Instrument Insurance - Stolen Gear

[dtirer]

I unfortunately had the bulk of my gear stolen a couple days ago while on tour. Thankfully, its all insured, and nothing is irreplaceable.

Just wondering what people's experiences with instrument insurance are like? This will be my first time ever making a claim. I'm insured by Heritage Insurance.

Do the companies generally give you the full amount you insured for? Or a percentage? how does it all work?

And if you're interested, here's a list of the gear that was stolen: https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/774842
This was in L.A. in the Hollywood area

 

[geetarman]

Sorry to hear about your stolen gear that sucks big time I hope they catch the bastards. I'm also insured by Heritage have never made a claim though so can't help there but please let us know how you are treated throughout the process.

 

[treeofpain]

As long as you have adequately documented your gear and can substantiate its value, you should be fine.

 

[edgarallanpoe]

I have Heritage and I have never had to file a claim. A friend of mine also has it and he actually had to use it once. He was *extremely* happy with the way he was handled.

 

[landru64]

one of the insurance outfits i looked at wouldn't insure trailers specifically.... i'm assuming that wasn't heritage...

 

[dtirer]

the trailer and van were rented so we're not as concerned about that.

 

[landru64]

ah i meant that said insurance company didn't cover stuff in trailers....

 

[dtirer]

Oh got ya. Yeah, heritage covers it anywhere, as long as everything was locked.

 

[cmatthes]

Look for terms in your policy like "Replacement Cost" v. "Actual Cash Value". That can make a difference with gear.

 

[dtirer]

all the terms are 'replacement cost' which are the numbers I gave them when I registered each item.

 

[dtirer]

Hey just wanted to resurrect this. Anyone filed any claims with other insurance companies? Clarion? Music Pro? Just curious about people's experiences.

 

[MartinPiana]

Sorry, I can't help. Well, not sorry I haven't had gear ripped off, and sorry for your loss. ... How's it going with Heritage so far? Any issue with value? Any idea of how soon you'll settle?

 

[dtirer]

values were all fine. Supposedly there's some documents in the mail. The theft was on the 8th, and i sent all the claim details in on the 13th of Sep. I'm hoping its all resolved by the end of this week.

Btw, I just spoke with Clarion and they are not covering trailers

 

[maltomario]

That sucks to hear. I hope they treat you well. I use Anderson insurance for my music gear
(http://www.anderson-group.com/musical-instrument-insurance.html)

but I've been fortunate to never have to make a claim.

Do keep us updated, I have always wondered how these companies handle themselves when bad things happen.

Good luck!

 

[ford]

Any updates here?

Looking into maybe getting insurance on my guitars and amps.

 

[prsflame]

I once had a very valuable violin stolen from the backstage area of a concert hall, and I had no issue getting the claim paid. I made sure that I had a "backstage clause" in the policy, and I'm glad I did as I never expected I would need it.I kept all of my reciepts, and appraisals. If you gig,having insurance is worth the piece of mind. I'll also add that when my policy came up for renewal, I did not see a huge increase in my premium. All of my guitars, bows, and violins are fully insured. I use Heritage and thus far I have nothing but good things to say. As always, YMMV.

 

[TDJMB]

I made a claim for an instrument that was damaged in shipping and Heritage / Hartford were stellar to deal with.

Could the poster that mentioned backstage coverage explain some more?

 

[Thepilot]

this is relevant to me- i contacted State Farm yesterday (have all my other policies through the office), provided a nice list of gear and values.

they came back and said that if i played professionally that the items could not be insured- very strange. I'm probably going to decline their coverage (even though i rarely pay for cash).

thanks for the thread- hope your claim goes smoothly.