Laptop Claim

price091

Guys,

First time on here and first post; seems like some reasonable people here so figured I would see what response I get. Heres what happened:

My job requires me to travel a lot, I have a laptop that is worth somewhere in the remit of £2k that I got insured just over a week ago.

A few days back, I fell down the stairs at waterloo station and my laptop took the brunt of the fall unfortunately. It was in a protective case and there is very little cosmetic damage to the actual laptop however, it has since stopped working and won't even switch on.

I do have a knowledge of computers and believe it is a graphics card problem that has resulted from the fall, however my concern is that the insurance company may try and say that it isn't because of the fall, due to no cosmetic damage occuring.

I have never made a claim before on anything so can someone advise me of the steps I should take/language to use when claiming for this with my insurance company. I have already checked my policy and I am covered for accidental damage.

Also, are the insurance company likely to want to take a look at the laptop to determine the damage? or do they tend to just take my word for it? (I doubt it!)

Thanks and I look forward to your responses.

rs65

price091 wrote: »

Also, are the insurance company likely to want to take a look at the laptop to determine the damage?

Yes they will. Maybe send it to a firm that they choose for repair.

It will look a bit questionable that this happened within days of taking out insurance.

Who are you insured with?

xMonsoonx

At that value, they probably will want to inspect it.

price091

Forces financial. Do you think it better to wait a couple of weeks? There's no 'cool off period' in the T's + C's but I'm aware it looks fishy...especially as I'll essentially be claiming for an internal hardware issue.

TSx

When they inspect it, the first thing they will do is check the hard drive to see the last used date (the laptop will record when it was last switched on) to ensure this matches up to your story.

They will also inspect the components to see if there is visible signs of impact damage - making sure the damage is consistent with with circumstances and doesn't appear to be a failed component or general breakdown. It generally isn't difficult to tell from the way the damage appears how it occurred.

I will say that there are a few things already ringing alarm bells in my (claims handler) head - recent inception of the policy (even worse if it is recent addition to an existing policy), knowledge of policy terms and conditions, lack of physical damage.

Was anyone at Waterloo aware of the fall? Did you receive any medical attention? (things which will help support a possible claim - particularly given that this puts a date to the fall which is after the inception of the policy, and which they can compare with the last used date on the laptop).

Ultimately, if it has been damaged in the fall then the insurance company should pay (or more likely, repair/replace the laptop).

dacouch

You should definately not wait a few weeks, you should just tell the truth and nothing but the truth. If you lie there's a good chance they will discover it. #notgood

Be aware they're likely to check the lap top to check when it was last used to make sure it tallies with what you're saying and when you took out the cover.

If it's a kit policy you've taken out, they are used to dealing with accidental damage to lap tops and tv's from falling downstairs as this is how the vast majority of them covered by kit policies are damaged

price091

TSX:

Thanks for the response. I wasn't aware that the insurance companies to that. With regards to a HD check, until they check it, am I able to use a hard drive enclosure to access my information? Or will this mess the time frame up?

I received no medical attention as I only slipped, the laptop came out of my hands and actually bounced down the stairs. The case protected it from cosmetic damage, but as I said, I have had these problems with it since.

Also, why is my knowledge of the policy I bought an alarm bell to a claims representative? Surely it's my obligation and right to know what it is I am paying for?

dacouch

price091 wrote: »

TSX:

Thanks for the response. I wasn't aware that the insurance companies to that. With regards to a HD check, until they check it, am I able to use a hard drive enclosure to access my information? Or will this mess the time frame up?

I received no medical attention as I only slipped, the laptop came out of my hands and actually bounced down the stairs. The case protected it from cosmetic damage, but as I said, I have had these problems with it since.

Also, why is my knowledge of the policy I bought an alarm bell to a claims representative? Surely it's my obligation and right to know what it is I am paying for?

What TSX means is there are certain things that would ring alarm bells to an Insurer.

Taking cover out just before an incident would be one.

Falling downstairs with a lap top is another as it's a common way of fraudulently claiming for a lap top.

Knowing the relevant parts of the policy may also ring alarm bells.

The value of the lap top may also ring alarm bells.

Having said that, none of the above would prevent a genuine claim being paid, they just mean the Insurer will make additional checks to ensure it's a valid claim

Out of interest, how old is the lap top, how long have you owned it, where did you buy it and what made you take out cover

price091

Ah ok I understand! My claim is genuine, but I get it that a lot about it looks off to a claims handler. I've not claimed before hence my asking on here first.

The laptop is 2 years old and I bought it brand new from dell; I've kept it in near mint condition, it's had hardware faults in the past but they were due to the manufacturer not fitting them properly, they have all been dealt with. I've always had kit insurance, I just switched providers recently as I didn't want the cover over the Christmas period because I needed the cash!

dacouch

price091 wrote: »

Ah ok I understand! My claim is genuine, but I get it that a lot about it looks off to a claims handler. I've not claimed before hence my asking on here first.

The laptop is 2 years old and I bought it brand new from dell; I've kept it in near mint condition, it's had hardware faults in the past but they were due to the manufacturer not fitting them properly, they have all been dealt with. I've always had kit insurance, I just switched providers recently as I didn't want the cover over the Christmas period because I needed the cash!

The age of the Lap Top will ring alarm bells as well.

As mentioned just tell the truth and a genuine claim will be paid.

Insurers often use cognitive interviews to ensure the client is telling the truth.

Be aware that if they replace the lap top it won't be with a £2k machine but with a new model with the equivalent specifications

chanz4

£2k laptop worth £300 now, op If their is no external marks I suspect that the graphics card isnt todo with this issue. A graphics chip is soldered to the board and I cant just see that been damaged and nothing else.