Life is full of dangers, especially for the laptop computers used by busy professionals. David recounted his experiences with theft when he lost his laptop in November. But there are many more ways of losing a computer?you can drop them, you can spill a drink on them, or they could be in a fire or natural disaster. I discovered this last August.
I was attending the first day of a three-day conference, and I was sitting at a crowded table with several other attendees, and a third-full cup of cold coffee was sitting at my side. All it took was one thoughtless swipe of my hand, and the remaining coffee in my cup sprayed across the keyboard of my MacBook Pro. A sinking feeling quickly came over me, and anger that, because of my inattention, I had ruined my expensive but essential laptop computer. Sure enough, within a few minutes the keyboard stopped working, and the computer seemed to be a goner. Because I had to have a computer for the conference as well as for other essential work, I headed to the nearest Apple Store, got out my VISA card, and purchased a replacement.
When I got home, I discovered things weren’t quite as bad as they initially appeared. The damaged computer actually operated fine, it was just the keyboard that was not working. I decided I’d use it as a backup computer by attaching an external keyboard.
But there’s a happy ending to this computer fable: A short time later, it was time to renew an insurance policy I had purchased on the damaged laptop, which I had renewed regularly (or transferred to newer computers as I acquired them). It had been years since I had actually read the policy, and when I had bought the policy originally I was thinking of the danger of theft while travelling. When I called Safeware, the insurer, I wanted to have my policy transferred to the new laptop I had just purchased. “What happened to the other computer?” the helpful agent asked. “Oh, I spilled some coffee on the keyboard, and I’m just using it as a backup,” I said. “Did you know that that’s covered under your policy. You should file a claim,” she said. DUH! I didn’t even think to look at the policy!
The company handled the repair swiftly and easily. Their claims examiner scheduled to have a box sent to my home. Postage on the box is already paid. I placed my damaged laptop inside the box, and sent it to Safeware’s own Licensed Repair Facility, where it was diagnosed and repaired, then returned. If it wasn’t repairable, it would have been replaced!
I’m not usually one to recommend vendors, but Safeware, from my experience, is a class act. According to their website, they are “the nation’s largest provider of specialized insurance programs, designed to meet the demands of computer, electronics, and high-tech equipment owners.” Now, I’m sure it would have been possible to add a rider to my rental insurance policy (or a homeowner policy) to cover the laptop, but their handling of my loss was top notch. And they cover just about every conceivable kind of loss including accidental damage, thefts, drops, falls, collisions, cracked screens, liquid spills, vandalism, fire, and natural disasters. I would say that the $162 a year that I pay for coverage is well worth it since my business depends on my laptop!
This article was last modified on December 19, 2021
This article was first published on January 15, 2009
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