Shopping for Instrument Insurance

glassharmonica
Thu, 05 May 2011 19:19:11 +0000

We had Heritage for about 6 years and were dropped when we made a second claim in 3 years (we had about 6 instruments and bows insured at the time.) They did reinstate us at our request at a higher rate. Then my daughter got the opportunity to borrow an expensive instrument which we had to insure. I shopped for quotes and got a lower offer from Total Dollar (funny name, but they are the company used by Bein & Fushi). We’ve been with them for a couple of years. They are a small company and easy to work with. They also require a terrorism rider (!)

And yes, I have often been warned against using homeowners for instruments that are used for professional purposes (i.e., any paid gigs.) Also, homeowners insurance companies don’t understand that instruments, unlike computers and household appliances, don’t depreciate in value over time.