jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Imagine getting insurance to "cover every kind of thievery" and then find out that it covers everything but the kind of thievery you experienced.

http://www.diyphotography.net/camera-equipment-stolen-car-insurance-didnt-cover/

Leo Perez

Jerry as the old saying goes: Insurance is great to have until it's time to pay.....I know Nation Wide was not on my side.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Regardless of what they say in their advertising, insurance companies are not in business for our good. We have finally recovered from selling our house in Massachusetts three years ago; the realtor didn't bother to check the thermostat when temperatures dropped, the pipes froze, then unfroze, and water from the bathroom upstairs ended up in the basement, ruining the house in between. It turned out that our "vacant property" insurance didn't cover "water from a pipe".

Georgews Loc: Wellington, New Zealand

Definition of insurance: You are betting that you are going to lose.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Why do you think there are so many words in an insurance contract? If they were being honest about it, a contract would be very short. "Your house is insured for water damage."

Marionsho Loc: Kansas

It's illegal to gamble in the great state of KS, but the state forces us to gamble on car insurance. But, just once. You can't collect on TWO different policies. You can PAY on two different policies, but you can only collect on ONE.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

A lawyer once told me that 95% of all laws concern banking and insurance. I guess they're big "contributors."

Big Bill Loc: Phoenix, AZ

Looking at it from the insurer's point of view, I can see this.

Someone claims a theft, with nothing to indicate a theft took place.
To you, it's obvious; your stuff is gone.
To the insurance company, it's not obvious at all. All they can see, and all the evidence shows, is that you say you no longer have what you had.
Why do they do this? I will explain with a personal experience...
Many years ago, a guy rear ended our car. He refused to show any insurance coverage, so we took him to small claims court, where he was ordered to pay. About two weeks later, we got a check from an insurance company, with a date of the loss as the date of the trial. I cashed the check, then called the insurance to tell them of their error on the check. Of course, their response was that he didn't have insurance on the date of the crash, and I shouldn't cash the check. Too late! I cashed the check in good faith, and if they didn't do due diligence, not my problem.
The guy spent six months in jail for insurance fraud, plus some thousands in fines and restitution.
Insurance companies see fraud every day. A claim of loss with no actual evidence of loss is hard to get by.

This sucks for those in that position, but if the insurance companies paid off for every such claim, we would have no insurance at all.

Not that I'm actually suggesting anything, but if there had been a few scratches around the lock, that might have constituted evidence of a break-in.

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

Auto insurance only covers theft of the auto's equipment, not personal property which camera equipment is. Homeowners insurance covers personal property; caveat: if the equipment is used for business then a business camera floater is what is needed.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

It can be very difficult to prove that something was stolen, but doesn't theft insurance cover theft? Does it have to be captured on video?

A tree fell on our house and destroyed the roof. That was obvious, so we got some money. If I register five cameras with them and then say that they were stolen, I would expect compensation. If I am committing insurance fraud, then that is a separate issue.

Big Bill Loc: Phoenix, AZ

One must carefully read the policy to see what the insurance covers.
"Mysterious disappearance" is often excluded, and is something the buyer should look for.
In the OP's case, the loss would be a mysterious disappearance because there's no actual evidence of theft. If that's excluded, the OP is SOL.

And, yes, I actually do read through contracts I sign. It is often amazing what's in the contract, but not in what the salesman tells you.
And, I'll bet there are many here who will say the same thing.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I've never been a big fan of insurance, although MetLife has been excellent for us. I had a sail damaged in a storm, and the agent said that wasn't exactly covered, but he could back-date the policy. I got my new sail.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

A $4500 loss in equipment and no insurance coverage is not good. And properly stored in the trunk of the car where it was not visible. This probably doesn't happen all the time, but once is enough. Makes you wonder if you should leave your expensive gear at home and just take a fixed lens camera like the Canon SX60, and remove the SD card each time you leave your rented car for anything. I feel this person's pain.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

When traveling, or in iffy situations, I carry a compact camera.

Big Bill Loc: Phoenix, AZ

The insurance in the OP was insurance through the rental car dealer.
On my camera gear, I have a camera gear rider through my homeowner's insurance, and it covers me for ANY loss, even if I drop the camera myself, or a 'mysterious disappearance" happens. All of us have the opportunity to get the same coverage.
While I feel his pain, it should be a learning experience, too.
Get the coverage, and make sure you know exactly what's covered.