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Who do you use for personal Equipment insurance?


Chase Yeremian

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Athos Insurance. Kat Wong who created the insuremyequipment.com site is now running ATHOS. Better policy than Heffernen and coverages are spelled out like locked car and over water. Heffernan does not cover you if you go out in a boat and fall in. Athos has that additional coverage and can be added only when needed.

Insuremyequipment is also online only and they do not answer phones. ATHOS will have the online as well as service reps that answer phones.

https://www.athosinsurance.com

Ask for Kat Wong, she probably set you up at Heffernan.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Athos Insurance. Kat Wong who created the insuremyequipment.com site is now running ATHOS. Better policy than Heffernen and coverages are spelled out like locked car and over water. Heffernan does not cover you if you go out in a boat and fall in. Athos has that additional coverage and can be added only when needed.

Insuremyequipment is also online only and they do not answer phones. ATHOS will have the online as well as service reps that answer phones. https://www.athosinsurance.com

Ask for Kat Wong, she probably set you up at Heffernan.

That's good to know, thanks. I went with Heffernan After reading this thread, but will definitely consider changing down the line. Sounds like a better option.

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It's funny that everyone is mentioning Athos because I was having dinner with a camera buddy of mine last week and something came up about insurance to which I mentioned my policy was up for renewal in May, and he was telling me about Kat over at Athos and how they are a better deal + you can actually call them on the phone (Gasp!).  I called them the other day and I am going to go with them as they have better rates and coverage.

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  • 1 month later...

I'm shopping insurance... the post above mine bumped this old thread in May this year (2014)... so this bump shouldn't be too bad :-)

 

Right now it looks like MusicPro is the most affordable choice (by a large margin)... as long as the insurance is good... i.e. claims, coverage, etc.

 

Here's the link: https://www.musicproinsurance.com/

 

This is the one I'm expecting to go with, as I really only need insurance against "total disaster"... i.e. being stolen or otherwise burned out of business.

 

On a side note... I changed from State Farm to Geico after 26 straight years with SF... lowered deductibles and $270 less...

 

On the previous page The Senator said he didn't think agents set rates... this is correct. The agent doesn't control what you pay. There's a state filed schedule... like an excel sheet... that says under these conditions with this coverage this will be the cost, and the only way to change the cost is to change the conditions. Insurance has a lot of legal stuff happening behind it, that we the customers never see. Rates are not arbitrary by any means.

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  • 4 years later...
On 10/22/2012 at 7:47 PM, Philip Perkins said:

Renewal is coming right up--I'll be considering it all again.

Curious what your current mood is on the subject, and what everyone else is using for insurance. Time to revive the thread to reveal any updates. Thanks

 

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I've been happy with Athos too, without any claims.  I was a bit surprised to find out when I traveled to Antarctica they do not cover equipment damage that happened below freezing temperatures.  Can't remember the exact wording of the exemption.  I am curious if anyone else has come across this with other insurers, as I am often working in below freezing temps.

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Athos is an insurance broker rather than an insurance company/provider, right? As in: they help arrange coverage some big-old insurance company. A totally useful service considering the complexities of our business and the byzantine world of insurance. So Anyway...

 

I'd guess you can get extra coverage for all sorts situations, including cold situations. Ah, they talk about that here in a 35-second video:

 

Equipment That Goes Afloat, Above, and/or Underwater (Including snow)

If you take your equipment afloat, above, or underwater (including snow), this would be an extra option you have to add. Please see this short educational video for more information.

 

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I looked into and have added the water additional insurance, but that doesn't cover the freezing exemption I was talking about.

One thing I like about Athos is they answer the phone and are very helpful when talking to.  The word I got from them is extreme cold is not an option you can buy, it's just excluded.  I wasn't sure if that was the same across all insurers.

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4 hours ago, Wandering Ear said:

I looked into and have added the water additional insurance, but that doesn't cover the freezing exemption I was talking about.

 

Bummer. So the "including snow" optional coverage that Athos talks about in the text and video above only applies when the ambient air temp is above freezing? Or is it some sort of "nothing below zero-degrees Fahrenheit (~ -18C)"?

 

Could be, but I wonder what brokers/carriers everyone in colder climes use.

 

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Those exclusions for extreme (sort of) cold and work around water seemed a bit much so I went and reviewed my policy.

 

I have insurance through Insure My Equipment, a Heffernan Insurance Brokers company,

 

https://www.insuremyequipment.com

 

They act as brokers, booking policies through a number of different companies including (at various times) Inland Marine and Fireman's Fund. One limitation may be that their policies may only be available in the United States or, maybe, the US and Canada. I don't know; applicants would have to research that.

 

Looking at my policy, I noticed that there was an exclusion for working while submerged or floating on water. This exclusion may be waived by purchasing additional coverage. Coverage for special circumstances can typically be expeditiously arranged online. Special circumstances may yield exceptions but extra coverage can often be arranged the day before a risk exposure. 

 

There is also an exclusion for consequences of vermin, pests and the like. And there are the usual limits on valuations for single objects from a pair or set and for articles that are unusually fragile.

 

The deductible is typically $500. It is $1000 or more for losses in foreign countries and it may be more for losses in excess of $50K. There is also a larger deductible for theft from a car. All in all, pretty reasonable.

 

My policy has the extra cost coverage for loss from a car but only if all doors and windows were locked and there is visible evidence of a break in. 

 

Coverage for rental replacement to temporarily cover a loss is available. As I am largely retired, I don't carry it.

 

Since I am largely retired, I carry only the bare minimum and have only $30,000 in a mix of scheduled and unscheduled coverage. For this I pay about $460 per year. Twice the coverage would be less than twice the cost but applicants should check that for themselves.

 

I found no exclusion for extreme weather, either hot or cold.

 

There was a limit on the extent of coverage in Mexico and abroad. I think the limit for Mexico was $25K and there is a ceiling of $100k on coverage for theft from a vehicle.

 

I hope this helps or, at least, serves as a comparison.

 

David

 

 

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On 9/25/2018 at 7:15 PM, Jim Feeley said:

 

Bummer. So the "including snow" optional coverage that Athos talks about in the text and video above only applies when the ambient air temp is above freezing? Or is it some sort of "nothing below zero-degrees Fahrenheit (~ -18C)"?

 

Could be, but I wonder what brokers/carriers everyone in colder climes use.

 

Not entirely sure.  I did notice a sentence somewhere about collapse from weight of snow, but that wasn't related to the above/below water protections.  

I had a minute before my show this morning, so I looked up the clause they quoted, on page 58 of my policy, that excludes more than just freezing temps.  Freezing temps was just how I discovered it since I was preparing a journey to Antarctica, and needed to add the above water protections for my equipment.

It seems even more vague than I remember.

 

Quote

Dampness, Dryness, or Extremes of Temperature

We will not pay for loss or damage caused by or resulting from dampness, dryness, or extremes of temperature. But if loss or damage by a Covered Cause of Loss results, we will pay for the loss or damage caused by that Covered Cause of Loss.

 

I'm guessing the last sentence would mean they will cover damage from snow if the above/below water protection is added.

 

On 9/25/2018 at 8:36 PM, David Waelder said:

Those exclusions for extreme (sort of) cold and work around water seemed a bit much so I went and reviewed my policy.

 

I have insurance through Insure My Equipment, a Heffernan Insurance Brokers company,

 

https://www.insuremyequipment.com

 

They act as brokers, booking policies through a number of different companies including (at various times) Inland Marine and Fireman's Fund. One limitation may be that their policies may only be available in the United States or, maybe, the US and Canada. I don't know; applicants would have to research that.

 

Looking at my policy, I noticed that there was an exclusion for working while submerged or floating on water. This exclusion may be waived by purchasing additional coverage. Coverage for special circumstances can typically be expeditiously arranged online. Special circumstances may yield exceptions but extra coverage can often be arranged the day before a risk exposure. 

 

There is also an exclusion for consequences of vermin, pests and the like. And there are the usual limits on valuations for single objects from a pair or set and for articles that are unusually fragile.

 

The deductible is typically $500. It is $1000 or more for losses in foreign countries and it may be more for losses in excess of $50K. There is also a larger deductible for theft from a car. All in all, pretty reasonable.

 

My policy has the extra cost coverage for loss from a car but only if all doors and windows were locked and there is visible evidence of a break in. 

 

Coverage for rental replacement to temporarily cover a loss is available. As I am largely retired, I don't carry it.

 

Since I am largely retired, I carry only the bare minimum and have only $30,000 in a mix of scheduled and unscheduled coverage. For this I pay about $460 per year. Twice the coverage would be less than twice the cost but applicants should check that for themselves.

 

I found no exclusion for extreme weather, either hot or cold.

 

There was a limit on the extent of coverage in Mexico and abroad. I think the limit for Mexico was $25K and there is a ceiling of $100k on coverage for theft from a vehicle.

 

I hope this helps or, at least, serves as a comparison.

 

David

 

 

 

Thanks David.  This is helpful as a comparison. 

I may reach out to them and see if they have an extreme weather exemption.  It was a hard thing to find in my policy, and I missed it looking through several times while looking for it.  If they don't have that (my policies exemption quoted in my previous post) then that may get me to switch since I enjoy venturing to the extremes of our planet.

Most of the things you mention are the same with my insurance.  Question about international coverage. You mention a $25K cap in Mexico and abroad.  Does that apply to all countries not your home country?  My insurance has a $25K cap in Mexico only, and does not covered US sanctioned countries from this list:

 

https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Pages/Programs.aspx

 

Other than that my coverage is equal world wide, which is important to me as I travel internationally frequently.

 

The other coverages you mention seem the same to me, additional charge for unlocked vehicle coverage, rental replacements, etc.

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On 9/25/2018 at 6:16 PM, Constantin said:

 

They would ask you when you were where  when the damage occurred.  

I think (having never had to make a claim) it would be a lot more complicated than this.  Just proximity to bad weather does not make the weather a cause of damage, or exclude legitimate "covered cause of loss".

 

On 9/25/2018 at 5:02 PM, chrismedr said:

the freezing exemption sounds strange (never heard of such a clause over here), I mean in a lot of places temperature is below freezing for quite a few months.

and anyway, I wonder how they would claim that a certain damage was due to cold and not something else.

chris

You are responsible for justifying the claim, and explaining exactly how the damage / loss occurred, as well as proving it is a "covered cause of loss".  Falsifying that explanation would amount to insurance fraud and is a criminal offense.  They can also require that a third party assess the damage or assess the value of the asset if a disagreement arises between you and them.  

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Wandering Ear:

Quote
Most of the things you mention are the same with my insurance.  Question about international coverage. You mention a $25K cap in Mexico and abroad.  Does that apply to all countries not your home country? 

 

 

Mexico is the only country specifically mentioned in any of the Insure My Equipment documents that I can find. As I interpret it, one could have scheduled coverage for six Aaton Cantar recorders, five Schoeps microphones, four classic Ferraris and a partridge in a pear tree but the policy would only cover an aggregate loss of $25K. And this seems to apply only to Mexico.

 

There are limits that apply to losses incurred in international travel but they apply only to the amount of the deductible, not the maximum allowable claim. Applicable deductibles vary with the amount of coverage purchased, the size of the claim and also whether one has paid extra for a smaller deductible. Typical deductible amounts for losses in the U.S. would be $500 or $1000 (more if the loss is quite large). For losses internationally, the deductible goes up to $2500.

 

Exact language of the policy does not seem to be available online unless one has an established account with the company, However, there is an extensive file of frequently asked questions that addresses (so far as I can tell) pretty much any situation. Go to their website:

https://www.insuremyequipment.com

Click on "Owned Equipment" and then click on the orange bar labeled "CLICK HERE FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS."

 

(And, no, other than being a customer, I have no affiliation with this outfit.)

 

David

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5 hours ago, Wandering Ear said:

It seems even more vague than I remember.

 

🙂 Ah, insurance policies...

 

Considering Kat Wong at Athos used to work for Heffernan (for at least a while), she and her staff might be familiar with policies such as David's. When you have way more than a minute, maybe try giving Athos (IIRC, your broker) another ring and ask for a debabelizing conversation?

 

Then let us know what you find; I need to shift around my insurance to since there's some genuinely higher-risk stuff coming up.

 

Also: Colleagues in cold climes (esp US-based colleagues for this particular question), what does your insurance cover and who are you working?

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  • 2 years later...

I received a COI from insuremyequipment.com.  Couldn't have been a bigger ripoff.  The client that purchased the policy did so with a fake credit card and name.  When I asked the client for a credit card deposit he mentioned that he could send me a COI with me as "loss payee" in lieu of the CC deposit.  Well the scumbag stole the gear and when I filed a claim it was denied due to the fact that the client who purchased the insurance did so with a fake name and credit card.  Therefore, claim denied.  WTF???  I would go so far as to say they might be part of the scam.  If anyone has had any similar experiences I am piling them up.  Already found another with same exact issue.  

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