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lost camera


Rose

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Dear all... I have a friend staying with me at the moment who lost her camera whilst out and about.  She isn't 100% sure where it was lost but we have telephoned all the places we went that day with no luck.  Her insurance company have said she needs to report it to the police and get a form.  We went to the local gendarmerie today and they seem to say that as it was lost they cant help... which does make sense.  Anyone got any ideas what happens in such circumstances? 

thanks in advance [:D]

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The best thing for your friend to do is to go to another gendarmerie, or the police nationale and say that it was stolen - that way they will at least give her the paperwork she will need to claim.  It may not be entirely honest, but the end result would be the same.  She should explain to them that she needs the piece of paper to be able to claim on her insurance.  Our car was broken into years ago and the police couldn't have been more helpful and gave us the paperwork we needed for an insurance claim.

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Some years ago, my bike was stolen from a local campsite.

the local gendarmerie were distinctly unhelpful, full of comments like, "Don't bikes GET stolen in England, then?", and "Perhaps you should have bought a better lock....".

I had to INSIST and see a senior officer to get anything in writing for my insurance company.

Perhaps the French police invented Labour's method of getting crime figures down.........just don't accept reports[:P]

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  • 2 weeks later...
Dear all... thanks for the suggestion but we decided to stay on the straight and narrow.  My friend rang the insurancec company again when she returned home and explained her situation and also asked for them to tell her where she could find the exact clause in her policy that said she must have these forms... they couldn't and apparently there isn;t one... so they have agreed to pay... less the £50 excess of course [:)]
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I found an expensive Canon digital camera in a country lane recently- phoned the police immediately to report it - told the local newsagent and CoOp - and went to the local hairdresser to show them the pictures stored in. It seems that people who lose things don;t even bother to check with police as they take it for granted that nobody would be honest enough to hand it in. VERY SAD- anyway, it is now mine so I will have to start using it. Photography so far has been OH's hobby- competition is on!

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On the one occasion when guests have lost possessions on holiday (put handbag down on ground in car park, forgot it and drove off) we took them to the prefecture to report it, not the gendarmerie.  There's a department there that deals with such things and issues a report for the insurance purposes.  However, in the meantime someone found the handbag and posted it to them - it was waiting at the sorting office when they got home.

Just in case your camera is lost but then found by an honest person, write your telephone number on the memory card.

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mmm odile... well some were taken in the UK at Ascot ladies day... some were taken in the Dordogne... Castlenaud... 2 women...three children...?  some of the kids in the pool?... ringing any bells?

Its a long shot I know! [:D]

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[quote user="Rose"] My friend rang the insurancec company again when she returned home and explained her situation and also asked for them to tell her where she could find the exact clause in her policy that said she must have these forms... they couldn't and apparently there isn;t one... so they have agreed to pay... less the £50 excess of course [:)][/quote]

It's always worth challenging insurance companies as they will do all they can to make it difficult to make a claim.

I once dropped and irretrievably damaged a PDA ( palmtop computer) when I was on a cycling trip in Holland. The insurance company tried to insist that I produce a police report (as if the police would be in the sightest bit interested in a bit of broken technology). They also insisted that I get a technician's report that the PDA was irrepairable and then refused to pay the £10 cost of that as they said it was an incidental loss and therefore not covered by the policy. I argued that it was not incidental as it was they who insisted on it. But they refused to pay and at that point I lost the will to live.

Richard T

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Years ago, our car was broken into in a car park in Arles. We reported it to the police in Arles - in fact, a passerby had already reported it - so we had the relevant forms plus the invoice for replacing a side window which the thieves had broken. There wasn't much for them to take - just a document wallet - but the cost was in replacing the window.

On our return when we claimed on our insurance, the insurance company first tried to get out of paying for the repair on the basis that the broken window didn't affect the integrity / security of the car so we didn't have to get it repaired. [:-))]

Unsurprisingly we successfully argued that opinion was total bollux and got the bill paid. [;-)] Twonks.

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Hi odile,

The camera's serial number is:  IC 3213924.

I can't remember any of the pics on it - it was stolen on 26th July last year, taken from my bag in a supermarket trolly. (we did report the theft to the local Gendarmes)  There may have been some of an orchestral open air concert?

I don't think it can be the one you have because it has a rechargeable battery, and is no good to the thief after the battery discharges, unless they have the specific Canon charger.

But, you never know. They may have chucked in the lane for that very reason.

You don't say where you are, so I don't know if the geography is right. (Soreze/Revel, southern Tarn)

Regards

David

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So sorry David and Janet, but I found it in a local Lane in UK. It didn't have a charger, but our local photography shop (wher OH has spent all our fortune! in the last 20+ years) sold us one.    Bonne chance et salutations   odile

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