<p>A friend recently spilled some liquid coffee creamer which got into her newly* bought laptop and apparently caused it to completely short out. </p>
<p>I went there last night and found it was dead as a doornail. Not only that, there was still a slight, but palpable smell of coffee creamer permeating the guts of the dead laptop.</p>
<p>As her standard one year warranty doesn’t cover self-inflicted damage such as liquid spillage(none of the ones I know do so…especially for budget consumer models like hers), I recalled others here on CC successfully invoked their homeowner’s/renter’s insurance to cover such accidental damage for their college-aged undergrads.</p>
<p>How easy is it to invoke this for a twenty-something professional in her own apartment and how should she approach explaining it with the renter’s insurance claim agent?</p>
<p>Am wondering as after reading the manufacturer’s standard 1 year warranty, this seems like her only hope. </p>
<p>Tell her to read her insurance policy. Success was typically with student insurance plans, though there are other circumstances where renters would perhaps cover. Also, the credit card she used to purchase it might cover.</p>
<p>Homeowners and Tenant policies usually cover for specified perils. I have never seen a policy that allows for coverage on spillage of coffee creamer.</p>
<p>She’s a recent arrival from a foreign country. While her English is good, she’s not comfortable enough to have confidence in reading and understanding financial/legal documents*. Not to mention she’s not very familiar with the ins and outs of making insurance claims as she’s never done it before in her life. </p>
<p>From the renter’s insurance documents, the closest relevant parts was it covered for loss or damage of personal property up to $18,000 except in cases of floods or other foreseeable natural disasters in certain types of geographic regions. However, it didn’t get any more specific for that even after searching for the fine print. </p>
<p>Didn’t get more specific than that. Also, the card route is a no go as she used Discovery which doesn’t add warranty on electronic items IME. </p>
<ul>
<li>Heck, I know plenty of native-born Americans who aren’t comfortable about their ability to meaningfully comprehend such documents.</li>
</ul>
<p>It should also specify what types of loss or damage are covered, e.g., through theft, vandalism, fire, water damage, etc. If she has an all perils policy, then it would be covered unless specifically excluded. Call the insurance company and inquire, either the agent or the claims department will be able to tell her.</p>
<p>Exactly, alwaysamom. There should be a simple description of the basics of the policy. One does not have to read a multi-page detailed thing usually printed in microscopic typeface. Just read the basic description. Itf its not clear, call the # to make a claim, or just submit the claim. If you have an agent, call the agent. Or again-- look at the policy of the credit card used to buy it. Many have a 1 year insurance policy.</p>