[VikingPhotography]

Some of you may have read how one of my D2X bodies came a bit of a cropper back on 14th Feburary... nothing too serious insofar that the cameras hot-shoe mount had been ripped free from the screws securing it to the body; the camera took a nosedive onto the pavement with an SB-800 and 70-200VR attached. The lens, flash and general functions of the camera were fine, but the body would need to be sent away for repair to get the hotshoe re-mounted.

I thought I was in luck because, when I bought this particular D2X, I was sweet-talked into taking out one of their PhotoPlus repair protection plans, at an additional cost of £180.

So I took the camera into my local Jessops on 15th Feb and asked them to book it in. The assistant manager told me it would be going straight to Nikon, so I wrote on their repair forms my NPS membership number: this would normally mean my camera would be fast-tracked for repair once it was received in by Nikon UK in Surrey - typically repaired and shipped back within 5 working days of them receiving it.

So this morning I called Nikon NPS to find out the status of my camera... no record of it being received. I thought this was odd, so I called my local Jessops. The sales assistant rang me back a few minutes later, telling me it had been sent to a company called Birmingham Specialised Services. He didn't have their number, but said that Jessops central service center could help me, and game me that number

I spoke to an operative at Jessops' service centre whom was almost worse than useless. He told me that, because my camera was being repaired under their insurance scheme, it would take around 6-8 weeks for it to be fixed and returned to me. I nearly unloaded on the guy, citing how this sort of turnaround time was unacceptable for a working pro photographer. I asked for the phone number of their service agent and he told me he couldn't give me it, since they would only speak to Jessops. Thanking him for no help at all, I hung up.

A quick call to Yellow Pages furnished me with the number for Birmingham Specialist Services. I called them up and asked about the status of my camera which was in for repair. They asked for my postcode and, within a few seconds, were able to tell me the camera had been received by them on the 20th and was 'awaiting inspection'

When I asked how long the turnaround time was going to be they said that, since it was a pro-level body, they needed to completely strip it down to identify what needed repairing (you'd think that a hot-shoe connector missing would be obvious) and then create a parts and service estimate, THEN wait for authorisation from the insurance company to go ahead with the repairs.

I wanted this translated into plain English in terms of weeks... the lass said "about 4-6 weeks or so." I told them to cancel the repair and have it returned directly to Jessops. She said "Oh, we can't do that - we can only take instructions from Jessops themselves"



Soooo

Back to Jessops head office service centre. This time I asked to speak to a line manager. I tell them I want the repair cancelled and returned to the Jessops store ASAP. I tell her that I'm going to get it sent to Nikon directly and serviced under my NPS membership and yes, it will cost me out of my own pocket, but at least I'll have the camera back within a week.

She says "Oh, you're an NPS member? Why don't I see if I can do something to help"

I get put on hold for a few minutes and then she comes back on the line "It seems that BSS sent the camera to Nikon yesterday. I'm going to call Nikon and see if it can get processed under your NPS number, and perhaps shipped directly back to you"



As hopeful as that sounds, I'm not going to hold my breath. The ironic thing is that, if I had sent it back to Nikon direct, I'd have paid something like £10 shipping and around £30 for the repair - and they would do a general clean and check of the camera for free at the same time.

If I'd taken the £180 insurance fee and stuck it aside in a secondary savings account, I'd have had the money to cover this repair directly a few times over. I have separate professional insurance on an annual premium to protect my kit from loss, theft etc. - things that aren't covered by the ridiculously high Jessops insurance premiums.

So - take it from one who knows: steer clear of these rip-off premiums, insure the kit directly with a company such as E&L, and put some pennies away to cover the cost of minor repairs.

[silver]

yep they do drag their heels a lot :|

I am looking to insure equipment, who are E&L ?

thanks!

Sil

edit - meant to add,. plse keep me updated on your luck with the NPS / jessops thing,. for some strange reason I bough a lens from jessops and got the warrenty but I know they will take abt 2 months to fix a minor-ish issue and that's too long

[VikingPhotography]

E&L are Equine and Livestock insurance... though they simply trade as E&L these days

They come mostly recommended as pro photographic insurers and I will probably be switching to them when my current (too damn bloody expensive!) policy with Morgan Richardson expires

E&L photo insurance can be found here

Camera Insurance and photographic insurance online, insuring equipment, covering theft, damage, accidental loss, replacement hire, new for old, public liability and more

[VinnyP]

I looked into this some time ago and I advise you to read the policy carefully whatever you decide. E&L advertise a lot and offer a lot of policies but their excess is very heavy eg. normally 7.5% but minimum £150!! Rising to overseas theft from a car is 25% excess minimum of £500. They do not have a maximum excess, so if you loose £10.000 it's £2500 you have to find. They only offer 30 days overseas as standard and vehicle cover is extra. They also only offer new for old cover up to two years old for amateurs and one year for pros.

I went with Glover & Howe who are much much better for excess; they charge 10% normally with a £35 minimum £150 maximum (which is the minimum for E&L). From a car is still 10% anywhere in the world but with a £100 minimum £500 maximum (again the minimum for E&L) their premiums are higher but include 60 days overseas and vehicle cover as standard if you want these then they are about the same. They also get more reasonable as you go on as they offer no claims discount. Best of all they offer new for old cover no matter how old the equipment is which is a big factor.
I am sure there are others and everyone's needs are different but, for me, the excess rates for E&L were a shocker. Not getting new for old would also mean you have to run around finding 2nd hand stuff as a replacement for anything that is more than 2 years old and you'd have the wrangles over how much they will pay.

[silver]

thanks guys,. currently looking at Photoguard - Insuring the UK's photographers - photographic equipment insurance and also aaduki Versatile Insurance Professionals Ltd

Sil

[VikingPhotography]

Photoguard are waaaay too expensive for truly pro-level insurance (Worldwide, all-risks); I estimate the value of my camera only kit at £13,650 excluding accessories such as CF cards, tripod, monopod etc.

For that amount of kit, Photoguard want £100.46 a month - and that's before I add in things such as my desktop and laptop PC's. If I factor £1500 each for the desktop and laptop, it skyrockets to £197 a month

Morgan Richardson (MR Photographic) gave me £18,500 of cover for £50/month - a quarter of what Photoguard were asking for.

Still, some of the terms of MR's insurance aren't exactly favourable so I'm shopping around to find a better deal. What I need to keep in mind is that, with each lens and accessory I buy, my kit value only goes up.

Whomever thought that being a pro-photographer meant easy money never paid thought to the business side of things...

[silver]

aaduki are a little cheaper it seems,. they can do 45 days outside of UK if you let them know what dates for quite reasonable (if that helps!)

Sil

[Hacker]

Originally Posted by VikingPhotography

E&L are Equine and Livestock insurance... though they simply trade as E&L these days

They come mostly recommended as pro photographic insurers and I will probably be switching to them when my current (too damn bloody expensive!) policy with Morgan Richardson expires

I would not touch E&L with a bargepole - steer well clear IMO! They have an appalling record for paying out (or not) across many industries including photography, equine and golf.

I know a couple of people who insured golf kit with them and when they tried to make a claim they had a nightmare. I also know of two equine vets in this area who, if they treat a horse insured with E&L insist that the customer pays the vet directly and then it is the horse owners responsibility to claim the money back from E&L. They are the only insurance company that have had this sanction placed on them and is because vets have had so much trouble getting money out of them.

If you need any more opinions on E&L go to the equestrian forum saddle-up.org.uk and ask about them their experiences.

Hope this helps.