Laptop Insurance

Are there anyplace that anyone would recommend when looking into laptop insurance?

 

You could look into a rider on your homeowner's insurance.

However, laptop insurance may not really be worth it.

 

unless you dirtbike with your laptop, its not a very good idea

 

oh haha ok.....even as a stupid college student?!

 

as long as you dont roll of your bunk with it or get tackled or any of that, your pretty safe

 

hehe well ok!

 

It really depends if it can get stolen...

 

it's easy to spill some liquid over it as well
(I can know: my gf did it with the laptop I gave her a few years ago ... now she isn't allowed to drink over the laptop anymore untill it's insured )

we also have pets ... so those can do a lot of damage as well
hence, an insurance definitly isn't a waste ... IF you know what you need it for

 

Well it depends. You have to think about this and try to figure out the chances that an accident will happen around your notebook.
Accidents do happen and you can't plan for them (cause if you could they wouldn't happen).

I've spilt some hot chocolate on my sager and it surpisingly survived. Besides these small accidents my notebook is pretty safe. It's usually on my desk. I rarely bring it with me. If I do bring it it is never left alone. So the chances of it getting stolen are pretty low and the chances of it getting damage for various reasons are also pretty low. So I don't think that I should spend money on insurace.

Now if you live in a house full of kids and pets, then the chances that something bad happens to your notebook are higher. So you could consider getting insurance. It really depends on you and how safe your living environment is.

 

if your laptop is fairly new and expensive, just refer to it's manufacturers warranty and then beef it up. usually after about 2-3 years though, you lose a ton of value on your laptop due to depreciation and it woudn't be worth it to pay for insuring after that. you can add it to your homeowners insurance or renters insurance if your dorming.

 

Well for a college student? Mine is like 8$/months for an all-risk insurance (with my home insurance). Doesn't really break the bank and makes you feel a lot safer.

 

Really is a tossup, warrentys will cover alot, can even get things such as accidental dmg nowadays. Only thing not covered with insurers should is theft. Thats really a issue of how well you handle things though.

I know in class im paranoid and if my notebook isnt out and on I maintain either occasional eye contact or touch reassurance that its still there every few seconds. I have a backpack so short of being robbed it cant be snatched easily either.

If you live in a dorm you may consider it though, my last roommate was HORRIBLE about leaving the door open as he headed out, then again he didnt care about what he left behind really, but it was distressing to come home and see my door adjar every evening and have to make sure everything was still there.

 

Laptops are sturdier than you think. I was sleeping with my laptop (it was playing music) and at around 5 AM, it fell off and hit the floor with a thud. I tried to get up, but also rolled off of the bed and hit the lid with my elbow. No damage done at all.

 

https://secure.safeware.com/getaquote.php

 

TLarsen has it right.

Safeware.com is an A rated (by A.M. Best) insurance company that offers Accidental Damage AND Theft protection for laptops and there is $0.00 deductible.

 

I think notebook insurance is a very good idea for a high end/priced notebook. Think about it, if your paying that much money for it what if you have it for a week and somebody steals it or you spill a beer or whatever over it. For a cheap notebook I wouldn't bother but for a decent one it is worth the extra $.

Steve

 

If I go to A.M. Best's site and do a search I can't get any information on that company.

I have to say I'm very distrustful of insurance companies. I think of them as crooks who try to get money from me and then try to evade their obligations when the time comes to use the contract they sold me. I'm even more distrustful of them when they are selling insurance for small items because I think the chances of them trying to weasel out of their contract is greater for small items. A laptop is small fries compared to a new car or a house.

 

Personally I am not one to even purchase extended warranties let alone seperate insurance for such small items (not small in general but compared to House/Car as Lemur said). Maybe I could see more of a need for it if I had my laptop in a less controlled environment.

For example, mine is usually either sitting on my desk at home in an air conditioned room or with me on the travelling. When home, I am single and have no kids/pets to worry about. I don't eat while at my laptop and am not particularly clumsy so I have never worried about dropping it (although accidents can happen, I have not even dropped a cell phone yet let alone something as big as a laptop and I don't carry it around much once I get home).

When I am travelling it is either in use by me or in my briefcase that never leaves my hand so I am not worried about it being stolen.

I guess it all depends on how much of a controlled environment you have for it as to whether or not it would be worth it. I have saved thousands of dollars by not purchasing additional warranties or insurance for items, so if one does eventually break on me I am due to pay for this type of thing.

If you are cautious and have a lot of control over your environment it is likely not worthwhile or needed, especially considering any insurance company would prefer to avoid paying if they can find any reason to do so. For example, take the laptop you left sitting on your desk in your college dorm for a few minutes while you ran out to your car to get something. You come back and it is gone. Your insurance company says they do not have to pay since you were negligent in trying to prevent such a crime by not locking the laptop down or hiding it and therefore does not pay. Is a $1,500 - $2,500 worth the time and legal fees to fight an insurance company over it? I think not. This is why a Car/House is a different story. Look at the going rates to even say "Hello" to a lawyer in passing.

 

The Safeware site says Our underwriters are rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company It sounds like they don't actually write the policies, but act as an agent for the companies which do.