If I was not such an awkward b**stard
who is prepared to fight his corner I would of lost a £5000+ claim.Be especially careful of the terms where special provisions are made for theft from unattended vehicles, the restrictions are almost impossible to meet in most of them, but they will usually charge you extra for this service. Most if you read them carefully say that there must be no access route to the boot area of the vehicle from the passenger compartment. A little survey found that less than 1% of vehicles physically could meet this requirement, usually expensive sports cars and Rolls Royces. Even cars like my father-in-laws Rover 75 saloon actually have drop down seats to allow long items to be placed into the boot.
If you find yourself in this position and they refuse to pay, talk to a good solicitor, as they will tell you, the terms and conditions in a policy have to be reasonable. Making such an impossible condition is not reasonable, hence the reason E&L had to back down, but it still appears and I know from other forums they have used clause this to refuse many claims.
Also if you do carry lots of expensive equipment in your car, consider investing in a security device called a pac-safe, available from good outdoor shops for around £40, these actually when used consitute a locked compartment in insurance terms.