After a few days of work, not being able to concentrate very well, things have calmed down a little. We got the window boarded up, so we aren’t super-vulnerable, and leaking heat into the outside. So that is good. We are both calming down a little. I’m planning some home-brew security system stuff to help avoid this in the future. And we’ve started working out some of the insurance stuff.
The insurance estimated our losses around $3800 (they accidentally left out the camera the first round of doing the claim, so that is my number, theirs is $3500).
We have a $1000 deductible, and the depreciated value of the stuff was around $2500, (excluding the camera, which will probably add $250 to $300 to this) so we are getting a check for something like $1400. We have replacement value insurance, so they just cut a check, straight up, for the depreciated value and then we can submit receipts for certain items when we replace them and they will reimburse us the difference between the depreciated value and their “replacement value”.
Why bother writing on this money stuff all in public-like you ask? Well, my friend, because there is a super silver lining to our dark break-in cloud that I feel is worth sharing and it requires some money talk to show the cool-factors.
Here it is:
Our laptop was valued at $1880, which is a little more than we paid for it, so we can spend up to that much with no monetary loss to us (minus our deductible). So I called Dell, told them that I wanted a deal where I got a certain configuration that was actually slightly better than our original one, and in a new color that wasn’t available before. But I didn’t want to pay for the 3 year warranty, because I wanted them to transfer the old warranty to the new laptop. I then laid down the threat that if they couldn’t do it for me, under a certain value, I was going to hang up and call Apple and get a macbook air. I also threw in that I was buying a computer either way TODAY.
After 1 hour and 21 minutes of this guy really going to bat for me, and putting me on hold to work deals with other departments and what-not he comes through with a deal that upgrades my computer relative to the stolen one with a 200GB hard drive (old was 120), a 2.0Ghz CPU (old was 1.8), wireless USB, and a 4 year support agreement (old was 3 year), and now it is in blue instead of red (I liked red, Lauren liked blue so she is happier…she was bummed originally that there wasn’t a blue one available). And this was all for $1780 after tax, so it was a little cheaper than our original configuration.
I have this guys phone number, so I highly recommend giving him a call if you want to place a dell order, cuz he was pretty awesome to work with. Easily the best Dell experience I’ve had, and I got my deal I wanted. Again, highly recommend this guy Ross: Roseller San Pedro, email: Roseller_San_Pedro AT Dell.com , Phone: 1-800-695-8133 x 25801
While for the moment that was pretty sweet, there is a prospect of something even sweeter that comes from loosing my old, very upgraded, and very hacked together to keep working, Pentium 3 dell that my brother sold me. This was stolen out of Elle’s room, and at the moment it was her facebook / youtube / email machine that we loaned her. (Note: Elle is our roommate renting our spare room for those of you who don’t know).
Anyway, this was given a replacement value of $900ish dollars, and depreciated down to $200ish. The $200 number is in-line with what I was thinking the value was, but the will reimburse the $700 difference if I replace the laptop.
Now, the question I have in to them is: “Can I replace the laptop with a mini/Portable PC or a mobile internet device instead of a full-on laptop?”
Translation: I want an iPhone on the insurance companies dime, because it will function as the same thing as the old laptop (i.e. an internet / email machine that can travel if need be). And it has the added advantage of replacing my aging (and often locking up now) phone. With the recent SDK announcement along with exchange support I think this could be my phone and ipod, leaving my old 40gb ipod solely as my long trip and work music carrying machine.
Besides that I’m thinking of replacing some of my games from the Wii that are beaten or were lame (i.e. Zelda = beaten and not going to be replayed, Mario Galaxy = Lame) with some more cool games such as Metroid 3. I’m going to go to best buy after church tomorrow to see how long the Wii’s stay in stock after they put them out, and if they will give me a deal on a camera and a wii and some games. If they will then I’ll be replacing the other stuff, otherwise I’ll wait a bit before I replace that stuff.
So, all good stuff so far. We are going to be out some money for the deductible, but that is what the Dave Ramsey plan of starting an emergency fund first is for.