Festival insurance: Thrills and insurance policy claims headaches

Tuesday, 16 June 2009 07:14

One summer, over 150 music festivals and millions pounds worth of camera, iPods, mobile phones, camping equipment, cash and alcohol at risk.

The festival season kicked off this year with the Isle of Wight festival last weekend, while Glastonbury is coming on June 25th to 28th, marking the start of summer for over 175,000 festival goers.

Personal items lost at a festival - like an iPod or mobile phone dropping out of a pocket - should be covered under home contents insurance for personal possessions, although much depends on individual policies.

If valuables are stolen from a tent they are only covered if there is a 'lockable' door.

Students living at home may be covered under their parents' policies but those living away at university, college or boarding school may need to arrange their own contents cover as restrictions often apply.

The plain advice is not to take anything valuable to a festival, or if you do, never leave valuables unattended in an unsecured tent.

Also mark your property, so if it is lost and someone full with festival spirit hands it in, you can find it more easily.

Use festival cash machines over hoarding large amounts of cash, is a further tip.

Mike Pickard, at esure home insurance, said: "Festivals such as Glastonbury are havens for opportunistic thieves and pick-pockets and the very nature of these types of music events radically increases the likelihood of belongings being accidentally dropped, misplaced or damaged.

"As a rule of thumb, try not to pack anything that is of value."

"But for those festival-goers looking to camp at festivals and take items such as mobile phones, digital cameras or MP3 players with them, it's crucial to make sure they're adequately insured and that steps are taken to protect personal belongings at all times."

Relying on your car as a safe haven for valuables may also not be the best option.

Three-fifths of car insurance providers limit contents cover to just £100 - enough to buy a quarter of an iPhone.

Mark Monteiro, insurance expert at uSwitch.com, said: "Going to a music festival should be a fun experience and reading insurance documents probably isn't high on the list of preparation priorities.

"However, an event such as Glastonbury creates an insurance minefield for both providers and policy holders. Placing all of your valuables in a car or a tent could very well exempt you from cover with every insurance policy you own.

"With high value items such as ipods, mobile phones and satellite navigation systems standard in most cars, this could be a very costly oversight."

He added: "Our advice to motorists is to check all policy details before getting in the car, that way you can enjoy the music with peace of mind."

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