Lloyds TSB Insurance take irony to a new level.

grrrth

I am an amateur photographer.

I am also insured by Lloyds TSB Insurance Services, with their Home Solutions policy.

On the 25th August I was burgled, and my cameras, worth around £2700 - were stolen from my home.

Lloyds TSB are refusing to pay out on the grounds that I am a professional photographer. No where have they defined this, however.

The irony is that they are running their own photography competition - The British Weather Photographer of the Year.

In this competition they define "amateur" as someone who earns less than 10%, or £5000, per year from photography.

Lloyds are insisting that their competition, and their insurance policies are different.

Fine, so on that basis Lloyds TSB are willingly encouraging their own customers to render parts of their insurance policies void. Lloyds TSB are not willing to cover their own customers who enter their own photography competition.

I have started a blog about it!

neilmcl

So you're either an amateur photographer or you are earning an income from it. Which is it?

grrrth

Under their competition you can be an "amateur", and earn income from it (with no limitation on self promotion, etc.).

Under their insurance policies you can't. Not that they have defined "amateur" or "professional".

The competition is being run to promote the policies.

If anyone can work that out, they are better than me.

Mark_Hewitt

Regardless of that there are usually clauses in most policies where you have to state if you have items of considerable value in the house.

grrrth

I was covered for £10,000 worth of "valuables" inside the home, and £5000 outside the home. Even more ironic as I extended the out of home cover because of my camera equipment.

But, that's irrelevant. That's not why they are declining that aspect of my claim.

Freddie_Snowbits

Sorry, but £2,700 of camera equipment is not considered ammatuer. I have separate polices in place with specialist insurers to cover my equipment, detailing a comprehensive inventory, whether the equipment is used on location etc. It also reduces my useless House Insurance at the same time.

grrrth

Lloyds TSB have not defined "professional" or "amateur" in any of their policy documents. There is nothing to stop me from having that equipment. Whether it is "professional" or not is open to debate anyway. This is not about value of the goods stolen. Under any definition I am an amateur - I derive no income from photography.

I've written a blog where I outline the story - lloydstsbfail dot tumblr dot com

neilmcl

grrrth wrote: »

I was covered for £10,000 worth of "valuables" inside the home, and £5000 outside the home. Even more ironic as I extended the out of home cover because of my camera equipment.

But, that's irrelevant. That's not why they are declining that aspect of my claim.

[STRIKE]Yet you still haven't answered the question of whether you earn an income from photography or not.[/STRIKE] Ignore this, I didn't read your later post.

Have you asked Lloyds why they are classing you as a professional then?

pulliptears

Freddie_Snowbits wrote: »

Sorry, but £2,700 of camera equipment is not considered ammatuer. I have separate polices in place with specialist insurers to cover my equipment, detailing a comprehensive inventory, whether the equipment is used on location etc. It also reduces my useless House Insurance at the same time.

I reckon by the time you add up my kit with lenses etc you are somewhere close to that. I am amateur, I don't earn any money from my photography and I do it for enjoyment.

You can have tens of thousands of pounds worth of equipment and still be amateur if you do it for fun and enjoyment and don't make money from it.

fluffnutter

pulliptears wrote: »

I reckon by the time you add up my kit with lenses etc you are somewhere close to that. I am amateur, I don't earn any money from my photography and I do it for enjoyment.

You can have tens of thousands of pounds worth of equipment and still be amateur if you do it for fun and enjoyment and don't make money from it.

Totally agree. The OH's golf kit's worth thousands. He's rubbish. All the gear and no idea.

Optimist

I note from your blog you are going to the ombudsman so I guess this is just a rant rather than asking for advice. So good luck.

You might like to look at the ABIs general statements of practice which the Ombudsman tends to use as a starting point