jezyorkshire said:

I wouldn’t risk that with an expensive instrument on the word of the guy on the end of the phone, don’t think he will make any decisions regarding a claim!

That's true, but then I'm stuck as the instrument is so big and my car is so small that it is literally impossible for the bass not to be visible inside it.

[Jezyorkshire]

4 minutes ago, chyc said:

That's true, but then I'm stuck as the instrument is so big and my car is so small that it is literally impossible for the bass not to be visible inside it.

Aye, only option is to not leave unattended man, it’s not worth the risk if it’s an expensive bass

[chyc]

1 hour ago, Jezyorkshire said:

Aye, only option is to not leave unattended man, it’s not worth the risk if it’s an expensive bass

It seems to backward to me. It's much more likely that my bass breaks after someone trips over a cable and knocks it over rather than someone breaks into my car (let's be honest, they're not getting it through a smashed window either, they'll have to blow the blaaaddy doors off.) Yet if all I care about is the insurance paying out I should be leaving the bass on-stage all night rather than in the car.

I'm  not arguing with you @Jezyorkshire, you're absolutely right. I'm hoping that some common sense prevails should I make a claim rather than saying I expect it.

[Jezyorkshire]

4 minutes ago, chyc said:

It seems to backward to me. It's much more likely that my bass breaks after someone trips over a cable and knocks it over rather than someone breaks into my car (let's be honest, they're not getting it through a smashed window either, they'll have to blow the blaaaddy doors off.) Yet if all I care about is the insurance paying out I should be leaving the bass on-stage all night rather than in the car.

I'm  not arguing with you @Jezyorkshire, you're absolutely right. I'm hoping that some common sense prevails should I make a claim rather than saying I expect it.

Yes brother, I know your not arguing! Just making observations between us, common sense hopefully mate!

[NotAsGoodAsJaco]

On 25/12/2019 at 10:28, Jezyorkshire said:

The quote I got demanded that any instrument be not visible in a vehicle if left unattended, almost impossible!

I think that they mean, as long as the bass is covered by a hard/soft case? I hope so, as I have insurance with Allianz. Been pretty good, no excess but expensive and covers unattended vehicles (but I believe the vehicle must be broken into and not left unlocked by accident).

[Jezyorkshire]

46 minutes ago, NotAsGoodAsJaco said:

I think that they mean, as long as the bass is covered by a hard/soft case? I hope so, as I have insurance with Allianz. Been pretty good, no excess but expensive and covers unattended vehicles (but I believe the vehicle must be broken into and not left unlocked by accident).

I am assuming they mean visible at all as it’s obvious that an instrument in 99.9% of times would be in a case to protect it while travelling? 

[Happy Jack]

5 hours ago, NotAsGoodAsJaco said:

I think that they mean, as long as the bass is covered by a hard/soft case? 

You're well into chocolate teapot territory there. If you can see the instrument from outside the vehicle, then you know there's something there worth breaking in and stealing. If you can't see anything at all to steal, then you're unlikely to bother/risk breaking in. A more-or-less shapeless hump covered by a blanket is - for me, anyway - a grey area but frankly not one I'd be prepared to rely on.

My experience of insurance claims has been almost uniformly bad ... if an underwriter can avoid paying out by using even the thinnest of technicalities then that's what they'll do. A sweeping statement, I'll grant you, but that's based on 45 years' experience of dealing with the public fraud that we call the insurance industry. 

Having been that savage, I'll give an honourable mention to the only insurance company I've dealt with in those 45 years who made no attempt at all to wriggle out of it, and who simply paid up in full and immediately. Take a bow, The Co-Op.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Happy Jack

[dodge_bass]

31 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

You're well into chocolate teapot territory there. If you can see the instrument from outside the vehicle, then you know there's something there worth breaking in and stealing. If you can't see anything at all to steal, then you're unlikely to bother/risk breaking in. A more-or-less shapeless hump covered by a blanket is - for me, anyway - a grey area but frankly not one I'd be prepared to rely on.

My experience of insurance claims has been almost uniformly bad ... if an underwriter can avoid paying out by using even the thinnest of technicalities then that's what they'll do. A sweeping statement, I'll grant you, but that's based on 45 years' experience of dealing with the public fraud that we call the insurance industry. 

Having been that savage, I'll give an honourable mention to the only insurance company I've dealt with in those 45 years who made no attempt at all to wriggle out of it, and who simply paid up in full and immediately. Take a bow, The Co-Op.

 

Allianz have paid out twice I think for repairs to my double bass no real questions asked. They just asked what happened (both times it was knocked and had a crack) and then send to get two quotes for the work. Sent them in and they paid up no issues. My old upright teacher said they always pay out for upright basses as they are so easily damaged. And they're basically bankrolled by millions of violin players who never claim. They get my vote for sure.

[NickA]

Yup. Allianz expensive but reliable.  Never realised that about violins tho!

Double basses are great value compared to violins. Lots more wood for your money and sound nice too!

[neilp]

I don't know of anyone who worries about this, even those with £30k or £40k basses leave them in their cars. It's not an issue as far as I'm aware, as long as you have cover for an unattended car.

[Jezyorkshire]

10 minutes ago, neilp said:

I don't know of anyone who worries about this, even those with £30k or £40k basses leave them in their cars. It's not an issue as far as I'm aware, as long as you have cover for an unattended car.

It’s all well and good having cover for unattended car but the instrument must has to be unseen

[neilp]

This is a red herring. If you're really bothered, buy a van. In legalese, the instrument being "unseen" is impossible to define and therefore almost irrelevant. If you put your bags and stool, music stand etc around it then cover the whole lot with a blanket, the instrument cannot be seen. Be sensible. Your bass is very very unlikely to be stolen from your car, and even more so if you cover it up. I'm comfortable that my bass is insured when it's in my car, just as anything else that is not in plain view is insured. 

[Jezyorkshire]

2 hours ago, neilp said:

This is a red herring. If you're really bothered, buy a van. In legalese, the instrument being "unseen" is impossible to define and therefore almost irrelevant. If you put your bags and stool, music stand etc around it then cover the whole lot with a blanket, the instrument cannot be seen. Be sensible. Your bass is very very unlikely to be stolen from your car, and even more so if you cover it up. I'm comfortable that my bass is insured when it's in my car, just as anything else that is not in plain view is insured. 

I ain’t bothered man, I just think you are being unrealistic

[neilp]

Well, in that case all the pro orchestral bassists I know and play with are being equally unrealistic. We all insure on the same basis. Up to you, no problem either way