RE: Database for when it all goes wrong

["Mark Harrison" <Mark.Harrison@xxxxxxx>]

Given that digital photos are, in round terms, free once you have a
digital camera, I would take several photos of each item:

- One showing the item working (ie TV displaying picture, processor with
LCDs showing stuff, CD with LCD showing track number) next to a
prominent "date-confirming" photo - normally a newspaper, but
anything
that confirms a recent date

- One showing the item's serial number

- One showing what steps have (if any) been taken to secure it (eg
postcode marking on hifi etc.)


Mark Harrison
Head of Systems, eKingfisher


-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Challis [mailto:richard@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 17 February 2002 10:32
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: [ukha_d] Database for when it all goes wrong


Although this doesn't have anything technology wise related to actually
"home automating". I don't believe it is off-topic.
Something that has been bugging me lately. I have house insurance, a
number
of items are specifically listed on the insurance. A lot of the
technology
isn't.

I will be shortly installing comfort to work alongside my homevision,
but
it can only really alert you when some **** has already decided to take
steps to help themselves to the stuff that you have worked hard to buy
in
the first place.

So I'm looking at the prospective of having to claim from the house
insurance to get back as much as I can that can be replaced with money
after
the worse case happens.

The other thing that could happen is a fire. When you think how much
electronics we have in our homes now days and how hot some of it appears
to
run at. (I am an electrical / industrial automation engineer by
profession -
hot electronics unfortunally does sometimes go wrong and some clients
are
not as conservative as they should be when rating items)



Right - I'm looking at putting together a database with high quality
digi
photos of the kit, serial numbers etc. I've begun building this database
but
obviously this is a task that is quite big and time consuming and you
hope
to never use. (Quite unlike, say, our mp3 databases!)

The obvious things like description, model number and serial number and
a
couple of photos of the item.

What information is really necessary. What convinces a loss assessor
that
your claim is as big as it is and is genion. Scans or photocopies of
receipts would be helpful if such a thing still exists.

What I could like to end up with at the end is a CD or two that I can
keep
with the parents or in the families safe deposit box (hence not wanting
much
bulk) but still being useful incase it all goes wrong and the worse case
does happen.

I've discussed this with my insurance broker, but would be grateful for
the
lists input.

I hope I haven't come across as too paranoid! :)

Regards

Richard







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