Mobile phone stolen, help

tartanlass

My daughter has had her mobile phone stolen on a trip arranged for youngsters by the local council. She put her belongings down where advised by the helpers and regularly checked her bag which was always zipped. Just before heading home she noticed her bag was lying open and sprawled across the floor with her phone and money missing. She informed the helpers who informed the ten pin bowling where they were that a phone had gone missing. They were then herded on the bus and brought home with no one in the group being questioned or the police being informed.

I was abroad for a few days when this happened and have had to report it as a theft myself days later. 2 young girls who were on the trip have admitted handling the phone but are not admitting to taking it out my daughters bag. They both blamed the other of having it until we got them together and both said they'd held it.

I hadnt gotten round to insuring it with my bank as my daughter only got it 4 weeks ago for her birthday. It is a 2 year contract and I am fuming that nine of the adults done much about it at the time like stopping the kids and phoning the police.

Could I claim for a replacement phone if the group had public liability insurance? My home insurance wont cover it as it happened outside the home. My daughter loked after it and it was theft, pure and simple.

InsideInsurance

Irrespective of if the group has insurance or not you could attempt to recover the cost of the phone from them, if they have insurance they will pass the claim on to their insurers.

How old is your daughter? Did you sign anything either when she joined the group or explicitly for this trip? If so does it mention anything about liabilities? How much is the phone to buy as PAYG?

McKneff

If she or no one else saw someone opening the bag, stealing the money and phone and throwing it on the floor, she must have left it unattended at some time. So tell her she must be prepared to be questioned about it.

Did these girls say what happened to the phone after they 'held' it.

opinions4u

If you leave a phone unattended and it gets nicked no insurer is going to have a liability for it.

You could pursue a liability against the organisers of the trip. Once outcome will be that mobile phones are banned from future events.

I hadnt gotten round to insuring it with my bank as my daughter only got it 4 weeks ago for her birthday. It is a 2 year contract

One reason why I never allowed my under 18s to have a contract phone. I didn't want to have the contractual liability for their ability to lose / break / overuse it.

tartanlass

She had a pay and go for a couple of years and looked after it, its still here which is why I allowed her a contract phone. I really don't blame my daughter in this case. She had her phone with her so she could arrange for someone ti collect her as I was away and she put her belongings where they were told which was a couple of feet away from her when it was her turn to bowl. Other than that she was sat beside her bag.

She has been questioned by the police. As I say they are treating it as theft and came to my house last night for statements from ourselves and my daughter. The 2 girls who have admitted handling it both say different things each time they are asked. The police are going to question them and also check cctv.

I just wondered what this public liability insurance was as a woman I work with know of a case where someone else was able to claim for the loss of his sons jacket on a similar occasion.