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Update your insurance - you don't want this to happen to your Macs!
- Thread starter atlanticza
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Ouch, I am in college and live in an apartment, so I would cry very hard if I lost my macs. Actually that almost happened earlier this year, a fire was started at like 3 am.
Renter's insurance. Not very expensive, mine is around 20 a month, and having it gets me a discount on my auto insurance since they're from the same company.
Exactly! They never teach you about buying insurance in school. Many people don't learn this until they suffer a loss. Renter's insurance is important, too.
Replacement Value Insurance is the key. I don't know how this works in other countries, but in the US, it is vital. It costs a little more, but this is how it works.
Let's say you have a 6 year old 34 inch TV that you paid $900 for. It's only worth maybe $100 today if you are lucky. Regular insurance gets you the current value of $100. With replacement value insurance, you can replace the 34 inch TV with a new one.
To the extreme example, we had a top-of-the-line sewing machine from 1964 in our house. (inherited from an old aunt.) It worked, but it was not worth more than $25-50 if we tried to sell it. We had a loss (from a broken pipe in the basement of our new house that soaked it) and the insurance company replaced it with the current top-of-the-line-machine that cost $5000. Needless to say, there was one happy woman in this house.
We didn't cheat the insurance company, we paid for the insurance, we had a loss, and they replaced it per their policies.
Often, if you "call out" your valuables, including your computers, they will replace your equipment with new. Top-of-the-line for top-of-the-line. YMMV as some insurance companies may refuse some things at first. Keep on them, prove your case, and you can get what you want.
And, as long as we are talking about losses, it is the perfect time to nag you about your backups. Keep an up-to-date backup of your data off-site. In the event of a catastrophic loss (fire, theft, tornado), you still have your wedding video and baby photos and tax info intact in another location.
Replacement Value Insurance is the key. I don't know how this works in other countries, but in the US, it is vital. It costs a little more, but this is how it works.
Let's say you have a 6 year old 34 inch TV that you paid $900 for. It's only worth maybe $100 today if you are lucky. Regular insurance gets you the current value of $100. With replacement value insurance, you can replace the 34 inch TV with a new one.
To the extreme example, we had a top-of-the-line sewing machine from 1964 in our house. (inherited from an old aunt.) It worked, but it was not worth more than $25-50 if we tried to sell it. We had a loss (from a broken pipe in the basement of our new house that soaked it) and the insurance company replaced it with the current top-of-the-line-machine that cost $5000. Needless to say, there was one happy woman in this house.
We didn't cheat the insurance company, we paid for the insurance, we had a loss, and they replaced it per their policies.
Often, if you "call out" your valuables, including your computers, they will replace your equipment with new. Top-of-the-line for top-of-the-line. YMMV as some insurance companies may refuse some things at first. Keep on them, prove your case, and you can get what you want.
And, as long as we are talking about losses, it is the perfect time to nag you about your backups. Keep an up-to-date backup of your data off-site. In the event of a catastrophic loss (fire, theft, tornado), you still have your wedding video and baby photos and tax info intact in another location.
Agree with that. Never had insurance when I was younger, went to visit a mate for week on hols, came back come to find I had been burgled. The place had been totally trashed and all my valuable items (PC, stereo, music collection, TV etc), had been taken.
Had to slowly replace everything out of my own pocket, was a harsh lesson but have never been without insurance since. Even if you don't have to claim it's worth it for the peace of mind, especially when going on vacation.
Before I got my MBP I rang my contents insurers to find out whether it'd be covered for acc dam, fire and theft, thankfully it is.
Two subjects I wish would be taught in high school are the importance of insurance policies and how to build and maintain good credit. Those are two of the most important things one needs to know as an adult.
I have to say that I completely agree with you. Insurance and credit are very good examples of where people often learn after the event when the damage has been done.
being a firefighter, my first concern is the safety of the fireman and anyone that might have been in that building. I hope no one was hurt. This Is a good reminder to get insurance whether you rent or own.
Well that's one hell of a way to advertise our business if it was! No, it's an internet-based business and fortunately all our servers are off-site so no vital data was lost, nor was there an interruption of our service to our clients. (There's a lesson in that too - back-up.)
Nobody was hurt as the fire occurred on a Sunday. It was a 120 year old building, floors, ceilings, beams all wood. It apparently started in a fast food outfit on the ground floor when oil in a pan caught fire and the manager tried to extinguish it with water!