Laptop Damage

CocoPops1_2

Hiya joined here for some advice I got a home contents policy with Halifax on 1stmay this yr. its my first home contents policy ive ever had. I have a dell high spec laptop which is 3yrs old and was 899 new then. Ive split a glass of coke on it as i get the shakes sometimes as im disabled and I also have diabetes, now it wont turn on or anything and i dont know if i can claim as ive only had my policy since may but its with the halifax and it says it covers accidental damage. Will they replace it or send it off to be repaired? ive got a 50/100 excess i think. any advice would be appreciated. thank you.

agrinnall

Asking them would probably be the best option. I'd think there's a good chance it will be covered but without seeing your policy it's impossible to say what they will do if the accept the claim.

CocoPops1_2

ok I'll give them a ring just wasn't sure, thanks for the reply

Quentin

Try and find out from your policy whether or not you are covered rather than asking your insurer

(If you contact your insurer just to ask even if you don't end up claiming they will record your loss and you will then have it on your history to disclose to any future insurers you approach for quotes. This could adversely affect your premiums.

CocoPops1_2

Ive got the policy click on line from my banking acc so im reading it now, thank you didnt know about calling them might affect it.

forgotmyname

As above find out if its actually covered and then check to see if its worth claiming.

My sister claimed for one and wished she had not, she got lumbered with an inferior laptop when an extra £50 from her own pocket would have bought the one she wanted instead and not had to declare the claim for upto 5 years. With the risk of increased premiums.

dacouch

Hi Coco.

Don't worry about having recently taken out the policy, Insurers are aware claims can happen at any time so that won't be a problem.

Assuming you have their Solutions policy it's covered under the standard cover under section 12 of page 19 http://static.halifax.co.uk/assets/pdf/insurance/pdf/hx_hia_pb_latest.pdf providing it happened in the home. They describe this kind of accident as "Accidental Damage"

Insurers are more than happy to pay valid claims, they sometimes have processes to validate a claim so don't be offended if they ask you questions about what happened and how long you've owned the lap top.

Sometimes Insurers will check the Hard Drive, this is a way they weed out fraudulent claims as they can see when the Lap Top was last used and any faults. Some customers lap tops breakdown or just wear out and then they have the bright idea of pretending they dropped the lap top so they can claim. So don't be alarmed if they ask for the hard drive.

It may not be covered if you use the lap top for business / in connection with your business (I've not checked the Halifax Policy but this is a common exclusion).

Insurers have suppliers for electrical equipment, once Halifax have validated the claim, they will pass you over to their supplier to arrange a replacement.

You will have "New for Old" Cover so they'll arrange a brand new replacement. Obviously they won't be able to source a brand new lap the same as your old lap top so they'll suggest a current replacement model that has the same or better specifications than your old Lap Top.

Don't expect the replacement lap top to be in the £900 value range as the cost of lap top technology keeps reducing.

The suppliers will often give you the opportunity to upgrade your machine eg they'll suggest a model say in the £450 price range. If you want to upgrade to a better machine you normally can and you just pay the difference between the cost of their suggestion and the lap top you want to upgrade to.

You normally pay your excess (This is your contribution towards the claim) to the Lap Top supplier Halifax recommend.

If you're not sure whether the replacement lap top they're offering is an equivalent to your old lap top. Feel free to ask on here or on the computers and technology forum on MSE.

I would recommend that you mention your Disability to Halifax as will help them validate the claim and they may help the claim through quicker.

If you need any help or advice feel free to ask

CocoPops1_2

thanks so much ! thats really helpful and I appreciate that

ps this is my laptop (i tried to put a link in dell but its not showing up) its a dell xps 15 and they still make it so will they just replace it with the same?

dacouch

CocoPops1 wrote: »

thanks so much ! thats really helpful and I appreciate that

ps this is my laptop (i tried to put a link in dell but its not showing up) its a dell xps 15 and they still make it so will they just replace it with the same?

I'm guessing the processor and memory have improved in the last three years so it may not be a direct swop