We have been travelling around the US since July 16, 2017 and are about to wrap up our holiday in a week. The trip, so far, has been fruitful. We’ve reconnected with several family members whom we haven’t spoken to or physically seen in years. We ate our hearts out, particularly enjoying Filipino food like ube and buko salad ice cream. We definitely have had some interesting experiences that we’ll never forget. One particular experience details the importance of buying travel insurance.
This is our story…
Before our flight to the US, we created a post on two different Facebook groups which were frequented by bloggers (from beginners to pros), asking for their input regarding travel insurance, the title of the collaboration was “How Travel Insurance Saved The Day”. Sadly, we didn’t get any entries when the deadline rolled in which meant one of two things; one, they never had to use their travel insurance, or two, it’s just a topic that they were not interested in.
Ironically, we actually had to submit an insurance claim while we were enjoying the second week of our holiday because of an incident that happened on August 3, 2017 at the Universal Studios in Hollywood.
It was a very sunny afternoon in California and we were looking forward to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The problem with these famous attractions is the looong queue! Plus, if you’re lucky, you get to encounter some rude people (which we unfortunately experienced).
As soon as you enter the Hogwarts Castle, you are expected to put all your belongings, particularly items which have a tendency to fall during the ride, in one of the lockers.
Instructions in using the locker:
- Find a locker area that isn’t too crowded.
- Go to one of the machines and follow the instructions on the screen. Your locker number will appear once you provide your fingerprint, which will also serve as your key.
- Put all loose belongings in the locker and then press the button to lock the door.
This is where our story becomes exciting. We didn’t know how the lockers worked and we were “lucky” enough to open a locker door that has malfunctioned. We placed all our valuables in the locker including our camera. Then, two ladies rushed in and tried to open the doors of all the lockers, they found none, then they proceeded to figure out how to open the doors. We, on the other hand, thought that we were supposed to find a locker before using the machine; the ladies figured it out before we did. And again, with our luck, they got the locker that we thought was ours. Being the very impatient people they were, they frantically ran to the locker and started forcing us to remove our things in the locker. We were taking our stuff out one at a time but they were just the most impatient people, they told us to do it quickly, and in the heat of the moment, we just decided to pull everything out of the locker, forgetting that the camera was on top of one of the bags. The next thing we heard was a loud thump, and on the floor was our camera, the lens filter was cracked and there was a deep dent on the side of the lens, our hearts just stopped. The camera still worked fine but a few days after the accident while we were in New York, it began to play up. We had to press the power button six times before it powered up.
We always purchase travel insurance everywhere we go, because you never know what will happen during the trip. This, however, is the very first time that we actually needed to use it. If they cover this incident, we are yet to find out. All the documents required for the claim has been submitted and it is now just a waiting game. Regular updates will be posted here.
Updated on September 20, 2017
We received an email from the Claims Assessor asking us to bring the camera to a service center for an assessment. SCTI offered to pay for the courier and assessment fees. The camera has been booked with Canon New Zealand (Northcote Branch) and is ready to be picked up by the courier tomorrow morning.
Updated on September 21, 2017
The camera has been picked up by the courier today. We are just waiting for a confirmation email from Canon.
Updated on September 26, 2017
We received an email from Canon New Zealand containing the Tax Invoice. On the comments section it states: “Removed broken lens protector, updated firmware (ver 1.02) check and tested, camera is now working fine – 2758 shots”. We made a phone call to confirm the findings with Canon and to re-confirm that we are still able to put a new lens protector and that the lens didn’t have any internal damage. The customer service representative double-checked this information with the technical staff and they confirmed that the camera didn’t sustain any major damage.
Updated on November 7, 2017
SCTI has since paid for the assessment and courier fee for the camera, however, they didn’t pay for the broken lens protector because the policy had a $100 excess.
Last week, we went on a trip to the South Island’s West Coast and the camera’s LCD just wouldn’t turn on. The battery had to be removed several times before it started working. This was the scenario during the entire trip. When we came home, we had to contact SCTI about this and the representative said that they are happy to open the claim again. The camera is now scheduled to be picked up by the courier for another assessment at Canon.
Updated on March 8, 2018
It took Canon more than one month to get back to us since they confirmed that they received the camera. Well, they actually didn’t send us any update up until we called them twice on the first week of December 2017. After which, we received an email saying that the repair will be free of charge because it was an issue that was “missed” during the initial assessment. We have been using the camera ever since and there have been no issues so far.
