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Thread ID: 89711	2008-05-09 07:46:00	insurance and determining laptop value	watson (13722)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
667653	2008-05-09 07:46:00	On Wednesday I was the victim of a burglary. One of the items taken was a 2-3 year old laptop. My insurance policy covers total replacement regardless of age, not present value. I understand that laptop specs in 2006 cannot be compared to those of 2008 models. My question is, how does my insurance company determine what is a fair replacement based on today's comparative specs? The specs of my old laptop were: Acer aspire 3508wlmi Windows XP professional SP2 Intel pentium M 715 (2MB L2 cache, 1.5GHz, 400MHz FSB) 512MB DDR333 Ram 15.4' WXGA Crystalbrite TFT 1280x800 60GB HD DVD-Dual Layer writer 8x 802.11b/g WiFi Bluetooth 10/100 ethernet, 56K modem, USB 2.0 etc... Thanks for any light you may shed on this :)	watson (13722)
667654	2008-05-09 07:51:00	One of the cheapest Asus' available would about cover that... It is a bit difficult trying to sort that stuff out. What I'd do, is say you want something with wifi and Bluetooth, like your old one, and get something like this. www.einfo.co.nz	wratterus (105)
667655	2008-05-09 09:15:00	Your insurers *should* determine where your machine sat in the lineup of models at the time you purchased it and apply that to today's lineup. If it was a high specced laptop back then it should be replaced with a current high spec machine. Ditto for low or middle of the range spec. The price you paid back then and what it cost now has no relevance. They will probably refer the matter to a company that specialises in computer valuation and /or supply (Uniway, Ables, Computer Research etc), rather than asking the local techie at your nearest supermarket appliance retailer..... if not then ask them to. PM me if you want info or help.	Jester (13)
667656	2008-05-09 09:22:00	Judging by some of the utter crap I have seen supplied by Insurance companies I wouldn't trust their resources for half a second.	Metla (12)
667657	2008-05-09 09:29:00	Judging by some of the utter crap I have seen supplied by *insert here* I wouldn't trust their resources for half a second. Let's add to the list :rolleyes: * Small town pc retailers * Press F1 Contributers * Politicians p/t	Jester (13)
667658	2008-05-09 09:31:00	Lmao.	Metla (12)
667659	2008-05-09 09:54:00	Judging from experiences of my friends, even though they've been paying higher sums for higher coverage, when it comes to crunch times, the insurance company only offered replacement amount for 'current' value. I don't think any insurance company covers at historical cost value, and we didn't expect that anyway, but what happened to one was that they were only offering the guy a $1700 replacement for his year old Sony Vaio which ofcourse (being almost as much a rip-off as Macs) had originally cost him about twice that figure. He had to go through much struggles to finally atleast get one a replacement Vaio out of them (rather than just cash) with the same kind of specs as his. After much trouble, he did get this, but they did not make up for the extra ram he had put in it, some software was lost as well and I do not remember if any of that was covered.	Deathwish (143)
667660	2008-05-09 10:06:00	What? Surely not. Insurance companies the world over are renowned for their eager insistence on complete customer satisfaction. How could your friend have slipped through the cordon of goodwill present in every payout? (I am reading the brochure, so this must be true.)	R2x1 (4628)
667661	2008-05-09 10:34:00	I must be bored, haven't posted on PF1 this much in years lol Judging from experiences of my friends, even though they've been paying higher sums for higher coverage, when it comes to crunch times, the insurance company only offered replacement amount for 'current' value . I hear this a lot "I pay for better than everyone else cover" but in reality you really only get the choice of indemnity (market) value or replacement value with insurance policies . Of course the replacement policies cost more, but you don't get different levels of replacement policies unless you specify the values of items, in that case you wouldn't be arguing over the basis of settlement . I don't think any insurance company covers at historical cost value, and we didn't expect that anyway, but what happened to one was that they were only offering the guy a $1700 replacement for his year old Sony Vaio which ofcourse (being almost as much a rip-off as Macs) had originally cost him about twice that figure . He had to go through much struggles to finally atleast get one a replacement Vaio out of them (rather than just cash) with the same kind of specs as his . The intent of an insurance policy is to put you in the position you were prior to the loss, subject to the limits of the policy . It doesn't make any difference what you paid . . . what if it was a 386 purchased in the early 90's for $4,000 - would you insist on a $4,000 desktop today? Conversely if you bought something for $500 back then that now costs $1,000 you wouldn't mind . In that case though, if he had a one year old Vaio and it or it's direct replacement was available then it should have been a quick process - thankfully your mate got what he deserved . After much trouble, he did get this, but they did not make up for the extra ram he had put in it, some software was lost as well and I do not remember if any of that was covered . That's just wrong . He should have been supplied with the same amount at least of RAM he had . Unfortunately software is generally not covered, BUT if OEM software came with a PC (O/S or Word for example) insurers should replace with new even though you may still have the install discs the programs were only intended to be issued with a particular machine . By the way I don't work for a particular insurer, my role is to ensure people get what they are entitled to and the insurer doesn't pay any more than it is obliged to . It pi**es me off when I hear of people getting the run around at claim time, but it's human nature to think that as a victim you are entitled to more than you have to make up for the inconvenience of it all . It's when the truth gets stretched that the wheels fall off any cunning plans . . . Phew, my fingers hurt now!	Jester (13)
667662	2008-05-09 10:39:00	The intent of an insurance policy is to put you in the position you were prior to the loss, subject to the limits of the policy. It doesn't make any difference what you paid ... what if it was a 386 purchased in the early 90's for $4,000 - would you insist on a $4,000 desktop today? Conversely if you bought something for $500 back then that now costs $1,000 you wouldn't mind. In that case though, if he had a one year old Vaio and it or it's direct replacement was available then it should have been a quick process - thankfully your mate got what he deserved. I didn't think about it that way before, but you are 100% right. He was indeed (well almost) put back into the position he was prior to the loss. His car.... well thats a different story. :thanks :thumbs:	Deathwish (143)
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