If you were to purchase today?

[pete_l]

The things that bugs me most of all about insurance (for any of my "toys") is that even if you can get someone to accept your money, you're still not covered until you make a claim and it is paid - in full. Up to that point, you may well think you're covered, but policeies these days have so many exceptions, provisions, limits and restrictions that I would have no confidence in getting a claim paid, even if I was spending £thousands on the policy.

Maybe I'll start insuring telescopes as well (in competition with Astro_Baby). Except my policy will be simpler. You pay me a flat-rate premium of £200 p.y. --- that's all.

[Astro_Baby]

Gaz - i have been round the block on this one quite a few times - if anyone knows someone who will DEFINITELY insure it for out of the house in a field at something approaching a reasonable price I'd be interested. I have given up though - they all SAY they will but when you start talking to them in earnest it turns out they either want ridiculous condition (ie it stays in a locked car) OR they want a premium that makes no sense.

By the way Glover and Howe nearly got there but then it turned out they wouldnt insure while the equipment was in transit - so if they were in a locked car that was run into by someone else they wouldnt cover - they said I'd have to take legal action to recover from the other driver. Well I can do that myself without shoving £1500 to an insurance broker.

I even tried calling a broker at Lloyds I used to deal with years ago when I was a pro photographer and operated from a collection of rented studios and had to cover the costs of all the stuff like lights, costumes, props etc which were about £50k worth of gearn and even they said 'its too risky to have something like a telescope on cover if its in a field'

Call me soppy but I thought insuarnce was about evaluating risk - How many people have had a large telescope stolen while in a field I wonder.

[Astro_Baby]

OK - I am going to compete with Pete

I'll cover all your gear for a £1 a day no questions but reserve the right never to pay out if I dont want to, dont feel like it, have a headache.

[Moonshane]

best think to do is save what would have been an additional premium every year and buy more stuff with it if you have a disaster!

[lukebl]

Around 50K on scopes and 150K on observatories if I'd had to purchse them instead of building them myself

Crikey! I'm with some wealthy and exhalted company here!

[MG1]

It's worth checking the wording of your policy, but we have cover for a total sum outside of the house of £2500 with no individual item being more than £1500.

The only exclusions I'm aware of are furs, art and antiquities. So it might just be a case of being selective about what's with you when you go to remote sites.

As far as I'm concerned the risk of being in a small group in a dark field is no greater (probably significantly less) than blinging a £1500 watch around in a nightclub. (I neither have the watch nor frequent the clubs btw)

But then that sounds reasonable and we all know that insurance is such a reasonable business.... Lol!

I have had one claim with my old 30D and a pricey L lens that fell into this category...I was worried because I'd purchased them together for over £1500 but successfully argued that they were two separate items on the basis that I could sell either piece individually and they didn't need each other to function.

But then as is often the case precedents don't necessarily set law.

Btw, to make everyone feel good....now compare what you actually paid for stuff....I reckon that by shopping around I've saved almost £3k on photography and Astro kit!

Much better to think of that than living in the past!

fun thread though!

[Nexus 6]

I had no trouble getting my 925 insured from Santander. I felt a lot better for doing so and all the other kit is on the standard under £1,000 per item limit.

Alan

[pete_l]

It's worth checking the wording of your policy, but we have cover for a total sum outside of the house of £2500 with no individual item being more than £1500.

You have to be a bit careful if you do that. Insurance companies don't like people being underinsured and will only pay a pro-rated sum if you make a claim.

So, if you have stuff valued at £10k but only buy £5k of cover (I don't know if that's the situation with your £2500 cover) and then make a claim for £500 of damage, you could well find that the insurers will only pay half of what you're claiming. Hopefully your policy would cover any £2,500 worth of kit out of your total set of equipment, but it might assume that £2,500's worth is all the equipment you have. It would be very sad to find out after the event that they weren't going to pay your claim.

[Earl]

to replace it all new and cover the lots including cables id say about 4K

[astroeddie]

Wow some set ups there guys.

My stuff was insured for £6k, 3 scopes and accessories. Camera another £1k.

Flogged the lot for an insane clear out and start all over again. Currently have a lowly set of 15 x 70 binos. Ermm .... £99.

New set up coming my next shore leave and cann't wait.

Eddie

[tom.yates]

AP 178 REFRACTOR ,ALTER D6 WITH AWR GOTO UPGRADE ,EYEPIECES, CG5 MOUNT, 100MM BINOCULARS ECT WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE WORTH