<p>The key thing is to discuss everything with your homeowner’s insurer. Decide what really needs to be insured and compare renters’ or student insurance with adding a personal articles policy onto an existing policy. Obviously compare cost, but also compare coverage for accidental damage, theft, etc.</p>
<p>We got the insurance policy I mentioned earlier through NSSI as the company that insured our home could not come close to meeting the coverage/price. And we live in FLORIDA, where any claim at all under a homeowner’s policy puts one at risk for loosing coverage. With big insurers leaving the state in droves, we wanted to get a separate policy. And it covers accidental loss/injury to computer, ipod, iphone etc. We have not had to use it, but I am relaxed knowing that my D could be careless, or her roomie could be careless, and I will not have to make claims through my homeowner’s policy.</p>
<p>^^ good point about insurance rules in your state, sunnyflorida. Its a horse of a different color there. I can understand your not wanting to attach anything to your HO coverage.</p>
<p>Yeah, we have been with State Farm for 30 years this Oct (husband with them even longer, since he was 17 and got his first clunker of a car). And they have announced they are leaving the state of Florida by the end of 2010 for ALL homeowners policies. They will keep auto, but are dumping all their homeowner coverage. So much for consumer loyalty.</p>
<p>Bringing this thread back up, as DS just spilled something on his laptop yesteday and the computer seems to have “gone to sleep and has gone to the computer farm in the sky to frolick with all the other dead computers” Ok, thats the bad news. The good news is we have the USAA renters insurance with additional computer warrantee. It says it covers drops and spills. USAA told DS to take the laptop to Apple and get a diagnostic done on it. Then he has to call back Monday to talk to his adjuster to see if it is covered. Say whaa??? The coverage says it covers drops and spills. Why cant we just call USAA fromt he Apple store rather than have to go back and forth multiple times to get this taken care of? There is apparently a $250 deductible with the insurance, which is fine. Anyone had any experience with using this insurance? Any problems? Suggestions?</p>
<p>Another plug for CSI! I didn’t realize they covered accidental damaged (from a liquid) until AFTER I had already had the repair done by Apple at more than $1400. They still paid – all except $50 deductible with the itemized bill and purchase receipt. I also have USAA and love them for almost everything, but feel better about using stand-alone dorm/renters insurance for my college kids’ possessions.</p>
<p>update:
Turns out DS had a rider on his policy-- no deductible for the water damage laptop repair. USAA is giving him $830 deposited into his account. He can fix his Apple or buy a new one. Anyone want to guess on that one??</p>
<p>$1000 for a new one. But what about all of his data in the old computer?</p>
<p>Chances are that Apple can retrieve the data from the old one’s hard drive.</p>
<p>Thanks, Chedva. Fortunately he backed up his laptop (the backup is back in his dorm room) and they are also talking about some other way of retrieving the data from the hard drive with a SATA adapter. But now, although he’s found a great deal on (and ordered) a new Apple macbook ($771), he’s playing around with the idea of cancelling the order and getting a comparatively inexpensive pc with better features. I will sit and wait… In the meantime, the $830 is being put in to his USAA account and the $771 is on my credit card. What is wrong with this picture???</p>
<p>I’ve used NSSI. They sell a replacement cost policy with a minimal deductible of like $25 and they paid for a laptop screen replacement that cost $600. </p>
<p>DO NOT CLAIM ON YOUR HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE. This will raise your premium and if you have to or want to switch insurers the claim sits on your record and companies may even decide not to cover you.</p>
<p>Getting a personal articles policy from your homeowner insurance company is a great way to go. It is a separate policy and making a claim has no impact on the underlying policy and there is no deductible. That is the best deal I have found with regard to insuring computers. I already had one for jewelry and just added my computer and D’s computer to it.</p>
<p>The policy we have is a separate policy under our son’s name. It isn’t attached to our HOA. It covers his posessions and the computer-- with ) deductible. Interesting update:</p>
<p>DS found a great deal on a Dell, so decided to get it rather than another Mac (he’d ordered the great Mac deal mentioned above but cancelled it). He called the Apple store to pick up his dead computer (the initial order/paperwork clearly said to hold and wait for instructions after they looked at it and gave the estimate). They said “oops” they’d already shipped it out for repair, but would put a stop and rush on it to get it back to the store. The manager from the Apple store called later today to tell him it was back already, and he could pick it up. Long story short-- they’d taken his hard drive and put it in a new computer! DS said as much as he would love to take it, it wasnt his computer (clearly diffferent case, etc). They booted it up, showed him that it was his hard drive with all his data, and showed him a note that said “99% off”. Told him it was his for free, and to take it and have a nice day!!! :eek: Happy days around here!!</p>
<p>Well, he’d bought the Dell (which has a 15% restocking fee) and already installed Microsoft Office (any of you military folks out there-- it is available, and its not the student version but its not the professiional either – somewhere in between- at the BX and AAFES, with 3 installs available, for $49!!!). So I need one of the installs on my new desktop at work, whiich leaves one last install.</p>
<p>But I digress. Uninstalling it from the Dell laptop isn’t going to work (not sure I understand why, but thats what DH and DS said, if I understood correctly) so we need to decide what to do with the 2 computers! DS’s roommate had just bought a new Dell-- not quite as fast or powerful as DS’s and without Office, so DS offered to sell him this one with the Windows installed (roommate has a 10 day return on the one he bought yesterday). He will let DS know tomorrow. Stay tuned!</p>
<p>*** forgot the other part of the “Apple products” story-- older s accidentally dropped his iphone in the can last night!! It then started to turn itself on and off and make a little frowny face, but thanks to hairdryers and rice (he put it in rice overnight after drying it with the hairdryer) it behaved fine this morning, and the water damage indicator thing didnt change from white to red, so hopefully its ok (he is now out of town for a wedding-- dont know if his phone is still cooperating). We shall see…</p>
<p>^^^ Follow up to above- The Military appreciation edition of Microsoft office is The MS Standard edition. Great deal-- available thru the end of Jan. (This should be on the “good deal of the day” thread 
) Also, DS didn’t end up buying a Dell, he bought an HP, should it matter…</p>
<p>FYI, hate to dredge up an old thread but I have to say that <a href=“https://www.collegestudentinsurance.com/[/url]”>Filing a Claim; has been WONDERFUL to deal with. My son had his bike damaged and then after that claim was paid, it was hit again and totaled and they paid that also. Thankfully ONLY the bike, not the rider sustained any damage!</p>