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Zürich“Most people don’t know what the insurance company has to pay for a stolen bike”
Bicycle thefts are the order of the day in Zurich. To ensure that those affected are properly compensated by the insurance company, Mikael Sottile makes Velo appraisals.
In such a case, he not only helps his customers with the selection of a new bike, but also with the insurance by estimating the bikes at their original value.
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«Just recently I appraised a bike for a customer. She subsequently received 1,000 francs more from the insurance company than initially announced, »says Sottile.
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That’s what it’s about
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Bicycle thefts are common in Zurich.
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According to Mikael Sottile, owner of a bicycle workshop in Zurich, this has to do with the delivery bottlenecks caused by Corona.
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To ensure that his customers are properly compensated by the insurance company in such a case, he estimates the value of his bike.
In Switzerland, around 40,000 bicycles are stolen every year and reported to the police. Bikes are stolen in Zurich too: Mikael Sottile, owner of the “Veloschmiede” bike workshop in Wiedikon, has noticed this too. In the event of theft, he not only helps his customers choose a new bike, but also with the insurance. As an expert, he assesses the original value of the stolen bikes, since household contents insurance covers the new value – usually up to CHF 2,000 (see box).
Bike theft: who pays?
Die household insurance covers theft at home. The new value is covered. If you also want to protect your bike against theft outside of the house, you need the addendum “simple theft away from home” to your household contents insurance. This usually covers a theft of up to 2,000 francs with a deductible of 200 francs.
Die valuables insurance pays the purchase price minus the deductible in the event of theft, regardless of the age of the bike. Depending on the sum insured, the premiums can quickly become expensive.
The bike insurance pays in the event of theft, fall damage or damage to the bike. If the value of the bike is higher than the insured value under household contents insurance, it makes sense to take out bike insurance because of the value for money.
Recently he has made more estimates than ever before, says the trained bicycle mechanic in an interview with 20 minutes. “The vast majority of cyclists do not know what insurance they are entitled to in the event of theft.” Insurance companies often shy away from paying out the new value and insist on only reimburse- ing the used value. «Just recently I appraised a bike for a customer. She subsequently received 1,000 francs more from the insurance company than initially announced, »says Sottile.
get 1000 francs more
According to Sottile, the fact that bike thefts are so common also has to do with the delivery bottlenecks caused by the corona pandemic, which are still ongoing: “In addition, during the lockdown everyone suddenly wanted a bike and the shops weren’t allowed to sell any.” Many thieves have set to work there. “Because it is still difficult to get bikes and bike parts, people often steal them.”
Only recently, a police officer stopped by his shop and warned him about a bike thief who is currently being searched for. He would go to bike shops and steal the most expensive bikes as if he knew his stuff.
You don’t stand a chance if your bike is stolen
And in fact, Sottile’s shop is not protected from such thefts either: “Just a few weeks ago a man came and looked at the bikes on display in front of the shop. Suddenly he got on a brand new e-bike and rode away.”
His brother tried to run after him but had to give up after a while. “When a bike is stolen, it is often very difficult to search later,” says Sottile. Once the bike is gone, it’s almost impossible to find it again. “Most of the time, the thieves quickly take the bike to another canton or even to another country.”
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