Insurance for Photo Gear Home and Field

Any one know of a company or firm that has cost effective insurance for Photographer gear in the field and home. I have heard some groups have very attractive rates. Share your thoughts!

Godspeed

Phil

NANPA...I don't have it, but apparently they have great rates; heard from a few folks I know.

I would go with NANPA. They offer insurance through Chubb and they offer excellent customer service at an affordable rate. From what I hear, they also pay on claims very quickly. You can contact the lady in charge of the Chubb photo insurance and she can answer all of your questions. You can find her name and number on the NANPA site. You must be a NANPA member. I was insured within 24 hrs of sending in my list of equipment...well before they even received my check. Good luck. Marina

Another vote for NANPA and Chubb. Since I occasionally sell and market prints, my home owners ins will not cover at all. NANPA and Chubb have proven to be excellent. Fortunately, I have not had any claims in the 4 years I have been using them. However I hear great things from those who have had to submit a claim.

One more for NANPA. They even cover gear theft and accidents overseas, and I think the rates are quite reasonable for the coverage given. By the way, you can include photo-related computer equipment in your coverage.

Cheers,
Greg Basco

Hi Phil: I actually had my first claim TODAY with Chubb through NANPA. I sent an email at about noon to the rep at Rand Insurance. She asked me where, when & how. She forwarded the information to Chubb. I received a phone call at 5:15pm from a Chubb rep. She asked me what had happened. Within 5 mins, she said she would have a check out in the mail to me. It was that easy. Talk about good customer service, and that is what I have been hearing about them for several years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marina Scarr

Hi Phil: I actually had my first claim TODAY with Chubb through NANPA. I sent an email at about noon to the rep at Rand Insurance. She asked me where, when & how. She forwarded the information to Chubb. I received a phone call at 5:15pm from a Chubb rep. She asked me what had happened. Within 5 mins, she said she would have a check out in the mail to me. It was that easy. Talk about good customer service, and that is what I have been hearing about them for several years.

That's excellent service!! Good to know!

What does a typical policy with NANPA/Chubb cost? Say for $15K worth of gear?

Roger

Quote:

Originally Posted by rnclark

What does a typical policy with NANPA/Chubb cost? Say for $15K worth of gear? Roger

Hi Mate,

From Rand - the NANPA/Chub agent:

Quote:

<link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CJay%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtm lclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CJay%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtm lclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CJay%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtm lclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><style>  </style> .. application, you can find one on our website at www.randinsurance.com. There is a link to NANPA and then the application is at the bottom of that page. The rate is $2.30 per $100 of insured value, so $20,000 of equipment would be $460.00. There is a minimum annual premium of $350. The policy does provide all-risk worldwide coverage....<o>:</o>
<o></o>
Kristin Squier<o></o>
Rand Insurance, Inc.<o></o>
203-966-2677 - phone<o></o>
203-637-9671 - fax<o>:</o>

I prepared the application and sent an equipment schedule - dates of purchase, price, serial numbers, etc. - no receipts required. Included computers too!

Kristin is a pleasure to deal with!

Cheers,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marina Scarr

Hi Phil: I actually had my first claim TODAY with Chubb through NANPA. I sent an email at about noon to the rep at Rand Insurance. She asked me where, when & how. She forwarded the information to Chubb. I received a phone call at 5:15pm from a Chubb rep. She asked me what had happened. Within 5 mins, she said she would have a check out in the mail to me. It was that easy. Talk about good customer service, and that is what I have been hearing about them for several years.

wow thats service

I have a few more SN's to grab and then I am signing up :)

Thought I would echo Marina's experience with a claim. A couple of years ago I had an incident here in Costa Rica and while the overseas factor slowed things down a little bit, they also resolved my claim very easily and quickly.

Cheers from Costa Rica,
Greg Basco

I recently insured my gear through State Farm. The price was 1.72 per $100. This, I believe, was discounted because I hold another policy with them. I have not read the fine print on the policy, and cannot speak to the ease of collecting on a claim. But the price does seem to be competitive.

Steve

As far as State Farm is concerned did you say you were a professional Photographer or enthusiast to get that rate ?
Was this part of your home owners?

The biggest concern with camera coverage through your home owners or similar coverage, is what and when is it covered. For example, if the gear is stolen from your car, your homeowners policy may not cover it, but you car insurance might. If you drop it it may not be covered. If you are on a business trip and you took your camera gear along (and you are not a pro photographer) and it was stolen from the hotel room, would your homeowners insurance cover it? I don't know the answers to these questions and it most likely depends on policy. And the insurance company will likely try and find a way to not cover a claim (just being cynical here). So the NANPA seems pretty good, but pricey. (I've relied on my homeowners policy and have never had to file a claim on photo gear in my life, so I've feel I've saved a bundle and it more than covers the replacement/repair when/if something happens.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by phillane

Steve
As far as State Farm is concerned did you say you were a professional Photographer or enthusiast to get that rate ?
Was this part of your home owners?

I already had renter's insurance with State Farm. I'm not sure if I received a discount because of that.

I got a separate policy for some of my camera gear because the renter's policy would not cover my gear if I were a professional photographer or had intent to sell my photos. Although I have sold very little, I thought it prudent to cover separately. I did not get the impression that the rate would be different based upon professional vs. enthusiast, but you would have to check that for yourself.

At least in my area, the rate is different, and State Farm defines 'professional" differently from many folks. One is in the professional category if one does any photo work for money.
In my case, I got State Farm's "Inland Marine" policy last year because I was traveling to South America, but I used it when I dropped camera and lens here in the states. A rep called me with some very basic questions, and sent a check for the repair.