Is THIS OFF TOPIC ?

woody57 · 15 March 2005, 16:22

Some of you know tht 6 weeks ago I had a household disaster when the upstairs toilet flush tank sprang a leak from the cold water supply.

The result causing it to flood water through the floor down into the dining room below right onto my Amiga tower and work area

Now OK you say thats SAD but its not life and death is it ? because you have home innsurrance and all can be taken care of right ?

WRONG the innsurrance company insist you send your " Precious " machine into THEIR authorisd repair workshop to be assesed or "FIXED" , so you inform them on how special your machine is and how unlikely it is that any PC shop is going to have eiether the knoledge or the parts to achieve eiether result.

But they the innsurer INSIST or you invalidate your claim , so you write a nice 9 page instruction letter , you write in BIG WORDS on HER THAT YOU WANT HER BACK IF THEY CANNOT FIX HER , make a PC readable CD containing ALL the data about your machine and its specialist boards including pin out and power supply details [ You even send them an AMIGA specific mouse because they won't have a compatable one ] you carefully pad the inside to protect it in transit and fully wrap the outside to prevent shock damage .

Then you await the carrier and tearfully wave goodbye to your machine then the torment begins . Five days later you recieve a letter asking for your permission to DISPOSE of the machine so they can authorise a brand NEW PC to be sent to you .

NOW the real panic begins can't these people read ? did they not listen to the phone calls you made before you sent it ? you call again and they promise its ok they will send her back BUT you must pay for the carrier so you authorise it and then you wait.....

3 weeks and 29 phone calls later you get a package......A huge box ''you hope" that your beloved machine is well as it looks like a safe parcel ,then you open the box.

Inside you imediatley notice the front panel is missing blanking plates and is smashed , then you open her up and find , that all her boards and even the RAM sticks have been left LOOSE rattling round in the bottom of the tower case .

You can't believe it you look again and see more burnt cables than there were when you sent her in the first place " WHAT THE F**K HAVE THEY DONE ?" you scream .

So after trying not to vent your anger on the wrong person you get on the phone to the innsurer and through gritted teeth tell them your worst nightmare , that you explained you feared before she was taken away has come into reality , your machine has been "INDECENTLY BRUTALISED BY PC MORONS "

Who not knowing what to do have just thrown all the bits together like so much trash , as for reading your letter or looking at the CD , NO WAY read an FAQ or FACT sheet Their expert PC techs , they don't need to read do they ?

So my point is this , I will be billing the innsurer for A LOT MORE REPLACEMENT parts than I should have had too , and this warning for all of you .

Innsurrance may cover the cost of replacing ordinary items but make sure you keep your miggy on a seperate part of the cover and explain it as a seperate item , otherwise you to may have to suffer the torment of seeing your machine abused.

I will rebuild BUT this means its going to be a lot LONGER BEFORE I FINISH

jmmijo · 15 March 2005, 16:27

Yeah, you said it there Woody, the problem with classic or retro machines is just that, you have to insure them as a rider on your home-owners insurance with detailed info like written documents and pics to go with it and hopefully you can explain to your insurer how this is not a standard PC in any way shape or form

So it's interesting that your insurance carrier didn't even want to come out to your residence to check this out, no claims adjuster or anything ?!?

Shoonay · 15 March 2005, 16:41

Geeee-zehs

... that's just...

... f***ing ... <mumbles> ... morons ... <mumbles> ... bastards... <mumbles> ... sh**-heads <mumbles> ... idiots... <mumbles> ... a**holes... <mumbles> ... popierd****ce... <mumbles> ... ch**e... <mumbles> ... ci*le... <mumbles> ... <mumbles>...

woody57 · 15 March 2005, 16:42

The innsurance company have nominated certain companies to send replacement goods rather than cash on claims that way items are replaced and " BOGUS" claims for cash are reduced .

The nominated computor supply company would not wear the additional expense of sending a technician to my home and as they seem only interested in their part of the "FEE" and profits on supplying PC's they had NO interest in losing a penny hence the reason they took a payment OFF ME for the machines return.

Innsurrance assesment may yet become part of the claim as now the cost will stretch to over £1000 and that means , it's not as simple as a £300 pc replacement .

Cutting corners can be an expensive buisness

Marcuz · 15 March 2005, 16:52

i feel compelled to write down insults here, but instead i vote for carefree living. on my experience is unlikely i'll insure something ever. there was that girl that insured her ass for a lot of money. i wonder if that gives the insurance agency the right of substitute the article in question whit a brand new silicone one in case of scratcing. after some inspection they could have stuffed it like a turkey and sent it back to the owner

woody57 · 15 March 2005, 16:57

Cheers Marco

woody has not lost his sense of humour eiether

But you make a valid point Innsurance seldom lives up to its promises and you can waste a lot of money so called protecting your " ASS-ETS " LOL

Like life innsurrance you only win on that if you die young , BUT then who is the winner in that ?

Shoonay · 15 March 2005, 16:57

LOL nice one marco

BTW: Isn't there a law according to which they must pay you instead of sending anything

woody57 · 15 March 2005, 17:02

Innsurance companies have radically changed how they fullfil most claims , most offer " As NEW " cover which translates to mean they will send goods as opposed to cash as :-

1) It cuts down on fraud [ the resale of goods being a fraction of the claim value for scammers ]

2) They get contract discounts from nominated suppliers [ Saving their shareholders money)

These days cheques are only given for specifically named items from the policy that have prenamed or large values .

Shoonay · 15 March 2005, 17:09

Great. That's just great. Bloody bureaucracy...
In times like this i think it's like everything against us Amiga-users

keropi · 15 March 2005, 17:11

damn companies...

TheBoss · 15 March 2005, 17:22

Pc tech guys with no Amiga experince should not toutch miggys!

jmmijo · 15 March 2005, 17:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBoss

Pc tech guys with no Amiga experince should not toutch miggys!

I'll go one further, there seems to be a lot of "TECHS" that I wouldn't even take a Packard-Bell or eMachines into neither

woody57 · 15 March 2005, 17:54

My point exactly The Boss & Jimmijo , being a " plug & play " board chager with auto installed software does NOT mean they have the faintest idea what they are doing

Beyond writting an inflated repair bill with VAT for their so called "expert time "

Bamiga2002 · 15 March 2005, 18:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBoss

Pc tech guys with no Amiga experince should not toutch miggys!

Yeah these may be treating common pc stuff as "crap", throwing cards around etc. and then use this method on Amiga stuff too! Goddamn morons! They don't respect amigas a shit (or even users) really, whenever i go to a computer shop to buy something for amiga and when asked i say for my AMIGA if you wanna know, and then comes the silent laughter

.

Rot in pieces ignorant sellers of pc shit, yeah!

lloyd · 15 March 2005, 18:12

wonder if you can sue - after all, you stated it wasn't a PC, stated you wanted it back etc. Maybe if you threaten legal action they'll give you some compensation, and then you can rebuild her - we have the technology, we have the capability to build the world's first bionic Amiga.....

I've always wanted a mouse that can bite back.....

Amiga1992 · 15 March 2005, 18:32

Well this is shit. Personally I always wondered about this sort of problems and it's a common worry among people who have this sort of stuff... For example, let's say I have a game that costed me 400 dollars, something like Radiant Silvegun for the Saturn... if it gets damaged or stolen, how would you justify to the insurance company that it's a game worth 400 dollars and not a shit game for an obsolete console that should be worth 3 dollars?

You thikn they would insure my Commodore SX-64 for what's it's worth ? Defiintely NOT! so if it gets stuffed I'm fucke. Only solution is to somehow force them to accept the value of the machine when you sign up, wth a special clause or something. I don't know. But I really need to insurance some of my machines for when I go around on live performances, ad my kit would be hard to value.

jmmijo · 15 March 2005, 18:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamiga2002

Yeah these may be treating common pc stuff as "crap", throwing cards around etc. and then use this method on Amiga stuff too! Goddamn morons! They don't respect amigas a shit (or even users) really, whenever i go to a computer shop to buy something for amiga and when asked i say for my AMIGA if you wanna know, and then comes the silent laughter

.

Rot in pieces ignorant sellers of pc shit, yeah!

I realize you're pretty darn passionate about Amiga's there, but some of use actually worked and/or built micro's from the 70's, like me for instance

My first experience was messing about with trash 80's, model I/II's and some Osborne and Kaypro CP/M boxes.

I will say my first real love was my A500 for sure

Bamiga2002 · 15 March 2005, 18:55

Maybe i gave a bit fanatic approach on this

, there were some Amiga repair companies back in days, they knew more about this machine than today's "techicians". I use a pc regularly and know some "PC-only" dudes that think they know it all, but they don't. And they f***ng mock my Amiga, well not ALL of them but most. Suckers!

woody57 · 15 March 2005, 19:08

well Akira you underline the point I make at the end of my VERY LONG thread

And Jimmijo adds to it by saying its advisable to have photographs and documentation with copies to supply to the insurer for " Rare or Expensive" equipment in your home .
This proves you had it in the first place and allows for these articles to be named within your policey

However instrument and " ON THe ROAD " innsurance falls into two catorgries your vintage Fender Rhodes electric piano may be covered in your home but it requires seperate innsurrance while it is in transit and ADDITIONAL coverage once you set up in a venue, adding up to THREE sets of innsurance for the same item

The priemium cost for on the move insurance is skyrocketing every year , to ridiculus hieghts and these days it would be cheaper to hire a personal roadie for your treasure who's arse you can at least kick if some punter even breathes on it

This is why so many who play big concerts in UK Hire their sound rigs , lighting etc as its cheaper than owning , maintaining and insuring it and then you only have to look after your group kit with aforementioned staff , its a costly process touring these days and its why so many artists admit they don't make much money on it.

But the Innsurance companies do

One thing Jimmijo I don't accuse every tech in this world of being incompetent , but in penny pinching companies that pay peanuts , what else do they employ besides dumb animals ?

DopPie · 15 March 2005, 19:13

I dont have my amiga's insured. I just pray nothing bad happens to them. I got quite a nice A1200 here (at least I think). But as for repairs I feel like I'm on my own. Never will I send it to a computershop for repairs. Not even an Amiga shop (vesalia has never heard of ESD you know). Lucky for me we have alot of equipemt at work to find the fault and replace a defective component. (Even SMD (or SMT whatever)). As long as there are no BGA's on the board you can repair alot.

Anyway I think ensurance companies stink. My previous car ensurance company prooved theyt could not count till 2 (had to explain on the phone 2003-2005=2 not 1...you don't wanna know). SO go get them! Sue them! The bastards.....ok I let myself go there....good luck anyway.

15 March 2005, 16:22	#1
woody57 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Manchester Posts: 801	Is THIS OFF TOPIC ? Some of you know tht 6 weeks ago I had a household disaster when the upstairs toilet flush tank sprang a leak from the cold water supply. The result causing it to flood water through the floor down into the dining room below right onto my Amiga tower and work area Now OK you say thats SAD but its not life and death is it ? because you have home innsurrance and all can be taken care of right ? WRONG the innsurrance company insist you send your " Precious " machine into THEIR authorisd repair workshop to be assesed or "FIXED" , so you inform them on how special your machine is and how unlikely it is that any PC shop is going to have eiether the knoledge or the parts to achieve eiether result. But they the innsurer INSIST or you invalidate your claim , so you write a nice 9 page instruction letter , you write in BIG WORDS on HER THAT YOU WANT HER BACK IF THEY CANNOT FIX HER , make a PC readable CD containing ALL the data about your machine and its specialist boards including pin out and power supply details [ You even send them an AMIGA specific mouse because they won't have a compatable one ] you carefully pad the inside to protect it in transit and fully wrap the outside to prevent shock damage . Then you await the carrier and tearfully wave goodbye to your machine then the torment begins . Five days later you recieve a letter asking for your permission to DISPOSE of the machine so they can authorise a brand NEW PC to be sent to you . NOW the real panic begins can't these people read ? did they not listen to the phone calls you made before you sent it ? you call again and they promise its ok they will send her back BUT you must pay for the carrier so you authorise it and then you wait..... 3 weeks and 29 phone calls later you get a package......A huge box ''you hope" that your beloved machine is well as it looks like a safe parcel ,then you open the box. Inside you imediatley notice the front panel is missing blanking plates and is smashed , then you open her up and find , that all her boards and even the RAM sticks have been left LOOSE rattling round in the bottom of the tower case . You can't believe it you look again and see more burnt cables than there were when you sent her in the first place " WHAT THE F**K HAVE THEY DONE ?" you scream . So after trying not to vent your anger on the wrong person you get on the phone to the innsurer and through gritted teeth tell them your worst nightmare , that you explained you feared before she was taken away has come into reality , your machine has been "INDECENTLY BRUTALISED BY PC MORONS " Who not knowing what to do have just thrown all the bits together like so much trash , as for reading your letter or looking at the CD , NO WAY read an FAQ or FACT sheet Their expert PC techs , they don't need to read do they ? So my point is this , I will be billing the innsurer for A LOT MORE REPLACEMENT parts than I should have had too , and this warning for all of you . Innsurrance may cover the cost of replacing ordinary items but make sure you keep your miggy on a seperate part of the cover and explain it as a seperate item , otherwise you to may have to suffer the torment of seeing your machine abused. I will rebuild BUT this means its going to be a lot LONGER BEFORE I FINISH

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15 March 2005, 16:27	#2
jmmijo Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: PDX Age: 62 Posts: 2,395	Yeah, you said it there Woody, the problem with classic or retro machines is just that, you have to insure them as a rider on your home-owners insurance with detailed info like written documents and pics to go with it and hopefully you can explain to your insurer how this is not a standard PC in any way shape or form So it's interesting that your insurance carrier didn't even want to come out to your residence to check this out, no claims adjuster or anything ?!?

15 March 2005, 16:41	#3
Shoonay Global Caturator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Porando Age: 43 Posts: 6,105	Geeee-zehs ... that's just... ... f*ing ... <mumbles> ... morons ... <mumbles> ... bastards... <mumbles> ... sh-heads <mumbles> ... idiots... <mumbles> ... aholes... <mumbles> ... popierdce... <mumbles> ... che... <mumbles> ... ci*le... <mumbles> ... <mumbles>...

15 March 2005, 16:42	#4
woody57 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Manchester Posts: 801	The innsurance company have nominated certain companies to send replacement goods rather than cash on claims that way items are replaced and " BOGUS" claims for cash are reduced . The nominated computor supply company would not wear the additional expense of sending a technician to my home and as they seem only interested in their part of the "FEE" and profits on supplying PC's they had NO interest in losing a penny hence the reason they took a payment OFF ME for the machines return. Innsurrance assesment may yet become part of the claim as now the cost will stretch to over £1000 and that means , it's not as simple as a £300 pc replacement . Cutting corners can be an expensive buisness

15 March 2005, 16:52	#5
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	i feel compelled to write down insults here, but instead i vote for carefree living. on my experience is unlikely i'll insure something ever. there was that girl that insured her ass for a lot of money. i wonder if that gives the insurance agency the right of substitute the article in question whit a brand new silicone one in case of scratcing. after some inspection they could have stuffed it like a turkey and sent it back to the owner

15 March 2005, 16:57	#6
woody57 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Manchester Posts: 801	Cheers Marco woody has not lost his sense of humour eiether But you make a valid point Innsurance seldom lives up to its promises and you can waste a lot of money so called protecting your " ASS-ETS " LOL Like life innsurrance you only win on that if you die young , BUT then who is the winner in that ?

15 March 2005, 16:57	#7
Shoonay Global Caturator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Porando Age: 43 Posts: 6,105	LOL nice one marco BTW: Isn't there a law according to which they must pay you instead of sending anything

15 March 2005, 17:02	#8
woody57 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Manchester Posts: 801	Innsurance companies have radically changed how they fullfil most claims , most offer " As NEW " cover which translates to mean they will send goods as opposed to cash as :- 1) It cuts down on fraud [ the resale of goods being a fraction of the claim value for scammers ] 2) They get contract discounts from nominated suppliers [ Saving their shareholders money) These days cheques are only given for specifically named items from the policy that have prenamed or large values .

15 March 2005, 17:09	#9
Shoonay Global Caturator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Porando Age: 43 Posts: 6,105	Great. That's just great. Bloody bureaucracy... In times like this i think it's like everything against us Amiga-users

15 March 2005, 17:11	#10
keropi . Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ioannina/Greece Posts: 5,040	damn companies...

15 March 2005, 17:22	#11
TheBoss Registered User Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 840	Pc tech guys with no Amiga experince should not toutch miggys!

15 March 2005, 17:54	#13
woody57 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Manchester Posts: 801	My point exactly The Boss & Jimmijo , being a " plug & play " board chager with auto installed software does NOT mean they have the faintest idea what they are doing Beyond writting an inflated repair bill with VAT for their so called "expert time "

15 March 2005, 18:12	#15
lloyd Mehh :D Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bristol, SW UK Age: 61 Posts: 242	wonder if you can sue - after all, you stated it wasn't a PC, stated you wanted it back etc. Maybe if you threaten legal action they'll give you some compensation, and then you can rebuild her - we have the technology, we have the capability to build the world's first bionic Amiga..... I've always wanted a mouse that can bite back.....

15 March 2005, 18:32	#16
Amiga1992 Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ? Posts: 19,645	Well this is shit. Personally I always wondered about this sort of problems and it's a common worry among people who have this sort of stuff... For example, let's say I have a game that costed me 400 dollars, something like Radiant Silvegun for the Saturn... if it gets damaged or stolen, how would you justify to the insurance company that it's a game worth 400 dollars and not a shit game for an obsolete console that should be worth 3 dollars? You thikn they would insure my Commodore SX-64 for what's it's worth ? Defiintely NOT! so if it gets stuffed I'm fucke. Only solution is to somehow force them to accept the value of the machine when you sign up, wth a special clause or something. I don't know. But I really need to insurance some of my machines for when I go around on live performances, ad my kit would be hard to value.

15 March 2005, 18:55	#18
Bamiga2002 BlizzardPPC'less Join Date: May 2004 Location: Finland Age: 46 Posts: 3,210	Maybe i gave a bit fanatic approach on this , there were some Amiga repair companies back in days, they knew more about this machine than today's "techicians". I use a pc regularly and know some "PC-only" dudes that think they know it all, but they don't. And they f***ng mock my Amiga, well not ALL of them but most. Suckers!

15 March 2005, 19:08	#19
woody57 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Manchester Posts: 801	well Akira you underline the point I make at the end of my VERY LONG thread And Jimmijo adds to it by saying its advisable to have photographs and documentation with copies to supply to the insurer for " Rare or Expensive" equipment in your home . This proves you had it in the first place and allows for these articles to be named within your policey However instrument and " ON THe ROAD " innsurance falls into two catorgries your vintage Fender Rhodes electric piano may be covered in your home but it requires seperate innsurrance while it is in transit and ADDITIONAL coverage once you set up in a venue, adding up to THREE sets of innsurance for the same item The priemium cost for on the move insurance is skyrocketing every year , to ridiculus hieghts and these days it would be cheaper to hire a personal roadie for your treasure who's arse you can at least kick if some punter even breathes on it This is why so many who play big concerts in UK Hire their sound rigs , lighting etc as its cheaper than owning , maintaining and insuring it and then you only have to look after your group kit with aforementioned staff , its a costly process touring these days and its why so many artists admit they don't make much money on it. But the Innsurance companies do One thing Jimmijo I don't accuse every tech in this world of being incompetent , but in penny pinching companies that pay peanuts , what else do they employ besides dumb animals ?

15 March 2005, 19:13	#20
DopPie Zone Friend Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Den Hoorn, NL Age: 44 Posts: 259	I dont have my amiga's insured. I just pray nothing bad happens to them. I got quite a nice A1200 here (at least I think). But as for repairs I feel like I'm on my own. Never will I send it to a computershop for repairs. Not even an Amiga shop (vesalia has never heard of ESD you know). Lucky for me we have alot of equipemt at work to find the fault and replace a defective component. (Even SMD (or SMT whatever)). As long as there are no BGA's on the board you can repair alot. Anyway I think ensurance companies stink. My previous car ensurance company prooved theyt could not count till 2 (had to explain on the phone 2003-2005=2 not 1...you don't wanna know). SO go get them! Sue them! The bastards.....ok I let myself go there....good luck anyway.

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