My camera equipment was stolen from my locked car and the insurance didn't cover it

Dear photography community. I am writing this post to warn you. Warn you about two things!

We live in a modern age with crazy technology – our cameras are proof of that. And so is the technology the common thief uses. On a travel to Lithuania I parked the rented car (with full insurance coverage) and went for lunch with my girlfriend, her mom and two friends. With my camera safely locked in the trunk.

Returning to the car I didn’t notice anything. We didn’t notice anything until an hour later, where we parked and I needed my camera. Opening the trunk I wondered where I put the backpack. Coming to my senses, I realized my shoulderbag with the camera, my backpack, my girlfriends backpack and one of my friends backpack wasn’t there.

The total value of my items was around $4,500. My Canon 5D mark III and the Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 made up the majority of that sum.

That warm, yet creeping feeling came flooding in. Someone stole our stuff! Including my backpack and at that point I thought also my passport.

After getting it all together and thinking for a bit, I got to the conclusion that the insurance would pay. After all I had two cameras stolen a couple of years ago, which I didn’t have an insurance for so I did learn that lesson the hard way. I spoke with an insurer in my insurance company (The Danish company ”Tryg”, which is a fairly respected insurance company) and said I wanted an insurance that covers every kind of thievery! I want to be covered from head to toe! I bought that insurance and in good faith I thought I was covered.

BUT of course I was NOT covered!

While filing the police report I contacted my insurance company and told them my story, so I could get from the police what I and ”Tryg” needed. After all everybody wants the insurance process to be as easy for all parties as possible. It was here the insurer told me they don’t cover theft from cars without visible damage to the car.

…silence… “You don’t what?!”

For two years I paid in good faith (stupid and ignorant me) for an insurance that didn’t cover all kinds of theft? Not even from a locked trunk in a car!?

The insurer told me to gather what I could and they’d take a look at it when I came home. Here a couple of weeks after, where I’ve talked with several sources and filed for insurance they stick to their policy. Unless there’s a visible break in (damage to the car) they don’t cover.

So, they don’t cover, what to me seems like obvious theft (it is theft, after all) from the trunk of a locked car, where you can’t even see what’s in the trunk.

Now one thing is to get your stuff stolen. Another thing is my trust in insurance companies now equals zero. The insurance companies know FULL WELL that this technology (electronic break-in) exists and have existed for at least five years, yet they stick to their policy of visible theft. That’s just not okay! And this is not just a Lithuanian thing. It’s happening in Denmark and other countries too.

The car rental company doesn’t cover the loss, unless the entire car is stolen. Yes they’d cover my camera if the entire car was stolen.

To end with a bit of optimism. I didn’t get my passport stolen, since I was lazy in the airport and just put it in my jacket pocket. I was thinking of bringing my laptop, but decided not to, I didn’t bring all my camera gear. I backed up the wedding I shot just before leaving. So what can we all learn from this?

Thieves can get into your car without leaving any traces. Your gear and other belongings are NOT safely locked in the trunk.
Insurance companies don’t cover that, although they know about it. I’ve investigated it a bit and a few companies does cover, but in my examples only within a certain value.
Read your insurance policy… over and over again! See if your insurance really is a full coverage.
Insurance companies are companies after all – they’re here to make money!
Don’t keep all your gear (or important items) the same place. If something is stolen, the damage is smaller after all if they did not get to that extra lens!
Just do not bring everything you own when you travel.
BACK UP your pictures ASAP.
Keep your ID papers with you all the time and have a photocopy of it too and place it somewhere else.

P.S. If anybody comes by my camera and lens the serial numbers are:

Canon EOS 5D Mark III: 203020007456
Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD: 049219

About the Author

Mads Peter Iversen is a landscape and portrait photographer based in Aarhus, Denmark. You can find out more about him on his website, follow him on Instagram, or reach out to him through Facebook. This article was also published here and used with permission.

Del Robertson Somerville

I’ve always got my camera gear in my backpack, which is always on my back. I wouldn’t leave my pet in my car, …why would I leave my camera gear in there?!!
countervail

Have you tried this?

http://www.stolencamerafinder.com/

And doesn’t your home insurance cover camera theft even if it’s away from the house? I know renter’s insurance usually does that.
- Jarret O’Shea
  
  I know my homeowner’s (in the US) is supposed to, though I don’t know if there’s any fancy language to get them out of it in certain cases, like this one. Hopefully I’ll never have to find out.
- Steven Siegel
  
  In many cases, homeowners insurance policies will not cover camera loss or damage if you are a professional photographer (meaning that you earn money through photography). Some professional photography associations offer insurance and those policies are quite comprehensive. It’s best to check with your insurance agents to be familiar with the conditions of coverage. Every policy is different and its best not to be surprised after the theft occurs. Issue 04 of Professional Photography has a great article that covers the issue of insurance for Photographers.
  - Paul Coleman
    
    I was a property claims adjuster for over 27 years and saw this several times.
    Steven, that is not entirely correct. Most homeowner’s policies limit business personal property to 200.00. If you are not a business I would recommend you get a personal articles floater or policy. It is not expensive and coverage is very broad. It will cover theft, breakage, and loss for the value stated. If you are a business you can get a business rider to cover your specific equipment for a state amount. I agree with Steven, photography associations may be the best route. Read the conditions, coverage and exclusions of your policy and discuss it with your agent.
Dirk Beichert

Interesting question. I just filed a request to my insurance …
Chris ‘Sharky’ Wright

Should have smashed the car window before going to the police.
TheInconvenientRuth

So you signed an insurance contract in good faith, without reading it… Well…
J.W.

Modern cars are logging all kinds of events. I would assume that opening the car is also logged somewhere in the electronics. When bringing the car to the repair station, the first thing they do is to connect the car with the carmakers host and transfer all collected data.

So it’s kind of annoying, that THEY know everything about the driver and what he does, but they do not let us know their insights – even in such cases as yours as this log could clearly proof that the car got opened and if you have a witness you could proof that it wasn’t you who opened the car.

I would say, that this could be a path to show them the marks they need…?!
Andres Mata Tome

I am sorry, but the solution I think is: next time this happens to anybody, you’d better break the window of the car with a brick yourself. That way the insurance will pay. I am afraid is the only option. You have been stolen twice: by the burglars and by the insurance, so something must be done to avoid that, why would you pay an insurance then?
Paganator

Have you tried contacting your home insurance provider? With some luck this might actually be covered believe it or not.
mrz80

My solution is ALWAYS keep the camera either in my hand or in my backpack and ALWAYS take the backpack WITH me, even into fancy restaurants.
7765

if it was an american company I would sue them… and probably win. The law says if a contract is tricky and seems to cover something it is covered (if reasonable people would understand it to be covered). Because it is assumed to be a fraud when they say something is then take it away with fine print. If the agent is in the united state you might try suing them.