Insurance for damaged camera?

Hi Moneyland team,

Last weekend I photographed an organized event. At one point my camera took an accidental hit and someone accidentally splashed a few drops of bier on my flash unit. Later on I realized that my flash unit was no longer working correctly (the focus light isn't working). I am not sure if the problem is caused by damage to the camera or just the flash unit (cost of camera: 600 francs, flash: 200 francs). Are these damages be covered by an insurance? The damages were caused by strangers and I don't have any info on them. Could you help me out with this?

Kind regards

Hi there,

If you were able to find out who caused the damages, you may be able to hold them liable to pay for the damages. In that case they could file a claim with their personal liability insurance provider. However, if you are not sure who is responsible, this isn't an option.

Here are some other options:

1. Discuss the situation with the event organizer. Many event organizer take out event insurance and some event insurance policies cover damages to equipment used by organizers, volunteers and in some cases even guests.

2. Review the coverage provided by your household insurance policy is also important. Although basic household insurance does not normally cover damages for personal property outside of you home, more comprehensive insurance policies do include this coverage. It is also possible that you added coverage for damages or simple theft away from home when you took out your policy. If you are not sure what coverage you have, contact your insurance provider and ask.

3. It is possible to get special camera insurance, such as the insurance from Aktivas offered to Photosuisse members. Other insurers let you insure specific items (like a camera). Insuring your camera this way is relatively expensive.

4. If you paid for your camera using a credit card, review the benefits of your credit card to see if you are eligible for purchase protection. This covers purchases against accidental damages for a certain amount of time (45 or 90 days from the date of purchase, for example). Some Swiss credit cards include this benefit.

5. If you are not absolutely sure that the fault was caused by the incidents you mentioned, you can also claim on the warranty. An internal, electronic fault could be the result of poor workmanship on the part of the manufacturer.

Best regards from Moneyguru

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Household insurance explained