This is a simple documented review of the experience I had with making a claim on accidental damage of my camera. As this is the first time I’ve ever needed to make a claim with any insurance policy, and I’m always telling fellow photographers ‘you must be insured’, I thought it worthwhile to share how this process went. Let’s see how this goes…
The Incident
Unfortunate accidents happen from time to time. In this case, I was caught in a rain shower and my camera got wetter than I expected, despite my best efforts. The Leica M Typ 240 is rather ambiguously noted as having seals against dust & moisture, but without any IP rating or great detail revealed. In this case, it just got wetter than I expected, and stopped functioning properly in various ways.
First Contact With Photoguard
I got through on the phones to them very quickly and the chap on the other end was very helpful. I had a few questions about the process and details and he took me through them all properly. The first thing I really needed to do was get a quote/estimation as to the repair cost from a reputable dealer.
This did somewhat surprise me because in my mind, I am paying the insurer for a service, and it would seem easier in my mind for them to simply deal with everything for me (this is how it was done when someone reversed into my car at least). But equally, perhaps it is best, with camera equipment, which can be quite personal and specialist/technical, for the user themselves to outline the issues and make sure the estimate is thorough and accurate.
Finding ALL the right information
There is quite a lot of information you need to collect in order to file the claim with Photoguard. I imagine this is the same with any claim, but on top of arranging the estimate yourself, it is more work than I expected. It doesn’t take too long but you will have to spend a while doing the following: completing the claims form, finding your original proof of purchase/bank statement, details of previous insurers, details of previous claims/incidents, details of household insurers, details of any witness, repair estimate including the cost and details of the damage, photographs of any visible damage, copies of proof of ID & copies verifying your address.
Getting an estimate for repairs
Photoguard simply recommended ‘any reputable store’ for getting an estimate. I did double check this and they said it was fine. However, upon investigating with other Leica users, it seems because my camera is handmade in Germany and somewhat more specialised, it’s really not recommended to get a quote for these repairs anywhere other than with Leica themselves. I did find another shop who would offer to do this, but generally speaking most places (other than Leica themselves), won’t touch a digital Leica camera. And it seems to make sense that if I want to get to the bottom of this and have a camera that will give me 10+ more years of joy, I should get the real experts to look at it.
Leica UK were wonderful with helping me get this sorted. They were more than happy to answer my questions regarding the concerns of the potential damage, and what my options might be, and then provided me with free UPS shipping to take the camera directly to Germany for inspection and an estimate of the potential repairs. The repairs form was very easy to fill out, and the UPS label could be used anytime within the next 30 days, either by collection or by dropping it off somewhere locally. I liked this a lot as it just made life easier and it impressed me, because Leica don’t ‘owe’ me anything in terms of warranty, and the insurance obviously was not through them. They are just making life as easy and stress free as possible for their users.
Waiting for the quote from Leica
I was told it would take around 2 weeks from Leica receiving the camera until I’d get a repair estimation. From sending the camera off it took exactly 2 weeks until Leica Germany got in touch with me via email, first notifying me of receipt and then giving me a repair estimation. Both in PDF form and easy to understand. This got to me on a Fri afternoon, around 3pm if I recall correctly.
Sending ALL the details for the claim off to Photoguard
In trying to get this done as soon as possible, I then got all the details off to Photoguard just before 5pm that same day. On the Sunday, I noticed an email they’d sent on the Saturday, just requesting some more information. It had come through at 11am on the Saturday, so it was an impressive turn around. I sent off the additional info (more proof of purchase) late on the Sunday.
From sending the details off to Photoguard on the Sunday (after going through them all multiple times to make sure all the details were correct and clear!), it took less than 1 day to get a response from them. Initially, you get just an auto-response email saying reply time is 5 days and you’ll likely be assigned a case agent – which seems a little slow, but you want it looked over properly I guess. My only concern would be for those waiting on hire gear, as part of the claims process, may be let down as that seems very slow if you need something for work. Naturally, I have a few others cameras and rarely use this for work so it wasn’t a big deal.
By this point I knew what the estimation was myself and that it was from an expert at Leica, so I am really just waiting patiently to process this so I can get back to shooting with my favourite camera. Naturally, I’m a bit nervous I’ve ticked the wrong box or done something else daft, because this is by far my favourite camera to shoot with and is the only one I use for personal projects and day to day life.
The response from Photoguard
It took less than 1 days for them to process the initial claim and tell me the outcome, and they were clear about the next step. This was Monday morning, so I was very pleased at how quickly they dealt with all the information. I was informed that the replacement camera will be ordered within the next 5 working days by the accounts department. Yes, unfortunately, my camera was not economical to repair, but thankfully as it was insured it will be replaced.
Overall, I have to give them 5 out of 5. I can’t fault them.
Other reviews, stories, internet & responsibility
It’s funny when you read reviews online. Often people just come there to vent because they’re unhappy for various reasons and want to make it public, have it acknowledged or gratified in some way. When I googled “Photoguard insurance reviews” a couple of not-so-great stories came up. And I am only 1 example, but I think you need to really understand what you’re buying when you buy an insurance policy. It’s not a fail-safe for everything under the sun. It has exactly terms and conditions, which aren’t there to “catch you out”, but to protect both the insurer and the policy owner.
One example I read was someone who left their equipment in their car, had it stolen, then their insurer wouldn’t cover the loss. Surprising? It shouldn’t be, because if you’re insuring photo equipment a basic thing to check is if you want or need your gear covered when it’s locked in your car or not.
Another example was someone leaving their equipment locked away overnight off-site, in a location where they had been working. It was stolen, and no the insurers wouldn’t cover the loss. Surprising? It shouldn’t be, if you read your insurance schedule. Again, it’s a very basic thing. Be responsible with what you do. Don’t leave your equipment in random locations away from your home that aren’t insured.
ANOTHER example was someone “losing” their camera and expecting their insurer to compensate them. To me this just seems ridiculous and naive. For example, if you are “robbed” or “mugged”, you naturally need to file a police report and include this with your claims form – you can’t just say “someone took it” and expect the insurer to compensate you.
A Conclusion
I wanted to note the context of this review is written in a day-by-day style, rather than having all the evidence in front of me with the final answer and writing about something that has already concluded. For someone making their first claim on anything, I was quite anxious about the outcome and the process, especially in the earlier stages. As mentioned, my favourite camera was broken… there is stress associated with this. Overall, I gave Photoguard 5/5 for their service and I stand by this. Their actions and communications throughout were spot on. When reading through my review, you may note some reservations or anxiety, but I believe this is simply through my decision to write the post day-by-day – in a way, getting more of a sense of how I felt at the time. Whether this is vital or not, you can decide for yourself, but I thought it worthwhile to reflect on that.
I hope this review of my experiences goes someway to help anyone seeking camera insurance in the UK, and in reminding them to make informed and intelligent decisions with exactly what their policy is for. Have a great day!
