Laptop Insurance
Why is there a charge for laptop insurance?
Laptop insurance covers both theft and accidental damage. The bulk of the charge covers repairs and parts for accidental damage and for providing students with loaners in situations when the damage cannot be immediately repaired or for providing new laptops when the damage is excessive.
In the case of theft, a replacement computer is immediately provided upon payment of the deductible. This coverage, therefore, is quite different from what one would normally obtain through a homeowners policy. In many, if not all, classes the laptop has become an integral tool necessary to meet course requirements. It is essential, therefore, that students have uninterrupted access to a laptop and not have to wait for claims to be processed or for funds to be disbursed to allow for the replacement (or repair) of the laptop.
The college’s program for handling repairs and replacements insures that students have immediate access to a laptop. Given the nature of our population and the requirements for immediate response, the costs of the accidental damage and theft coverage the college provides are not insignificant.
There is also another issue that bears upon the college’s coverage. Since the college leases the laptops for two year periods the college itself is required by the leasing company to be the party providing coverage for the laptops. We therefore cannot waive that in individual cases and allow students or their parents to provide that coverage.
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