market talk
Andrew Newman
Claims service - bad news/good news
Time to shapeupon
claims service? T
his insurance industry of ours does great work - much of it unsung - and it’s good to hear about cases where all the stops have been pulled out. When that happens it’s not only the individual provider that shines - the rest of the industry can bask in their success. Such gems help to offset the occasions when things don’t run so smoothly. But there are times when even the most optimistic of us cannot fail to become concerned at the regularity of unsolicited anecdotal reportage of apparent inaction by some insurers.
How many non-work related summer soirées do we go to when the conversation moves
towards insurance? It seems there’s always someone who has a claim going and wants to spread the word. That’s the point when we off-duty insurance types take a quaff, with a quick inward prayer that the claim went well. No such good fortune so far in 2011. Three recently overheard whinges from fellow barbecue/canapé guests revealed three apparent foul- ups. Or perhaps more accurately, three cases of perceived total inertia on the part of insurers. The common denominator is obvious. It’s the long distance focus on indemnity as being the sole purpose of claims settlement -
Insurance saves couple’s ‘big’ day T
he March closure of wedding venue Caverswall Castle in Staffordshire spoilt the great day for a good many couples, many of whom said they had never heard of event insurance, let alone considered the safeguard of buying a policy.
But the weddings of at least two couples who took the precaution of buying cover to protect their outlay went ahead as planned. Daniel Hudson and Jenna Booth’s wedding had been planned since 2008, with 160 guests on the invite list. Devastated at first when the closure news broke, a cheque
4 insurancepeople JULY/AUGUST 2011
with little or no help for policyholders along the way when they need it most. Come on guys! Shape up! Our nerves can’t stand it. Two of the cases referred to had a twist, which goes to show you can’t always anticipate the kind of things that upset consumers most. One household chimney fire victim pinned no blame whatsoever on his insurer - his ire was rather bizarrely directed at the outsource suppliers appointed by that insurer.
In the other case, it wasn’t the fact that the kitchen belonging to a voluble guest at a Royal Wedding gathering was out of commission thanks to a
burst pipe. Nor the fact that his insurer had yet to act on restoration. His gripe was that having insured his home through one of the big supermarket’s financial arms, he was highly indignant to find that he actually has to deal with one of the large banks whose reputation has diminished of late. A failure somewhere in the clandestine world of white labelling, no doubt. “Read the small print!” is the rejoinder from we partygoers with a vested interest - left unsaid of course for the benefit of sociability.
So, to lift the spirits, here’s a story to restore the faith, and prove that it’s not all doom and gloom.
in
association with
was in their hands for £10,000 within four days. The policy cost £65.
The provider in question was Event Insurance Services, whose managing director Lucy Scurlock-Jones happened to be on hand to take another panic call ‘out of hours’ from another worried couple. Jacqui Goodwin and Paul Clark had booked Caverswall Castle for their July wedding. The MD was able to email on a Saturday morning to confirm the claim was accepted; advise them to book another venue; and that the cheque would be with them within seven days. Which it was.
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