<p>I am trying to find insurance for my son's violin and bows (though frankly it could never really replace his violin, he latched onto a real gem and it plays better then many violins costing a lot more). Clarion doesn't cover under age musicians, so they are out. Someone recommended the Anderson group, and I was wondering if anyone on here has ever dealt with them, gotten a policy from them or if they had to file a claim, what happened. You can send me a private message, so we don't waste bandwidth on the forum or perhaps unintentionally ruffle feathers by a potentially negative experience:). If anyone knows of any other instrument insurance companies (I am leaning towards not putting it under homeowners via a rider, I have heard horror stories about what homeowners insurance companies do, cute things like charge depreciation..for violins that tend to go up in price...) I would appreciate suggestions. </p>
<p>We did a lot of comparison shopping and ended up with Total Dollar (I know that sounds like car rental). They have a fine instrument division and they beat Mertz-Huber and Heritage’s price. It’s the company Bein & Fushi uses.</p>
<p>My S is graduating in May, and his CSI insurance just expired, so he just finished shopping. He went with Clarion. Several hundred dollars cheaper than CSI, for him.</p>
<p>But anyway, daughter is still with CSI for her violin.</p>
<p>I looked at Clarion for my D, who is no longer under age. There is a clause in there saying that they will not cover the instrument if it is in a music locker, practice room, locked storage closet (and the like). It sounds to me like the exclusions are so restrictive it wouldn’t really be insurance at all. I think there was also something there about travel. How is a college kid supposed to have insurance if it’s always in a school setting, locker, practice room or???</p>
<p>I know everybody’s head is spinning now dealing with/waiting on acceptances, sorting through offers and making some tough decisions, but keep this in mind before your student heads off to school. If you don’t have it, get it, and if you have it, review it to make sure the instrument(s) are covered while they are at school. And a reminder that most homeowner riders will not pay for coverage if the instrument is used “professionally”. So if your s or d is declaring self employment gig income or teaching income, you need to reevaluate.</p>
<p>S doesn’t leave his horn anywhere. (I can see how those with larger instruments might have different needs.) The coverage is good worldwide - no travel exclusion. The biggest danger to a horn (after theft) is getting smashed. </p>
<p>He got quotes from several different agencies. Clarion was the cheapest for him, and didn’t have a deductible.</p>
<p>The nice thing about the CSI insurance for my D is that it covers her laptop, camera, phone, etc.</p>
<p>After checking out all the insurance companies when son went off to college last year I opted for the CSI policy with a separate rider for his instruments (the rider is important). I think his total policy is around $23000, $7000 for his stuff including laptop, phone, ipod, etc. and $16K rider for his euphonium, french horn, bass trombone and sax. I think the total fee was like $240 with $100 deductible.</p>
<p>Sigh. And I thought I was so smart putting the instruments under our homeowners policy, too. After searching the companies mentioned here, the quotes we’re getting are all over the place, from a low of $157 (Anderson, but with a higher deductible for college) to a high of $564 (Total Dollar), and some vague language about coverage of instruments kept in a locked locker but in an accessible building with no security checkpoints. </p>
<p>Clarion was a non-starter for college coverage, which is too bad for them because whatever choice we make now will probably become a long-term default choice for D’s professional career. Still waiting to hear from CSI, which seems popular here, but am liking the Anderson quote. If anyone has personal experience with them, please feel free to PM me!</p>
<p>We have had our daughter’s flutes and piccolos insured through Clarion since she was a freshman in high school. Maybe it depends on the type of instrument? I have called to check on coverage every time she has gone to camps, and now that she is off to college. Since her instrument is small and her love, she never leaves it out of her sight. When she was younger we had her flute and piccolo as a rider on the homeowners, but when the value increased, homeowners insurance turned it down.<br>
I am going to check with CSI! We went to Clarion because it was the only one consistantly recommended to us. It’s always good to look on CC! I learn something new every time!!</p>