The first thing to grasp about laptop insurance is why it may be necessary.
That’s not quite as dumb a statement as it may first sound.
The fact is that insurance of any type costs money and before paying for it, you need to be pretty sure that it may come in handy. So, what risks may your laptop face?
Your laptop or someone else’s
You may think your laptop is pretty cool and you may not even mind others thinking likewise.
Unfortunately, some people may not be content just to admire it – they’ll be determined to make it their own. They’re commonly called thieves.
A slip in time
To function effectively, your laptop will typically need to be in one piece.
If it’s just been reduced to a pile of electronic parts following an accident then it’s unlikely to be of much use to you – and such things can happen with just an instant’s bad luck.
Going phut
If your laptop suddenly decides it’s going to have a problem, then it’s incredible how often that will happen just shortly after the manufacturer’s warranty expires.
Chequebooks
In any of the above situations, you’ll either:
- have no laptop insurance – in which case you’ll be reaching for your chequebook or plastic cards and wondering if you can afford it all;
- be able to use your laptop cover policy to help.
The cover
Your laptop insurance policy will typically offer you various forms of financial protection against theft, accidental destruction and breakdown outside of the manufacturer’s warranty period.
Some policies may also allow you to benefit from 48 hour replacement of your laptop once your claim is agreed and global cover to protect you even when you’re using it outside of the UK.
Conditions
As with any insurance product, terms and conditions, exclusions and limitations will apply and you may wish to read these carefully to ensure you understand them. They will vary depending upon the insurer you’re using.
Typically you’ll need to note:
- any theft of your laptop must be reported to police and within 24 hours – you’ll also need to obtain a police crime number;
- theft may not be covered in situations where you have left your laptop unattended in a public place (theft if unattended will typically be covered if it was in a locked and secure premises or car);
- breakage protection may not apply in situations where you have opened the PC and were attempting to modify it or fit accessories etc.
To buy or not to buy
In the end, only you’ll be able to make that decision.
However, laptop insurance may end up saving you a lot of money so thinking about it seriously might be a good use of your time.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
