Laptop insurance claim - what are my options?

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lokhor

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#148564 23-Jun-2014 16:24

So I broke my wife's laptop which is a Sony Vaio VPCY115FG - basically one of the early ultraportable laptops with 13" screen and ULV processor and was $1299 retail (4 years ago).

I have put in an insurance claim with State (IAG) and sent it off for assessment.

I just received a call back from State today, saying that the repair agent has determined that it is not economically feasible to repair the laptop. They are offering a 'like-for-like' replacement and their preferred supplier is Noel Leeming (although they are open to other suppliers). Unfortunately they rang Noel Leeming who told them that their is no direct equivalent and the closest is this laptop the HP 15-d014tu which is only worth $599
http://www8.hp.com/nz/en/products/laptops/product-detail.html?oid=6537719#!tab=specs
I would not consider this to be a 'like-for-like' replacement as it has a 15" display, is not ultraportable and does not have a ULV processor (it has a 35W TDP processor).

Does anyone have experience with this type of thing and is able to give me guidance?

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

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Vocus

#1072745 23-Jun-2014 16:30

You should probably contact HP and ask them what the replacement is, take that back to your insurer. Clearly the retailer involved don't have a clue.

lokhor

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#1072747 23-Jun-2014 16:31

ubergeeknz: You should probably contact HP and ask them what the replacement is, take that back to your insurer. Clearly the retailer involved don't have a clue.

The broken Laptop is a Sony Vaio, it was the retailer that suggested an HP. Can I suggest a replacement to the insurance company? I was thinking: http://www.dicksmith.co.nz/apple-computers/apple-macbook-air-13-3-1-3ghz-dsnz-xa1148

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

ubergeeknz

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#1072759 23-Jun-2014 16:37

lokhor:
ubergeeknz: You should probably contact HP and ask them what the replacement is, take that back to your insurer. Clearly the retailer involved don't have a clue.

The broken Laptop is a Sony Vaio, it was the retailer that suggested an HP. Can I suggest a replacement to the insurance company? I was thinking: http://www.dicksmith.co.nz/apple-computers/apple-macbook-air-13-3-1-3ghz-dsnz-xa1148

My misread... contact Sony then :) I'm not sure if a macbook air will be an easy sell, but you could give it a go if the pricing is comparable with the replacement Vaio (likely enough)

lokhor

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#1072762 23-Jun-2014 16:39

ubergeeknz:
lokhor:
ubergeeknz: You should probably contact HP and ask them what the replacement is, take that back to your insurer. Clearly the retailer involved don't have a clue.

The broken Laptop is a Sony Vaio, it was the retailer that suggested an HP. Can I suggest a replacement to the insurance company? I was thinking: http://www.dicksmith.co.nz/apple-computers/apple-macbook-air-13-3-1-3ghz-dsnz-xa1148

My misread... contact Sony then :) I'm not sure if a macbook air will be an easy sell, but you could give it a go if the pricing is comparable with the replacement Vaio (likely enough)

Replacement Vaio is $1999 for the existing model

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

xpd

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#1072763 23-Jun-2014 16:40

I'll ask a girl on the bus home.... she works for an insurance company, she might have an idea of what you can ask for :)

But dont some insurance companies have "providers" they use and if the thing you want isnt there, tough luck ? Such as Noel Leeming.........

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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lokhor

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#1072765 23-Jun-2014 16:43

xpd: I'll ask a girl on the bus home.... she works for an insurance company, she might have an idea of what you can ask for :)

But dont some insurance companies have "providers" they use and if the thing you want isnt there, tough luck ? Such as Noel Leeming.........

The guy specifically said that I can select another supplier..

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

Jase2985

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#1072804 23-Jun-2014 17:10

had the same problem when i had 2 stolen but you be lucky to get much more than the HP they are offering.

pretty much any computer these days is better than your 4 year old one. all you need to worry about is the size of the screen, and if that's the case you will more than likely be offered the lowest spec one, possibly a model higher if the ram doesn't match.

you will not get anything that is a $ for $ replacement, its like for like not $ for $

also a mac wont cut it the other one was a windows one

thats my experience

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Dynamic

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#1072839 23-Jun-2014 18:00

What does your insurance policy say?

For electronic goods insurance is commonly 2 years direct comparable replacement then market value after that (i.e. bugger all). If you have a premium-level policy that does like for like then argue for the Sony using weight as an argument. The HP they offer isn't terrible for a consumer-level machine but is heaps heavier.

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scuwp

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#1072847 23-Jun-2014 18:52

What does your insurance policy provide for? Unless it is a like-for-like policy then the devaluation on a 4 year old laptop would render it almost worthless. Any replacement offer in that case would be better than nothing. If the former applies then make a REASONABLE request for a model that you identify. Make a case for comparison to the old one.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

lokhor

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#1072864 23-Jun-2014 19:22

scuwp: What does your insurance policy provide for? Unless it is a like-for-like policy then the devaluation on a 4 year old laptop would render it almost worthless. Any replacement offer in that case would be better than nothing. If the former applies then make a REASONABLE request for a model that you identify. Make a case for comparison to the old one.

Yes it is a like-for-like policy for laptops under 5 ears old.

They have now offered me the HP ProBook 430 G1 F6Q37PA
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=2383536

I have emailed a counter-offer to see if they accept the Macbook Air idea :)

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

Sideface

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#1072866 23-Jun-2014 19:34

lokhor: ... I just received a call back from State today, saying that the repair agent has determined that it is not economically feasible to repair the laptop. They are offering a 'like-for-like' replacement and their preferred supplier is Noel Leeming ...

State are correct in stating that it is not economically feasible to repair the laptop.
I agree with others who point out that a 4-year-old laptop is really worth very little.
I have a 4-year-old Vaio myself (bought from Noel Leeming!), which is working perfectly - I love it, but when it dies I won't be be buying another Vaio, simply because the brand is being withdrawn from the NZ market.
Take what you can get, preferably NOT a Vaio.

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scuwp

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#1072914 23-Jun-2014 20:44

lokhor:
scuwp: What does your insurance policy provide for? Unless it is a like-for-like policy then the devaluation on a 4 year old laptop would render it almost worthless. Any replacement offer in that case would be better than nothing. If the former applies then make a REASONABLE request for a model that you identify. Make a case for comparison to the old one.

Yes it is a like-for-like policy for laptops under 5 ears old.

They have now offered me the HP ProBook 430 G1 F6Q37PA
http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=2383536

I have emailed a counter-offer to see if they accept the Macbook Air idea :)

Worth a crack as they say. Good luck.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

raytaylor

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#1073819 25-Jun-2014 00:11

I had a HP Elitebook 2670p which i dropped from off a roof.
HP dont have any current model that is similar with the same features.

Ended up going to amazon and finding one where a retailer had old stock that was still brand new - ended up purchasing it myself and getting reimbursed for the cost of the laptop, though I had to pay my excess and the shipping cost.
Was still worth it because I love that model of laptop - its absolutely perfect.

Noel leeming just looked at the CPU and RAM then recommended some crappy little hp slimline thing that
- Had no dual secondary slice battery capability to extend the life to 8 hours
- Had no wacom stylus for drawing on the screen (everying is finger touch now)
- Was therefore useless for drawing wiring diagrams in onenote
- Had that horrible windows 8, not the superior windows 7
- Had no keyboard LED downlamp next to the webcam

So yeah, if you want the exact same model, I would suggest going to amazon and finding a retailer that sells them brand new but still has the old model still in stock.
You may have to pay the shipping, but you get exactly what you had before.

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lokhor

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#1074781 26-Jun-2014 08:59

So this has not quite been resolved, however the latest news is:

The insurance company has had agreement from the repair agent that the closest to a like-for-like replacement is the MacBook Air, however the model they think is equivalent is the 11.6" version.

I am ok with this as it means I can pay the difference between the 11.6" and 13.3"

Unfortunately I went in to DSE Featherston and they had no stock! so have to wait until Friday to finally sort it out.

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

Batman

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#1074799 26-Jun-2014 09:28

always get a cash settlement.

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