Hi everyone,
A few days back, I noticed a thread asking whether you would return to a lost-and-found mask to the original owner. That thread got me thinking:
- Was there ever a time that you lost some pieces of expensive scuba diving equipment?
- Were you able to retrieve them?
- Have you ever had your scuba diving equipment stolen?
- Have you ever had your scuba diving equipment swapped for another diver's?
- How do you usually secure your own gear from possible loss, swapping, or theft?
- Do you think purchasing insurance for your equipment is worth it?
I'm very interested in what you have to share. Thank you!
1/ no
2/ n.a.
3/ yes, a watch
4/ only my buddy
5/ I take reasonable precautions. I keep expensive pieces that are easily stolen like lights and my computer locked and trust in human nature for the rest. Most of my diving gear is not new anymore so it wouldn't be the kind of stuff the casual thief would be looking for.
6/ I have supplemental medical/travel insurance specifically for divers that includes insurance for my gear. I didn't choose for the gear insurance, it was just included in the policy. I've had a couple of cases of things that I should have claimed on the gear insurance (broken mask lens, stolen watch) but I didn't bother. I would make a claim if *all* of my stuff went missing from, say, an airplane because you can prove that you checked it in and you can prove that it didn't come off... but how likely is that?
I worked for a time in an insurance company in the Netherlands and one of their claims people told me that their policy at the time was to *always* refuse to pay out theft claims. She said they didn't even look at the claim unless the client forced the issue by filing formal objections or by hiring a lawyer to threaten them. The claims people also hated the clients because, of course, clients were always complaining....
She did tell me that they were planning on changing the policy to pay out on claims that they were sure a court would force them to pay because it was costing more to refuse than it was to pay in some cases. I can understand an insurance company not wanting clients to cheat them but when the company makes it its business to cheat the clients, then there's something very very wrong. My sense is that this level of greed and cynicism is rampant in insurance companies.
Anyway, because of that, and because of other personal experiences I have
absolutely no trust in insurance companies to pay out in the event of theft. Frankly, for anything that costs less than a month's wages to replace, you'd be
FAR FAR better off just putting away a sum of money in a savings account every month and being your own insurance company. Why would I want to pay some company to become unreasonable and difficult with me when I can pay myself to be prepared..... and I can keep the money if it never happens.
So no, I don't think it's worth it to buy theft insurance for diving gear. The main reason being that *if* something gets stolen then you'll have a hell of a time proving that it was stolen. Even if it was in your car and someone smashes a window to get in, then the insurance company is going to say, "prove that your item was in the car at the time". You can't win with them. You literally can't.
R..