Nigel

Why would you do that?

One of the things I often find frustrating in my interactions with new prospects, is that some of them don’t want to tell me what I need to know, to get the result they want.

Why would you do that?

As a professional I think its my job to educate clients, so they can make better informed decisions. You can’t do that if you don’t have all the information.

They can’t do it and I can’t either.

If you engage with a professional you need to tell them everything about your business and how you operate, otherwise you won’t get the right advice.

Sometimes I think they think, If they tell me everything they do, the price will be higher?

It won’t be higher, it will be the correct price for the risk exposure associated with the activity.

If you don’t tell me everything you do, then don’t be surprised if there’s a claim, that your insurers avoid it on the basis of misrepresentation.

Basically, “you didn’t tell us you did that!”

All you will be holding is a very expensive bit of paper, because the insurance won’t do what you need it to do, when you need it to do it, and that’s what matters most.

1. Open up.
2. Get the right advice.
3. Pay the correct premium
4. Sit back and relax

Have a great weekend everyone 😎

 

Nigel

Is it covered?

I once remember getting a call from a landlord who wanted to know if he was covered!

He was asking if he could claim for a new boiler because his wasn’t working any more. I asked why it wasn’t working and it transpired that it was simply old and had worn out.

I then had to explain that all insurance policies were designed to respond to defined “perils” such as Fire, Lightning, Explosion, Storm, Theft, Malicious Damage and that these events had to happen on an identifiable date.

What they are not designed to do is replace routine maintenance, or simply pay for things which have reached the end of their natural life.

Its why all policies covering damage to property always have a condition excluding damage resulting from any gradual cause, including deterioration, wear and tear.

This includes mildew, fungus, climatic or atmospheric conditions, frost, wet or dry rot.

An exclusion also exists for vermin, insects, chewing, scratching or tearing, or fouling by pets.

There are other exclusions routinely applied and in the contents section of your policy, look for “Exclusions that apply to the whole of your policy” or a similar wording.

Most of these are common sense applied to things which ae never meant to be covered, or in some circumstances where compensation would come under law, or from the government, such as sonic booms, war, or nuclear explosions.

If you’d like to know more about the detail of your policy wording, and what is and is not covered, in any particular circumstance, I’d relish the challenge!

I don’t think there is a question I can’t answer, so have a go!

Busy Day Today

Busy Day Today!

Mondays are always busy, as we have a round of meetings first thing to set up our working week.

We cover everything that is important, so we all know exactly what we are doing, whose responsible for what and what needs to be done.

We set an agenda and follow it through, it includes:

  • Diary Check
  • Strategic Management Matters
  • Renewal work
  • Claims status
  • Financial Matters – Aged debtors
  • AOB

Everyone gets to participate and everyone’s input and opinions are considered, discussed and addressed.

By the end of the meeting I know I can leave all my colleagues to get on and do the necessary work for the week to be a success.

If they need me (wherever I am) they know my door is open or I’m only a phone call away.

This week I will personally be dealing with:

  1. An importer and reseller of kitchen and bathroom fittings
  2.  The fleet of a local bakery, with multiple shops
  3. Statutory Inspections for a plant and seed business in Paignton
  4. The combined solution for an international packaging company, specialising in retail bags
  5. And Private Medical Insurance for an accountancy practice

Have a great and busy week, the alternative is not attractive 😀😀

Positive feelings

It’s a new dawn and a new day and I’m feeling good!

Bet you just sung that with a southern twang?

What gets you going on a Monday morning?

For me its knowing that I can make a real difference to people who care about getting the right advice at the right time. If they are prepared to engage with me and let me find out all about their business then I can understand what they do, assess the exposures and give them the correct advice.

Now we all hope we don’t ever need to use our insurances, but in truth that’s not the real world and with no-win no-fee legal cases on the rise, sooner or later someone disgruntled individual will probably have a go at you, justified or not.

If you have valuable assets, buildings, stock, equipment and machinery, then they must be protected correctly. If they get destroyed, damaged or stolen and your insurance isn’t correct, your claim could be void and you are left holding a very expensive piece of paper.

Getting the correct advice and guidance is essential, suitability is everything and the devil is always in the detail of the wording, which to be honest most policyholders never read.

We do, so you don’t have to.

Want some good advice, free at the point of discussion. Just call 029 20 470375 or message me here.

Have a great week 😊

Building Fire

Claim and counter claim

This week, because my claims manager is away, I have dealt with several claims myself. A theft of tools from a building site, a vehicle fire and a theft of goods from a third-party haulier acting for a client. We don’t earn any money dealing with claims, but it is the most important part of our job.

Let me explain:

Occasionally and only very occasionally we lose a client on price alone and for no other reason and that is very disappointing.

I can point out all the advantages of dealing with us over dealing with another broker or heaven forbid arranging insurance direct, but if price is the only consideration, we occasionally lose a client, and we stick to our principles and charge a fare fee for the work we do and will not compromise on that.

In a lot of these cases there is a common thread, and that is that the client will have never had a claim and that is good for them, but it means they have never experienced that side of our business and how we handle those matters when clients need us most.

Neither will they have ever seen the way our team spring into action to ensure the client has the right advice at the right time.

We never simply hand our clients over to an insurer, we would never do that, we practice active claims management and make sure the claim goes in quickly, in the correct format to ensure maximum success and that we push insures constantly to get a resolution or settlement as soon as possible.

There is also all the advice and guidance we can give clients about restoration, trusted contractors, approved adjustors, chartered surveyors and all the additional information required to settle the claim quickly.

If a client never has a claim, how are they going to know about the quality of the recommendation we’ve made, or the quality of service we provide a when a claim occurs?

Now I genuinely hope our clients never have to make a claim, reality is I know they will sooner or later, but a small part of me relishes the opportunity when they do, but only because I know we have an opportunity to shine.

Being there when our client need us and showing them why they made the right purchase.

If you or a friend are having a problem with a claim, happy to chat it over and provide advice and I can tell you how I once got a client £25,000 in the space of 5 days, when his current broker had wiped his hands of the situation.

Just give us a call on 02920 470375

What have you got to lose?