accidental damage cover for smart tv - is Row any good?

littlerock

we bought a new smart TV (our first one) for Christmas. Current stand was too small so we ordered a new one which arrived Xmas Eve. (we plan to redecorate later this year and wall mount it but for now it will sit on a stand.)

We assembled stand yesterday and in the course of moving new TV between carpet and stand it fell on the floor and hit the plug on its power cable. Result broken screen ( now mostly vertical lines) ;((. We are looking at claiming it on our home insurance which includes accidental damage but are nervous how it might affect our policy at renewal. Have heard horror stories.

So thinking of insuring any replacement TV separately like mobile phone as screen seems very vulnerable to damage and hard to repair. Not many insurance companies who insure mobile phones also offer TVcover with accidental damage cover but Row does. Anyone used them! Are they any good.?

eddddy

Their Gadget policy summary says TVs are excluded from accidental damage cover:

Accidental damage

We will pay for the sudden and unforeseen accidental damage to the Gadget (excluding televisions) including liquid damage not otherwise specifically excluded from this Policy.

https://row.co.uk/quote/appliances > Gadget Information / Policy Summary

GDB2222

"So thinking of insuring any replacement TV separately like mobile phone as screen seems very vulnerable to damage and hard to repair. Not many insurance companies who insure mobile phones also offer TVcover with accidental damage cover"

It seems like the insurance companies have analysed their claim stats and come to the same conclusion as you. Hence, they don't offer cover.

littlerock

Yes you are right. Row does not cover televisions accidental damage. Protect Your Bubble does do accidental damage coverage for TVs, or appears to. So does John Lewis but I assume your have to buy the tv from John Lewis in the first place. Is that correct?

Meanwhile I phoned LV, my insurer, to talk about the options for claiming against my accidental damage cover on my home insurance.

I got put through to someone who sounded as though they were working from an overseas call centre (- it had the noisy line you often get with overseas call centres- ) and speaking with a not entirely clear English accent, who was clearly working to a script. I explained briefly about my tv and said I wanted to discuss the possible options, whether it was even worth claiming and how it might be handled if I did claim (eg new tv, repair tv (which seems unlikely to be possible), would it affect my policy cost etc ).

She just kept insisting she had to take down full details of my claim before she could discuss it. I don't want to make a claim at this stage - not least as I do not want an incident logged on my account if it is not going to be worth claiming - I just want to discuss the options - but this did not fit her script. Hopeless.

Blibble

Once you notify your insurer of the loss, that in itself may affect your premium as you are perceived to be more likely to claim in the future. Did your insurer take any policy details, or was it just an informal chat?

Usually the unit would be taken in for inspection to assess the damage and potential repairability. Once you factor in the excess fee and premium increase over 5 years, I wouldn't have thought a claim economical, but try some dummy quotes online with and without the claim to check how much the premium would increase by.

littlerock

I wanted to have an informal chat but the rather aggressive call handler wasn't having any of it and was not prepared to discuss it with me until she had completed a claim form. So I rang off without giving her my personal information for just the reasons you say.

Quentin

Never contact your insurer regarding a loss/claim etc unless you are certain you will be making a claim

The details will always be recorded against your history as a loss irrespective of whether or not you do make a claim

You are in catch 22 if you want to pursue the aggressive agent aspect as to do so will mean having to reveal who you are and why you called in the first place

littlerock

It was only a very generalised enquiry no name or anything left. Maybe if I phone another time I will get someone who is actually in the Bournemouth Call Centre and able to talk without shouting at me from a script.

Quentin

Even if you get through to Bournemouth you will still need to identify yourself so that the call your complaint is about can be attempted to be traced.


Just let it lie!


Don't phone Bournemouth to ask how your premium will be affected by a claim!


Just do dummy quotes now on line with and without this claim in your history to see what difference it makes to the premium. Then do the sums and make your decision

littlerock

Ironically just now, I was looking at the video on LV's website about claiming on your home insurance and one of the examples they gave was if your led tv falls on the floor and breaks screen, we'll help you replace it, fast.

When I phoned them this morning and asked what was the procedure for claiming for my brand new led tv which had fallen on the floor and cracked the screen, I got some rigmarole about having to send out someone to inspect it first to see it it could be repaired. I said with modern LED tvs I thought that unlikely.

However she was not prepared to discuss it further but barked at me that I would have to make a formal claim before she could discuss it. Making a claim, getting the set inspected, possibly getting it sent off for repair, None of it sounds like a fast fix for a broken tv, which is the very example they give in the video. (:

In fact I think I am paying far too much for my policy - a quick look at comparable policies confirms this so I might claim anyway, it is not a lot of money, and then move policies. Even with a price hike I would still be ahead.

Blibble

littlerock wrote: »

Ironically just now, I was looking at the video on LV's website about claiming on your home insurance and one of the examples they gave was if your led tv falls on the floor and breaks screen, we'll help you replace it, fast.

When I phoned them this morning and asked what was the procedure for claiming for my brand new led tv which had fallen on the floor and cracked the screen, I got some rigmarole about having to send out someone to inspect it first to see it it could be repaired. I said with modern LED tvs I thought that unlikely.

However she was not prepared to discuss it further but barked at me that I would have to make a formal claim before she could discuss it. Making a claim, getting the set inspected, possibly getting it sent off for repair, None of it sounds like a fast fix for a broken tv, which is the very example they give in the video. (:

In fact I think I am paying far too much for my policy - a quick look at comparable policies confirms this so I might claim anyway, it is not a lot of money, and then move policies. Even with a price hike I would still be ahead.

It is standard procedure for most insurers to perform the inspection; if nothing else, this assists the insurer in confirming the unit has been damaged by an insurable event and that there are no concerns surrounding the claim.

Remember: if you do claim there will be a price hike for the future policy and suddenly it might not look so rosy. Personally, I would have thought claiming on this policy because you already think it's expensive is throwing good money after bad.