John Lewis (Domestic and General) ProtectPlus alternatives for a small camera?

brookhouse

In addition to considering the John Lewis Protect Plus two year accidental damage policy for a new compact camera (£60 for the camera I have purchased from John Lewis), are there other options I should consider? Or just self-insuring (i.e. take the hit if I damage it)?

I hope never to need it, but have people found it reliable if claiming?

I do not have all risks on my home contents insurance, nor cover on travel insurance.

huckster

For a £60 camera, you would self-insure.  Under Home Insurance, you would have minimum excess of £50, so if this were the case, the Insurance would only be for a £10 risk.  And any separate Insurance, such as gadget cover, the Insurance cost would be too much compared to the value.

If it were say a £600 camera, then you might take out some form of Insurance.  Normally cheaper to extend Contents Insurance. 

dunstonh

What about adding personal possessions cover on your home insurance?

DullGreyGuy

brookhouse said:

In addition to considering the John Lewis Protect Plus two year accidental damage policy for a new compact camera (£60 for the camera I have purchased from John Lewis), are there other options I should consider? Or just self-insuring (i.e. take the hit if I damage it)?

I hope never to need it, but have people found it reliable if claiming?

I do not have all risks on my home contents insurance, nor cover on travel insurance.

How much is the camera worth? I am reading the £60 being the policy cost not the camera's value.

Self-Insure means you explicitly put money aside to cover a loss -v- uninsured where you'll cross the bridge of what to do if/when you have a loss. 

Depending on the value of the camera Home Content's insurances' Personal Possessions cover is often the best optoin for accidental damage (and theft) but wont include breakdown whereas most D&G policies are warranties with AD included. For 2 years though you have a strong case against the retailer anyway.

brookhouse

The policy is £60. The camera was around £1000 - I would "self insure" a cheaper camera. I like the idea of a one-off policy because a claim against household insurance will have knock-on effects on the renewal premium for the next five years. As far as I can see there is no excess on the D&G/John Lewis product either.

John Lewis gave a 2 year warranty so this is for accidental damage cover.

I am interested in whether people have claimed against such a policy and what their experience was like.

mgfvvc

brookhouse said:

The policy is £60. The camera was around £1000 - I would "self insure" a cheaper camera. I like the idea of a one-off policy because a claim against household insurance will have knock-on effects on the renewal premium for the next five years. As far as I can see there is no excess on the D&G/John Lewis product either.

It's (supposedly) common for insurers to ask if there is any cover on a claim and the specialist insurer might ask your home insurer to contribute a share of the claim, in which case you will end up with a  claim on your home policy anyway. Even if not, they may ask whether you have had any accidental damage claims, so you may still have to declare it.

Others with more knowledge than me may confirm or correct me.

DullGreyGuy

mgfvvc said:

brookhouse said:

The policy is £60. The camera was around £1000 - I would "self insure" a cheaper camera. I like the idea of a one-off policy because a claim against household insurance will have knock-on effects on the renewal premium for the next five years. As far as I can see there is no excess on the D&G/John Lewis product either.

It's (supposedly) common for insurers to ask if there is any cover on a claim and the specialist insurer might ask your home insurer to contribute a share of the claim, in which case you will end up with a  claim on your home policy anyway. Even if not, they may ask whether you have had any accidental damage claims, so you may still have to declare it.

Others with more knowledge than me may confirm or correct me.

It will depend on the exact terms of the policy you are making a claim on... its common in Travel policies for claims on possessions but certainly less common on warranties/gadget insurance