Has anyone tried to claim a loss using State Farm's policy? If so, how painless/ful was the process? I recently sold some camera gear and it might be possible that the post office lost it through shipping. I do have insurance on it, but USPS's insurance claims seem like more of a hassle and I have these items already covered with State Farm. Does something like this count for a claim?
I went to Africa in August on a photo safari and wanted to make sure I was covered for loss, theft, etc. before I left. I spoke to my State Farm agent to make sure I was covered under my homeowners policy. She stated that my homeowner's policy had me fully covered for full replacement of my gear minus deductible if stolen. I was told that I could have my gear covered under a personal articles policy with a $500.00 deductible but I would have to list all my gear with serial numbers, etc. I did not have to do that under my general homeowners policy.
Can't reply directly to State Farm, but from a friend who is an industry insider, any claim, of any kind will ultimately count against you.
Reason I asked him was when we moved cross country, I tried to retain our Prudential policy, but was declined. Found out that because we had filed a claim once for a furnace fire, Pru in CA didn't want to insure us. Seems like any insurance company is OK, UNTIL you file a claim, then maybe the good ones show themselves.
I had a claim with State Farm using the Personal Articles Policy. My camera and lens fell into flood waters. I took equipment to agent, agent verified water damage. The agent asked me what happen and began to process the claim. I then sent camera to Canon and lens to Sigma for repair estimate. Both were beyond repair. I gave this information to agent. About a week later had check from State Farm. I have equipment insured for the replacement value of the equipment. No hassles at all. Still have my home and car through State Farm. Got a business insurance policy through another insurance company.
bigfredtn wrote:
I had a claim with State Farm using the Personal Articles Policy. My camera and lens fell into flood waters. I took equipment to agent, agent verified water damage. The agent asked me what happen and began to process the claim. I then sent camera to Canon and lens to Sigma for repair estimate. Both were beyond repair. I gave this information to agent. About a week later had check from State Farm. I have equipment insured for the replacement value of the equipment. No hassles at all. Still have my home and car through State Farm. Got a business insurance policy through another insurance company....Show more →
when you set up the insurance plan with state farm, did they ask you to have the gear appraised, or were receipts good enough? i ask because i have progressive (american family insurance i think is the parent company) and they will NOT cover my MacBook Pro under their policy, and they require me to get an appraisal on gear they had covered on my plan when I lived in Oregon. We moved to Utah last year, and they had to cancel my plan in Oregon and start a new one. They even require me to get an appraisal on a BRAND NEW D610 that Nikon gave me as a replacement for my D600. I am going to ditch them.
When I talked to a State Farm person on their chat, they couldn't give me an answer - told me to call a local agent, which i might later this week. I will look into Amica as well if they are getting great reviews
Just recently SF changed their policy...that on anything over $2000 needs either a receipt or an appraisal
I have had SF coverage now for over 8 years....no claims yet
I did just recently upgrade a lens...and of course it was valued over $2000 (I always list at replacement cost)....after several weeks...SF came back an wanted a appraisal....or receipt.
Went to local photo store, had them do a cost evaluation on it, and took the paper back to them.
All is good.
I too am beginning to look into other companies...as I don't need the "doubt" of what can happen to my home coverage.
So, as a disclaimer, I am in insurance agent. First of all it is important to remember that the laws in every state are different as defined by the department of insurance in that state. So, what works in California might not be the same in Ohio, etc.
Most homeowners policies restrict your belongings to "personal' effects, not business personal property. If you are a professional photographer, your camera is not personal property, it is business personal property and most of the time is excluded from coverage by your homeowners insurance. (I am in KY, so I only am 100% certain about the law in KY) An inland marine policy is required to cover your belongings as you travel with them.. to shoots, etc. Typically insurance companies will accept a receipt or appraisal that is within a year or two, if outside of the that, you may have to get a new appraisal. It's hard to put a value on things after they are destroyed or stolen.
In the original post, they ask about filing a claim because the post office lost their belongings. That is a tough one. While it was your item, assuming it was for personal use and that is how your state classifies it, it was not in your care. So that might exclude the item from being covered. Also, you probably have a deductible. Also, items like cameras, musical instruments, artwork, etc. typically have a coverage limit. For example, your policy may limit photography equipment to $1000 unless you have specifically added coverage for more equipment.
So there are alot of "if's" and "maybes". If you can't rely on your agent, then you have the wrong agent. Yes claims count against you, that's life. Find a good agent, have an honest talk about your gear and get it covered properly, it's not rocket science, lol
Now, if I could just figure out this damn camera, I'd be set!! :-)
