Super URGENT INSURANCE JOB !!!!!!!!!

[grindmoney]

OK massive urgency here.
I will lay it out quickly.

Background:
Am going to Europe on sunday (its thursday). My insurance covers up to $3000 worth of photographic equipment (which i have well over $3000 worth that im taking). My basics thoughts were ( as the travel agent suggested i would need if something "happened" to my equip. and i was to file a insurance claim).
Ok so my thoughts were, get my camera stuff valued here at a local camera shop (that is you take the stuff in and they basically print a sheet saying what its market value is and that you own it). And then, when in a european country go to a police station and pretend my stuff was stolen and get a case file number (used later in the insurance claim).
Basically I walk away with my equipment and $3000 worth of insurance for the apparently stolen equipment.
This all works out and would be totally sweet.

Problem:
BUT today i learnt something, cant believe i didnt think of it (honestly embaresing). Well when i take the equipment into the shop the people write up the sheet and all that, but they also do something with the serial numbers, the guy i asked at the shop today said something about "checking the S. numbers".
Now i am fucked. BECAUSE absolutly all of my gear has been bought or aquired illegally!


Solution: The only thing i can think off is find some small privately owned camera shop and take in $500 cash, flash it to the shop worker and try work something out on the SLY. I wouldnt bother taking equipment in, just tell them what i want on the list, incase they decide to change their minds. I will basically say something along the lines of "i bought my equipment from all over, like from friends and stuff, and i dont know where they got it from, might be from a slightly illegal source, so i was thinking if we could possibly skip running the serial numbers and heres $500 to help."

Any other suggestions/ thoughts.

its a tricky one, but at least it is a change from the majority of boredom noob shite on here recently :P

$500 reward for anyone who solves this perfectly .

[alchemist]

Originally Posted by grindmoney

Well when i take the equipment into the shop the people write up the sheet and all that, but they also do something with the serial numbers, the guy i asked at the shop today said something about "checking the S. numbers".
Now i am fucked. BECAUSE absolutly all of my gear has been bought or aquired illegally!

i'm confused... if someone tracks the serial numbers couldnt you just say the person who stole your gear must have sold it to that store, etc. Maybe i've misunderstood something, if so please enlighten me...

This all works out and would be totally sweet.

IF this all works out, and yes.

[grindmoney]

Originally Posted by alchemist

i'm confused... if someone tracks the serial numbers couldnt you just say the person who stole your gear must have sold it to that store, etc. Maybe i've misunderstood something, if so please enlighten me...

IF this all works out, and yes.

I think the confusion is that you think i was referring to taking the Equipment to a store after i claim it is stolen and sell it to the store ?? well at least thats what i think you mean.
What i mean really is that the only time i take it to a store is before the theft occurs, like while i am still here and not overseas. The point of taking it to a store is to provide a proof of value and ownership (sorta).

Many thanks for your response, looking forward to more thoughts.
If i am still unclear just say.

[DIzzIE]

Just tossing some hypotheticals out there...

Since the middle man appears to be the source of the bottleneck here, why not cut him out entirely?

One could create appraisal forms of one's own from ACME Camera Shoppe including the model/serial/value/etc, or buy a receipt printer (with cash), print out some receipts, and then return the printer... As a receipt should probably be enough as evidence of both value/ownership (though one could call whoever the insurance carrier is from a pay phone and find out what exactly they accept as proof, say, instruction manuals or photos of the gear...).

I'm also skeptical if the camera shop actually does anything with the serial numbers other than just listing them on the form. At any rate, a call or two expressing interest in the appraisal process to a different camera shop than the one you'd be going to (for a paper article or whatnot about the importance of appraisals or what have you) should clear up any questions about whether or not the serials are checked against any sort of database. Of course if the serial number isn't there on the product in the first place then a homemade appraisal/receipt is probably the cheapest option.

And on a side note, since it sounds like you're going to be flying, it'd be a shame if the airline lost your luggage as well :cry:....

On international round trips that originate in the United States, the liability limit is set by a treaty called the Montreal Convention. This treaty also governs liability on international round trips that originate in another country that has ratified this Convention, and one-way trips between the U.S. and such a country. Unless you buy excess valuation, the airline's baggage liability on a trip covered by the Montreal Convention is limited to 1,000 "Special Drawing Rights" per passenger. The value of the SDR changes daily; see imf.org.

(airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/flyrights.htm#baggage).

(Meaning you can get a total compensation of about 1.6K USD currently).

[grindmoney]

Firstly, thanks for your reply.
I had thought of creating my own appraisal (easy enough) but then that begs the question of whether the insurance company calls up the counpany that filled the apprasal to varify it ??? or whether the letterhead of a well known company is proof enough??? Any reflection on this would be great.

About the recipt printer. This is a good idea but i think it is too open to failure. And considering my real name is attached to the insurance im a bt hesitant.
Does anyone know how insurance companies work? that is, do they call up each individual company that the item was purchased at or do they just accept a receipt as enough, and also as proof of ownership??
This obviously would be ideal.


Any thoughts

Bring them on

only 2 days left.


SSSSSS

[alchemist]

yeah grindmonkey i was a bit lost there thanks...
i doubt i'd be able to shed some light though, good luck anyway.