By Matt G.
Why should you consider purchasing laptop insurance? A laptop can be damaged very easily. Most people who have a laptop frequently take them out of the home or carry them around the house which makes them more vulnerable to damage or theft. Most people these days rely on them on a daily basis to check email, pay bills and use them for business purposes. Without laptop insurance or a good warranty, the cost of the repairs and the risk of losing important documents is very high.
Laptop insurance is especially a wise choice for college students or business owners who store valuable data on them for school, or bring them along on a business trip where they can more easily be stolen or damaged. Laptop insurance has beneficial coverage such as accidental damage, hardware protection, theft, floods and fire. Although it can be expensive, there are also laptop insurance plans that will provide coverage for software. Before you purchase laptop insurance or any similar type of computer insurance, there’s a few important things to take into considersation.
Instructions
1. Step 1 – Compare laptop insurance.
When you begin shopping for laptop insurance, compare the different types of coverage that are available so you can find the best one that makes sense for you. The laptop computer coverage will vary with every insurer but it’s important to make sure that you have accidental damage covered. You never know when it could get knocked over by kids or accidentally dropped on the ground during transportation. Even the slightest spill of water could damage the mother board.
Some computer insurance plans will allow you to specify that you only want a certain type of covereage so you don’t have to pay for something that you won’t need. If you frequently bring your computer on the road for business or vactioning, there are pc insurance plans that have international coverage. Make sure that your laptop insurance you purchase will cover damage that occurs outside of the country. Compare the coverage amounts for each laptop insurance plan and speak with an agent who can answer all of your questions.
2. Step 2 – Compare laptop insurance coverage, deductibles and costs.
Compare the laptop insurance cost to the amount covered and factor in your deductible amount. Laptop insurance does not replace your warranty for your computer so laptop insurance will not cover regualr wear and tear on the computer. Computer insurance usually does not protect against viruses or software, although there are some pc insurance plans that have it but it can be expensive. A realistic example for laptop insurance is that if a laptop costs seventy five US dollars a year, with a deductible of about fifty dollars, the laptop insurance coverage should be around three thousand dollars. Without computer insurance, the cost of repairs or replacement can add up fast. Repair technicians are not cheap. Computer insurance policiees have have strict guidlelines as to the amount that will be covered but in the case of theft, an average laptop insurance policy will cover the replacement costs for the current value of the laptop. If you have an older laptop, it could have lower coverage compensation. It’s important to speak with an agent and ask a lot of questions.
3. Step 3 – Understand laptop insurance coverage.
Ask an insurance agent about the laptop insurance coverage and make sure that you understand what is and is not covered under the policy. Companies have strict rules about coverage under computer insurance policies. You could end up paying out of your own pocket if you’re not careful. For laptop insurance, the insurance company will pay for a loss that is accidental so if your laptop was in your locked car and someone broke in and stole it, you would receive coverage, but if the doors were unlcoked, that would be negligence on your part and you would not receive coverage. The regular expected wear and tear of your computer will not be covered under laptop insurance and any damage caused by viruses are also not covered under these policies. If you have other peripherals like a printer or scanner, those may or may not be covered under laptop insurance. You should take into consideration if you have a lot of software and extra components on your laptop.
4. Step 4 – Consider your laptop insurance deductible.
Consider your deductible amount and decide if laptop insurance even makes sense for your computer. If you have a cheap and inexpensive laptop then it doesn’t make sense to pay a high deductible because it obviously would barely be covered at all after the deductible is paid. The deductible would have to be paid first before the laptop insurance would be pay anything. And more importantly, if your computer is not worth much then it probably isn’t even worth getting computer insurance at all. If it was accidentally damaged or stolen, it would cost less to replace it than to pay the cost of laptop insurance premiums.
Tips & Warnings
* Laptop insurance is mostly available in the UK – take your time when shopping for laptop insurance and choose your insurance company wisely
* Find out about repair procedures and where the company handles the repairs
* Find out the minimum policy term for the computer insurance you’re considering
* Be prepared to provide any necessary store receipts when you file a claim with laptop insurance
- ehow.com -