Insurance Options?

[RC5728]

State Farm said they will be canceling my personal articles policy since I've had 2 claims on it in 2 years.

What other good options are there for drone crash or loss insurance?

 

[aringhof]

Why insure a $1,000 drone that's worth half that once you fly it? The only reason to insure ANYTHING is if you can't afford to pay to replace it in a total loss. i.e. House, car, life and health

 

[Former Member]

Why insure a $1,000 drone that's worth half that once you fly it? The only reason to insure ANYTHING is if you can't afford to pay to replace it in a total loss. i.e. House, car, life and health

Sorry but I beg to differ.

First off, there has not been a Mavic made that hasnt retained at least 85% of its value after 6 or 8 months of ownership. Thats alot more than half.

Second thing, who would want to pay $1000 to replace a lost drone when they can pay $60 for total loss coverage with no deductible?

 

[Former Member]

OP, sorry youre getting cancelled. Can I ask what the claims you filed were for, how much and for what items? Thats the biggest downside of drone insurance, too many claims and you stand the risk of getting cancelled. I dont think 2 is too many but evidently State Farm does.

If you currently have a non-crashed Mavic, you can opt for DJI Refresh even if 48 hours have elapsed since you bought it.

 

[Former Member]

BTW, thats why I suggest having both Refresh and State Farm to whoever I sell a drone to. I suggest they use refresh for repairs over $100 or where the drone is recoverable. State Farm is a last resort and can be used to cover total loss, but State Farm isnt going to be happy with reimbursing you for multiple claims in a short period after buying your policy. They want customers long term with low risk.

 

[RC5728]

OP, sorry youre getting cancelled. Can I ask what the claims you filed were for, how much and for what items? Thats the biggest downside of drone insurance, too many claims and you stand the risk of getting cancelled. I dont think 2 is too many but evidently State Farm does.

If you currently have a non-crashed Mavic, you can opt for DJI Refresh even if 48 hours have elapsed since you bought it.

The first claim was a repair that cost $100ish I think, second claim was a total loss. This was in the space of about 2 years.

I just bought a Mavic with no controller from the DJI store 2 days ago. Still eligible for DJI Refresh?

 

[Spanishcop]

If not mistaken doesn't it also cover if your drone was to crash into something causing damage to other properties such as vehicles or home or even personal injury. That would be my main concern if for some reason things went crazy and had a fly away or something like that. That's where I would want insurance to help. Replacement your better off with refresh. I wouldn't want to put claims to replace just drone.

 

[Former Member]

The first claim was a repair that cost $100ish I think, second claim was a total loss. This was in the space of about 2 years.

I just bought a Mavic with no controller from the DJI store 2 days ago. Still eligible for DJI Refresh?

Have you received it yet? You have 48 hours to apply for refresh after registering it, which you will have to do before flight. If you dont get that done in time, as long as you havent crashed it, you can apply for refresh but will need to provide proof that its still in pristine condition. Heres a link:

DJI_Care Customer Upload Information

 

[Former Member]

If not mistaken doesn't it also cover if your drone was to crash into something causing damage to other properties such as vehicles or home or even personal injury. That would be my main concern if for some reason things went crazy and had a fly away or something like that. That's where I would want insurance to help. Replacement your better off with refresh. I wouldn't want to put claims to replace just drone.

I dont think that either "drone damage only" insurance or Refresh cover liability for damage caused to others property. That would be more of homeowners insurance. AMA membership is a good option for liability, I think they cover you for up to $1 million. So thats 3 insurances you could opt for. Refresh, Drone Only, and AMA. You would be very well covered.

 

[RC5728]

Have you received it yet? You have 48 hours to apply for refresh after registering it, which you will have to do before flight. If you dont get that done in time, as long as you havent crashed it, you can apply for refresh but will need to provide proof that its still in pristine condition. Heres a link:

DJI_Care Customer Upload Information

I actually haven't received the replacement yet, but it just shipped today.

In that case is there an easier process for me to use?

 

[Spanishcop]

I dont think that either "drone damage only" insurance or Refresh cover liability for damage caused to others property. That would be more of homeowners insurance. AMA membership is a good option for liability, I think they cover you for up to $1 million. So thats 3 insurances you could opt for. Refresh, Drone Only, and AMA. You would be very well covered.

That's a really good point. I was under impression drone state Farm insurance would pay also damage to other property. You may be right. I have not looked into that since I just had refresh but the AMA... That's definitely worth having I think.

I use to have that and you were required to have it at some RC clubs where I flew Heli's many years ago. I forgot about that option. Thanks for the reminder.

Mike

 

[erkme73]

Sorry to hear about the OP's bad luck. I would caution him to NOT change home insurance providers for the next several years. Whoever you may have will probably be forgiving when it comes to renewing your homeowner's policy - but if you now try to shop around and start a new policy with another company, they will see those two strikes - and that will bump your risk profile and probably premiums.

This is the primary reason I didn't get a PAP for the MP since I shop for best rates every year. Everyone keeps saying the worst case is they'll cancel your policy. But hardly anyone considers that negative repercussions it has on your ability to obtain a new homeowner's (or marine/fire) policy.

 

[Former Member]

I actually haven't received the replacement yet, but it just shipped today.

In that case is there an easier process for me to use?

Yes just buy Refresh here before or after you activate your drone:

Buy DJI Care Refresh (Mavic Pro) | DJI Store

 

[RC5728]

Yes just buy Refresh here before or after you activate your drone:

Buy DJI Care Refresh (Mavic Pro) | DJI Store

Ah ok thanks, looks like it requires the drone SN before I can buy.

What are the differences between DJI Care Refresh and the personal articles policy with State Farm?

I'm looking at the FAQ and the only difference I'm seeing so far is that DJI CR only covers the drone within your own country, and not international? That would be a negative compared to the SF policy.

Also sounds like you need to recover the drone in order to get any compensation with DJI CR.

But I'll take what I can get.....

 

[RC5728]

And yeah, the 2 prior claims I had weren't so much bad luck as just the fact that I've been traveling and flying drones non stop for the last year or two, in multiple countries and states, so at least one accident was probably bound to happen.

I would've been happy to just pay a higher premium with State Farm, but they didn't mention that as an option.

 

[tcope]

Why insure a $1,000 drone that's worth half that once you fly it? The only reason to insure ANYTHING is if you can't afford to pay to replace it in a total loss. i.e. House, car, life and health

Sorry but this is simply incorrect and can be show with basic math.

Cost of a personal article floater = $60 for $2100 coverage

The OP had $100 worth of repairs. So right there, the OP was better off with the PAF as he saved $40. Again, simple math.

However, the OP also then filed another claim for total loss. Since the PAF is replacement cost, the OP would have been paid $1000. So the OP paid $60 and was paid $1100. Again, simle math shows that the OP was better off with insurance.

The only way what you mention would be true is if the OP could have had the 1st Mavic repaired and the 2nd Mavic replaced all for less then $60.

 

[Former Member]

I'm looking at the FAQ and the only difference I'm seeing so far is that DJI CR only covers the drone within your own country, and not international? That would be a negative compared to the SF policy.

Also sounds like you need to recover the drone in order to get any compensation with DJI CR.

With Refresh, you have to send it back to a service center in the country you bought it from. If you crash it abroad, you have to return it to your home country to get it fixed.

Yes you have to have a drone to send back in order to get Refreshed.

 

[tcope]

BTW, thats why I suggest having both Refresh and State Farm to whoever I sell a drone to. I suggest they use refresh for repairs over $100 or where the drone is recoverable. State Farm is a last resort and can be used to cover total loss, but State Farm isnt going to be happy with reimbursing you for multiple claims in a short period after buying your policy. They want customers long term with low risk.

However, keep in mind that refresh is limited two claims. Does not discount your reason for having the two policies, just something for people to keep in mind.

 

[tcope]

What other good options are there for drone crash or loss insurance?

The problem you may have is that SF probably reports all claims to an indexing system. So other carriers will most likely see that you had this policy and had 2 claims.

 

[Former Member]

However, keep in mind that refresh is limited two claims. Does not discount your reason for having the two policies, just something for people to keep in mind.

After exhausting 2 claims with Refresh, or it expiring after a year, theres always State Farm as a fallback. My recommendation after having 2 Refresh claims, you sell the Mavic, take a small loss, and buy a new Mavic thus restarting the Refresh cycle and continuing along with State Farm.