On a wing and a prayer –

According to a recent survey 20% of holidaymakers travelling abroad don’t take out travel insurance. Currently there are somewhere between 13,500,000 and 15,000,000 trips abroad by UK residents. Whilst this number is some two or three million less than in 2008 it does mean that up to 3,000,000 uninsured trips being made each year.

To me this is staggering given that insurance for a week on the continent can cost less than £20.00. We can all take a hit on losing what we paid for the cheap flights however when it comes to exciting tropical diseases or a bit of dodgy lobster who knows what is around the corner.

So as an additional expense it isn’t going to break the bank and literally could save your life. At the same time make sure that the benefits of the policy are sufficient. We can all click the ‘include insurance’ button when booking the holiday but it is always worth speaking to your broker because two or three pounds could mean an extra few thousand pounds of cover.

So remember to call us when booking your trip and our personal lines team will be only too happy to help. 

Source: http://www.insurancetimes.co.uk/

When one trade just isn't enough.....

Comedy legend Eddie Izzard talked about a shop that used to be open for business in Tooting that sold musical instruments and firearms 'get your guns and banjos here'. Harry Hill commented on the combination of key cutting and shoe repairs 'what would they do if I went in wearing a massive pair of keys on my feet', would they re-sole them or cut me some new ones?

We have been asked to insure some interesting combinations in the past, Electricians & Pest Control etcetera, here are some that slipped the net....

Smokes and Pets (Toronto, Canada) - where else can I buy quality cigars and a goldfish?
Greg's Clear Cuts and Guitar Lounge (Santa Rosa, US) - Who wouldn't need their hair cut whilst choosing a new six string?
Pie and Pi (Sydney Australia) - I always like to munch on a pastry snack when purusing the latest in stationary and mathmatical equipment.

Perhaps we should branch out.... poultry and insurance? Duck and Cover?

I'll take two pairs of these in the brown and some potential exposure to asbestos please....

A whopping fine totalling £1.15 million has been demanded from high street giants Marks & Spencer and three of its contractors for unsafe work. A Bournemouth court found M&S et al guilty of placing customers and construction workers at risk of exposure to harmful asbestos during recent refurbishment works to their Bournemouth and Reading stores. The prosecution was brought about by the Health and Safety Executive. As far as I know no-one has physically shown any signs of asbestos poinsoning.

.... I only went in for a packet of percy pigs.

Bear with me...

It seems I can't go half way round the world without ending up in a conversation about insurance. I was in Canada recently, Ontario specifically, visiting some friends who as it happens, had an accident. There are some crazy motoring laws in Canada such as being able to turn right at a red light. That is the equivalent of us being able to turn left at a set of lights even if it shows red, providing nothing is coming obviously. On this occasion in Canada something was coming... it was my friend who the other driver had clearly not seen. The police where called (it seems rare to have a traffic collision that they do not attend there) and details exchanged.

 

Following this incident I was chatting to him about insurance. His wife, a 31 year old Canadian national with a number of years no claims proof. She has had no accidents and no motoring convictions yet her insurance for a mid-range family Mazda costs $1800. At present this equates to about £1200. The same car and details in this country would probably set you back between £400 and £800. The difference is not due to bear attacks or low flying moose its the extreme winter weather. The huge amounts of snow and ice cause accidents galore and costs the Canadian insurance market a ridiculous amount of money. If this was solely charged to those who had those accidents insurers would be repossessing belongings left right and centre because people couldn't afford to pay the premium and so it is shared (although those with the accidents have a heavier cost to bear).

 

It is the same in this country. Unfortunately the millions of pounds worth of damage done to London during the riots will cost innocent London shop owners money moving forward. The rise in personal injury claims (some dubious) has also cost the insurance industry vast sums which have to be passed on by way of rate increases.  Perhaps the governments decision to ban referral fees for passing contact details to personal injury solicitors (more on that later) will go some way to improving the situation for motorists? 

 

The simple fact is that even with the dominance of the internet for car insurance it is always worth talking to a broker who can provide you with frank and objective advice, guidance and all being well, a competitive and perhaps most importantly peace of mind.

 

 

 

Not enough Fairweather away from Fairweather....

Well its now September and most of the staff here have returned from various summer vacations and it appears here at Fairweather we are the exception that proves the rule. According to Virgin Atlantic, who obviously have too much time on their hands, insurance professionals are most likely to suffer from extreme sunburn.

 

Clearly we are all too risk aware and have mitigated our loss by applying adequate swathes of sun cream.... or just not left the office. Maybe for the rest of the industry Nivea (other leading sun-protection products are available) should introduce a new range targeted at people in the insurance industry. Perhaps 'Consequential Loss Cream' or 'Sums Insured Sun Screen'...... better suggestions welcome on a postcard.