Tablet cover - is it worth?

new2allthis

Hi All

I'm about to buy a new tablet through Amazon and, just as I added the tablet to my basket, a prompt appeared suggesting 2- or 3-year cover:

Amazon Protect 3 year Accidental Damage & Breakdown Cover for Tablets from £200 to £249.99
by London General Insurance Company Limited
Price: £75.00 FREE UK delivery

Upselling is not a surprise but, for some reason, I hadn't considered getting cover before now. Stupid, I know, because I did with my printer and white goods purchases, and would automatically factor insurance into the equation if buying a new car or house.

But, before I just jump in, I wanted to check if it's worth it. I remember reading an article on MSE previously about boiler cover not always being cost-effective, and wanted to check whether that could be the case here too. After all, I don't want to pay out for something that isn't worth the paper it's written on or only provides the same, or a worse, level of cover I already have with my home insurance.

The cover proposed by Amazon doesn't include loss of theft or "cosmetic damage that does not affect the functionality of your product". So, I will need to add the tablet to my home insurance in respect of loss and theft anyway. I will also check the small print of the policy summary to ensure that something like a cracked screen is not considered cosmetic.

For the cover to apply, the tablet has to be bought through Amazon (no problem) and the cover and the tablet have to be bought on the same day. The cooling-off period is pretty generous - you get a full refund if you cancel within 45 days.

I can't find London General Insurance Company Limited on Defaqto, though, which I've become used to checking its star ratings as an extra indicator of the quality of an insurance product. Now , I realise it may not be there because it is badged as accidental damage and breakdown 'cover' rather than 'insurance' - same difference to me but, no doubt, there's a legal or technical reason for such splitting of hairs. But, if it's not eligible to be included in the Defaqto star ratings, is there an equivalent for warranties and other types of cover?

It's a beautiful day so most people will be out making the most of it, I'm sure. But if anyone is able to respond today I'd be most grateful. I'm keen to order the tablet today ideally in order that it arrives before an imminent deadline that I have.

Many thanks in advance!

AJ

dunstonh

How much do you pay for your life assurance, income protection, pension planning etc?

Lots of people pay silly money for insuring insignificant things but do not pay for the more important things.

huckster

Depends on whether you think they would pay out. With a lot of these Insurances sold to cover electrical goods, they contain a lot of clauses to frustrate claims being made. For £25 a year extra, you might decide that it is worth it, if you are happy with the policy terms. You could also look online for 'gadget insurance' to see what other policies are available.

Home Insurance usually with an excess of at least £100 would make claiming for an item valued £250 pretty pointless. With future increases in premium due to claiming, it might end up costing you more. The Policy via Amazon should cover the Tablet outside of your house and you would need to check Home Insurance to see if it covers items away from home.

In regard to breakdown cover, remember that under Consumer rights and sale of goods you have rights beyond the standard warranty. A product should last without faults for a reasonable lifetime for the type of product. Is this Amazon policy going to offer more than you can get through warranty or normal consumer rights ?

Personally i would not buy Insurance for a Tablet costing £250.

new2allthis

dunstonh wrote: »

How much do you pay for your life assurance, income protection, pension planning etc?

Lots of people pay silly money for insuring insignificant things but do not pay for the more important things.

Firstly, thank you for replying so quickly.

Good point, although not directly relevant to my particular query. But, in answer to your question:
1. I don't need cover that pays out when I die. I didn't think there were options that covered vegetative states or if your mental capacity should deteriorate to the point that power of attorney might need to be invoked?
2. My employer pays more than the minimum for statutory redundancy and sick pay. Plus, the policies I've seen exclude more than they include and wouldn't have paid out in any of the situations I've found myself in.
3. I have a final-salary occupation pension but ought to be thinking beyond that, you're right.

new2allthis

huckster wrote: »

Depends on whether you think they would pay out. With a lot of these Insurances sold to cover electrical goods, they contain a lot of clauses to frustrate claims being made. For £25 a year extra, you might decide that it is worth it, if you are happy with the policy terms. You could also look online for 'gadget insurance' to see what other policies are available.

Home Insurance usually with an excess of at least £100 would make claiming for an item valued £250 pretty pointless. With future increases in premium due to claiming, it might end up costing you more. The Policy via Amazon should cover the Tablet outside of your house and you would need to check Home Insurance to see if it covers items away from home.

In regard to breakdown cover, remember that under Consumer rights and sale of goods you have rights beyond the standard warranty. A product should last without faults for a reasonable lifetime for the type of product. Is this Amazon policy going to offer more than you can get through warranty or normal consumer rights ?

Personally i would not buy Insurance for a Tablet costing £250.

Thanks for responding so quickly.

Ordinarily my home insurance policy wouldn't cover the tablet as handheld computer equipment is excluded, but it can be covered with additional accidental damage and/or personal possessions options. I took out the latter which covers items away from home including abroad but, if I recall correctly I had to specify the items to be covered. So, I would probably need to add the tablet as another specified item to be sure it would be covered.

There is a year's manufacturer's warranty which covers breakdown in the first year, so the Amazon policy covers just the accidental damage. In years 2 and 3, the Amazon policy covers both.

The t's & c's are rather vague on the issue of a scratched screen. The stated exclusions include: "Cosmetic damage such as scratches, dents and corrosion that doesn’t impact the function
and use of your Product is not covered." Guess it would come down to a debate about what level of functionality is considered reasonable (what fun!).

Apodemus

I take the view that if you add up all the insurances that I am not taking out on household items, I can more than afford to pay-out to myself if something does go wrong with one of them. So I never take out these additional insurances. Same goes for boiler cover or pipes to the house etc. Lump them all together and ask yourself when you would have ever needed to make a claim?