A Theft, Check Your Insurance

[Grimbles]

Hi Everyone,

A cautionary tale for those that keep some or all of their astro equipment in garages and outbuildings, I will try to cut a long story short.

Most of my astro equipment was kept in a very secure log cabin in the garden ready to be lifted out for use with the cabin serving as my warm room (PC's etc).  The cabin is alarmed, double glazed and the door fitted with the same triple point locks as you find on upvc doors and two large hasps with substantial padlocks.

Three weeks ago we had our usual round of September break ins around our's and surrounding villages, it well known which group are responsible, unfortunately this time it was my turn and two of my nieghbours on the same night.

I lost three older Canon DSLR's two of them modded, a Star Adventurer and Vanguard Tripod, ASI 224, other bits mostly filters, coma corrector, ADC, memory cards, batteries and power supplies that were attached to the camera's (just a bit shy of £2000 replacement cost).  They had started to strip down my EQ5 pro and 150pds but obviously did not know what they were doing as they removed just about every bolt and screw apart from the right ones, they also didn't check the aluminium flight case which had my MAK 150 all nicely packed up.

The police believe there were 4 thieves, with two at each property at any one time.  They estimate it would have taken them 20-30 min just to break into the cabin and disable the alarm, they were obviously disturbed during the attempted dismantling (my nieghbours dog barked and woke him up, he chased 2 of them but decided that running down the road in his pants was not that sensible).  He is a builder and lost over £7000 of power tools from his garage.

Despite there being fingerprints and DNA everywhere the police were not interested other than to give a crime number followed by a text 9 hours later saying due to lack of evidence 'case closed'.

On to the insurance company which shall remain nameless, I took out their top of the range policy with all the bells and whistles I disclosed what was stored in the cabin and values when i took the policy out in March this year and them saying that was ok as long as the total was not over £5000 and no individual item over £1000, guess what?

The initial response was that they were not going to pay out as the items were high risk and should all have been kept in the main house, after a week of wrangling and them going back to listen to the recording of the converstaion when I took out the policy they finally begrudgingly agreed to pay about 70% of the value.

The lessons here are that:

1. The police are no longer interested in burglaries from outbuildings and garages despite the evidence available, and take the same attitude as the thieves 'you are insured aren't you'.

2. Check and double check what your insurance company will cover in outbuildings and make sure you have it in writing.

 

On a happier note I have now replaced and set up all my kit again (and added cameras and additional security measures ?)  so I am now waiting for the next clear night.

Again you may think your kit is safe, secure and insured and that you will get the right response from the authorities should things go wrong, check and check again because I can guarantee that most of us think we are but the reality is very different.

Looking forward to getting back to imaging.

Martin

[Demonperformer]

I feel your pain, Martin. Once had a laptop stolen while it was imaging. Like you, all the cops were interested in was giving me a crime number so I could claim on insurance.

Astro-insurance can be a nightmare. Most of my gear, the moment I take it through the front door becomes completely uninsured. The increase in cost to insure it in my front garden is ridiculous, so I decided a couple of years ago to not bother. I have 'earmarked' one of the stocks in my portfolio as 'astro-insurance' and, if anything ever does get dropped/stolen, I will sell some of those shares to pay for replacment. In the mean time, instead of haemorrhaging money to the insurance company every year (and simple logic dictates that the average insurance policy must cost a lot more than is ever claimed against it) I get a healthy 7% dividend and an average 13% annual growth in its value (since 2013).

[Grimbles]

6 minutes ago, Demonperformer said:

I feel your pain, Martin. Once had a laptop stolen while it was imaging. Like you, all the cops were interested in was giving me a crime number so I could claim on insurance.

Astro-insurance can be a nightmare. Most of my gear, the moment I take it through the front door becomes completely uninsured. The increase in cost to insure it in my front garden is ridiculous, so I decided a couple of years ago to not bother. I have 'earmarked' one of the stocks in my portfolio as 'astro-insurance' and, if anything ever does get dropped/stolen, I will sell some of those shares to pay for replacment. In the mean time, instead of haemorrhaging money to the insurance company every year (and simple logic dictates that the average insurance policy must cost a lot more than is ever claimed against it) I get a healthy 7% dividend and an average 13% annual growth in its value (since 2013).

Hi Thanks.  What you say makes sense, this was my first claim in over 35 years of house insurance and during that period I would have been far better putting all of the premiums into a savings account or like you stocks and shares and I would still be in profit. I need to rethink my kit insurance options when it comes to renewal time.

[ollypenrice]

Sorry story, good post.

Dogs, aren't they great.

Olly

[Knighty2112]

Disgusting! The police are a joke when it comes to burglary, and insurance companies try to wrangle out of anything. I remember years ago when I used to be in the building trade, I got some of my tools and a couple of the kids bikes pinched from my shed in the back garden of my old house. The insurance company looked for anything not to pay out on, and picked up on a tool called a ‘scutch’, which they wouldn’t pay out on as they classed it as requiring extra insurance as it wasn’t a common tool that anyone would have. Where I live now I don’t really have room for any outbuildings, so all my astro gear is kept inside the house, so fingers crossed! 

[Oddsocks]

It’s worth pointing out again as I have done before that many insurance companies will not pay out on a claim if you have openly listed your valuable property on an open internet forum or social media site such as SGL.

They consider that listing valuable property in an easily accessible public place is a careless attitude, whether or not access to such information was a factor in the subsequent loss.

I stopped listing my equipment under my signature here at SGL several years ago after finding that my insurer at that time had failed to pay out on theft claims using such an exclusion clause.

William.

[ollypenrice]

7 minutes ago, Oddsocks said:

It’s worth pointing out again as I have done before that many insurance companies will not pay out on a claim if you have openly listed your valuable property on an open internet forum or social media site such as SGL.

They consider that listing valuable property in an easily accessible public place is a careless attitude, whether or not access to such information was a factor in the subsequent loss.

I stopped listing my equipment under my signature here at SGL several years ago after finding that my insurer at that time had failed to pay out on theft claims using such an exclusion clause.

William.

Just to add that, this being so, insurance companies and their agents should make this absolutely clear, up front in bold print, before accepting their clients' cash in a premuim.

Olly

[Grimbles]

5 minutes ago, Oddsocks said:

It’s worth pointing out again as I have done before that many insurance companies will not pay out on a claim if you have openly listed your valuable property on an open internet forum or social media site such as SGL.

They consider that listing valuable property in an easily accessible public place is a careless attitude, whether or not access to such information was a factor in the subsequent loss.

I stopped listing my equipment under my signature here at SGL several years ago after finding that my insurer at that time had failed to pay out on theft claims using such an exclusion clause.

William.

A valid point worth noting, they will use every excuse and in that instance is no better than saying it was your fault, not the theives who trespassed, damaged and stole your property.

[Knighty2112]

10 minutes ago, Oddsocks said:

It’s worth pointing out again as I have done before that many insurance companies will not pay out on a claim if you have openly listed your valuable property on an open internet forum or social media site such as SGL.

They consider that listing valuable property in an easily accessible public place is a careless attitude, whether or not access to such information was a factor in the subsequent loss.

I stopped listing my equipment under my signature here at SGL several years ago after finding that my insurer at that time had failed to pay out on theft claims using such an exclusion clause.

William.

That’s interesting to know. Hmmmm......

[Rob]

A painful story. My best wishes to you, and very glad to read you have recovered from this nightmare!. Its shocking thing.. Hiding behind crime numbers and nothing done, even when there's clear evidence??!! WTH

[Demonperformer]

18 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

Just to add that, this being so, insurance companies and their agents should make this absolutely clear, up front in bold print, before accepting their clients' cash in a premuim.

Olly

Sorry, Olly, but that just does not make sense. If they did that, you might decide not to give them your money. Why would they do that? You are clearly under some delusion about the way insurance companies work.

[Knighty2112]

7 minutes ago, Demonperformer said:

Sorry, Olly, but that just does not make sense. If they did that, you might decide not to give them your money. Why would they do that? You are clearly under some delusion about the way insurance companies work.

Sarcasm, or cold hearted capitalism? I can’t make my mind up?  

[Gina]

39 minutes ago, Oddsocks said:

It’s worth pointing out again as I have done before that many insurance companies will not pay out on a claim if you have openly listed your valuable property on an open internet forum or social media site such as SGL.

They consider that listing valuable property in an easily accessible public place is a careless attitude, whether or not access to such information was a factor in the subsequent loss.

I stopped listing my equipment under my signature here at SGL several years ago after finding that my insurer at that time had failed to pay out on theft claims using such an exclusion clause.

William.

Oops!!  Too late - already in the archives!!  What a sad world we live it!

[ollypenrice]

43 minutes ago, Demonperformer said:

Sorry, Olly, but that just does not make sense. If they did that, you might decide not to give them your money. Why would they do that? You are clearly under some delusion about the way insurance companies work.

Heh heh, then the law should oblige them to do it.

I went into a friend's shop once to find him bellowing down the phone something like, 'What? What? What kind of ruddy God do you believe in?' After this mysterious utterance he banged down the phone and explained that two huge wheels had come off a crane on a dual carriageway. One had sailed off into the countryside but the other had gone up an embankment, made a U-turn and rolled straight over his van, trashing it. Apparently the insurance company had suggested that this might be ragarded as an Act of God!

lly

[Gina]

Time that was outlawed!!

[JOC]

Oh, Gina I am so sorry to hear this - what a worry, esp. as they know they left stuff behind and may return for it.  At least you were not physically harmed, but mentally it must be a huge worry to know that you have been visited by dodgy people.  Hopefully your new precautions will help.  Do you have a neighbourhood watch group?  It might be worth setting one up?  I am also a huge advocate of the Big Noisy Dog approach to security - although they are a bit of bind to look after I wouldn't be without a big dog.     Just what turns innocent babies into folks that haven't a shred of common decency I just don't know.  I'd better not write down what needs to happen to them!!

[Gina]

It wasn't me who was burgled.  See OP.  We have had things like chainsaws stolen from the shed some years ago.  That was when Tim was doing tree cutting around the area and had chainsaws on full view on his pick-up truck.  Never had a theft from the truck though.  The local police were very helpful at the time and not only tried to trace the thieves but marked all our equipment free.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Very interesting topic and points raised.

Sorry to say this, but insurance sucks. You pay a premium to cover your items against theft, damage etc., and they insert wording to make you, the innocent party, plead guilty if you do not comply with their policy schedule / T's & C's.

On that note and sidetrack the issue of the OP, my ETX105 backend got damaged at a star-party. The insurer refused to payout, because as they put it... 'it was not inside the home at the time of the incident'. I challanged them and asked what if it happened in my garden/yard... no answer! ...hang on a moment... I pay a premium and an excess to cover it against theft, damage etc., when I am away from my home... they still refused to pay. I changed to another insurer upon renewal. I need to check whether my present insurer says I am covered for 'away from home use' as it is due for renewal in November.

[JamesF]

Not a pleasant story in so many ways :(  Whereabouts-ish in Somerset are you, Martin?  There was a spate of burglaries around here (south east edge of Exmoor) around the same time-frame if I recall correctly.  The local cricket pavilion was broken into amongst others, despite being lit up like a Christmas tree.

Clearly it hasn't occurred to insurance companies that if they don't pay out then there is no reason for them to exist (except for where insurance is legally or contractually required).  I know of a few bee-keepers who "self-insure" equipment by investing the money they'd otherwise have to pay to insurance companies because, basically, they don't trust the insurers.

Despite the proliferation of security lights it seems to me that noise is a far better deterrent against thieves, and it isn't necessary to own a big noisy dog to have the noise of a big noisy dog :)

James

[Gina]

My home insurance covers items away from home if they are specified.  Would have to check for non-specified items but I think they are below a certain value.

[Gina]

I was going to suggest high level noise as a deterrent too.  Not only would it hurt the ears of the burglars but wake the whole neighbourhood!

[spillage]

I would like to be able to just say that the police are only interested in creating revenue. But even though this is terrible news what if the local plod worked for their wage and actually caught these culprits.

We would just end up paying for their full board holiday. Better know as prison.

Has anyone got any rottweiler puppies for sale :))

[RT65CB-SWL]

I got a big police station near me and I don't see any 'Bobbies on the beat' ?‍♂️?‍♀️ come out out of it...

...unless they are in a 'Panda car' ?

[JamesF]

3 minutes ago, spillage said:

what if the local plod worked for their wage and actually caught these culprits.

We would just end up paying for their full board holiday. Better know as prison.

Well, yes, but that just means we pay for it one way or another, either through losing property to theft and money to increasing insurance premiums or through taxation to keep the culprits banged up.  And if they believe they are likely to be caught that would perhaps discourage others who might otherwise take the same path.

I can't help thinking though that if the police fail to address such crimes (and I seem to recall reading somewhere recently that there's only a 10% chance of being caught for theft, though how that figure is derived I really don't know) then it will eventually drive people to take the law into their own hands.  Whilst I'd probably empathise with those who are driven to do so, I can't believe vigilanteeism is a healthy thing for society.

James

[Oddsocks]

27 minutes ago, Philip R said:

I need to check whether my present insurer says I am covered for 'away from home use' as it is due for renewal in November

You need to watch out for the 'Under Insured' clause as well.

When I lived closer to London my neighbours garage was burgled and a couple of expensive mountain bikes were stolen together with some power tools.  He had purposely not insured the bikes (as he just could not afford it) and claimed just for the power tools and damage to the garage door under house contents insurance but the insurers, on receiving the crime report, noted the mention of the mountain bikes and failed to pay up invoking a clause that stated if you failed to declare and insure all the contents of the property to the full repayment value then the insurance was void. 

They stuck to that clause and the claim was rejected.

My current insurance contain a similar clause that states "If undisclosed individual items of a replacement value of £1500 or above are damaged or stolen the underwriter reserves the right to reduce the total  repayment for all items lost or damaged in the claim by 50%"

And that is buried in twenty pages of gobbledegook.