You see it everywhere. In cafes, in restaurants and in bars. Guests who indicate that their table is occupied by setting the mobile phone, tablet or PC as a “busy signal”.
They then leave the table to go to the toilet or to get food or drink.
It can be very expensive.
In open air
SOURCE SORTING: This is what you should know about source sorting. Video: Embla Hjort-Larsen. view more
– Some people obviously think that mobile phones worth NOK 15,000 have been bought with play money. Never before have mobile phones cost more, while the economy has rarely been worse. Nevertheless, thousands of mobile phones “evaporate into thin air” because we don’t take good care of them, says communications manager Arne Voll at Gjensidige Forsikring.
Arne Voll never ceases to be surprised by how badly many people treat their mobile phones. In addition, there are few who mark it with a name and telephone number, so that it is possible to find the owner if it is lost.
Cuts the price in half
Small but expensive
Wireless earplugs, headphones and mobiles often belong together and can have a value of between NOK 10 and 20,000.
– That’s a lot of money, especially at a time when many people have a more strained economy: Nevertheless, people fumble around with their mobile as if it were to be any worthless possession. Whether you have it loose in your back pocket, in open bags and pockets, put it down at the bar or on the table when you’re out eating.
Everything in one place
What used to be a mobile phone is now a small computer that largely controls the life of the person who owns it.
Today, “your whole life” is located somewhere, namely in the mobile phone. Here you will find phone numbers, contact lists, your bank, photos, e-mail, social media, the Internet, apps and often a lot of job information.
Water crisis in the southern favourite
In addition, many people use it as an alarm clock and to keep track of appointments and daily tasks.
– Some also have all the credit cards placed in or on the cover. Thus, the wallet disappears in one fell swoop, says Voll.
Thousands on the way
Several thousand mobile phones are stolen or lost for good every year. This means that this happens many times a day.
– In total, we are talking about values worth many millions of kroner that disappear. Nevertheless, it is the content that is lost that hits the owners the hardest. Although much is stored in the cloud, one is left helpless, unable to communicate with the outside world. It is particularly bad if this happens on holiday abroad.
Happy message
If a mobile phone, headphones or tablet is “simply” lost or forgotten, a small tag with a name and a telephone number will be the rescue.
Feel free to use the phone number of the person you are traveling with.
– Huge numbers of objects never find their owner again because it is impossible to trace. The alternative is a note with contact information, which can be the difference between never seeing the mobile again and receiving a happy call shortly afterwards.
Does not cover
There are many types of insurance, but most do not cover if you just lose it.
– The travel insurance requires that mobile phones and other valuables be kept under supervision. Leaving a mobile phone unattended on a table while you go to the toilet or to order food at a restaurant can result in reduced or no compensation, says Voll.
Small item – big value
– And the big problem is that people, and perhaps Norwegians in particular, quickly forget how much value a mobile phone, iPad or PC actually has.
If you are visiting a cafe, restaurant or other place, your mobile phone is often the first thing you put down on the table.
And many leave it there throughout the visit, also when you go to the toilet or have other short tasks.
– Abroad, it is also common to sit at tables outside, often close to busy shopping streets. Here, in some cases, it is extra easy to grab a mobile phone or other valuables that are out front, and often without particular supervision.
Classic mistakes we make with the mobile phone
Lose it by slipping it out of your pocket. Often it also ends up in the toilet itself. Have it sticking out of the back pocket. Leave it in cafes and the like and go to the toilet / buy something. Leave it in the bar. for dancing/doing other things). Does not mark it with a name and phone number (preferably someone else’s). Puts it down on the sunbed when going to bathe or do other things.
– A mobile often costs around NOK 15,000, and I usually ask; How normal is it to leave 1000 euros in cash visible on the table and then go to the toilet? At the same time, they expect the expensive mobile phone to be there when they return, says Voll.
Do you put the money here?
It is also not unusual for them to put down an expensive jacket, mobile phone, tablet, bag or other valuables on the table, to keep this off – when they have to pick up the rest of the traveling party, have to order food or have other things to do.
Warns travelers: “‼️ This is a scam!”
– When you are in a restaurant, there may also be some consumption of alcohol. When the alcohol kicks in, your mind often goes “a little”, and you become less aware of what is happening around you. Something that is definitely not a good idea is to leave valuables unattended in discos, bars and nightclubs.
WARNING: Arne Voll is communications manager at Gjensidige Forsikring. view more
Young people and adults
There are just as many adults as young adults who are careless when it comes to losing their mobile phone, especially when under the influence of alcohol.
Unlucky Norwegians on the journey
Here is a selection of cases from the insurance companies’ claim reports
Flew away
The customer had left his mobile phone somewhere by the archipelago. Suddenly a seagull came and grabbed the mobile phone with its beak and flew away. I followed the phone with “Find My Iphone” which showed that the seagull had landed on a reef out in the sea somewhere. The customer sent in a photo and printout showing where it had flown.
– Normally we do not cover damage caused by birds and insects, so this case was refused, says the communications manager.Another flight
We were on holiday abroad. When my daughter was out swimming, a seagull came and stole her airpods and flew away.Guilty
The customer writes that the phone was stolen from a company, but was later found again in the local area and in a damaged condition. He continues to write. What the thief was thinking here is a good question – perhaps he had a guilty conscience?Running man
Customer says: Walked along the street in Milan on the way to a restaurant and kept sending an SMS. Suddenly a man comes running and snatches my mobile phone. I tried to run after without success.Disappeared without a trace
I had dinner with acquaintances at a restaurant in Barcelona. Suddenly several other “foreign” tourists came to the table with maps and lots of other papers and needed help. They got that and in addition they probably thought my mobile phone was part of the package, because it disappeared with the tourists.
-These types of cases where tourists are deceived by one or more thieves working in a team have a few every year. Some are nice, need help and take all the attention, while others empty their pockets, bags or take other valuables with them, says Arne Voll.
Holiday in a big city in Europe. Customer with shoulder bag hanging over shoulder. While she was standing in line, someone cut the bag from the string that goes over the shoulder. She didn’t notice anything until she was about to take something out of her bag and noticed that it was gone. Only the string remained over the shoulder.
(Source: Gjensidige)
– The travel insurance covers theft of a mobile phone, i.e. not when you lose it. There is a requirement that mobile phones and other objects must be kept under supervision. And if someone is on the toilet or has cleared a table, and the mobile phone is left on the table, this is certainly not an insurance issue, he concludes.
Hello, my name is Odd Roar Lange and I am a travel journalist for Dagbladet. Have you experienced anything with travel insurance that I should write about? Do you have an experience, question or smart suggestion that others should know about?
2023-11-25 09:10:59
#busy #signal #costs
