Is your insurance broker doing the best they can for you?

When your policy is due for renewal, does your broker effectively re-market your risk to ensure that they are getting the best possible terms for you or do they simply give you the rate offered by your current insurance company?

Recently, I have had a number of potential customers ask me to quote for them against their existing broker/insurer.

I’ve beaten the renewal offer, only for the client to go back to their broker who miraculously offer a much lower rate than they initially offered.

Why?

Well, mainly because the broker hasn’t done their job correctly and has taken the easy option to quote only the current insurance company. The broker has been lazy, perhaps even taken the client for granted, by not carrying out a full “shopping around” exercise.

Does your current broker give you the latest claims experience as soon as you ask for it, or do they hang on to it for dear life?

From my experience, most brokers are very reluctant to part with this document.

Why?

Because they are afraid that you will find a cheaper price elsewhere! Sitting on the claims experience stops you from shopping around.

Would you prefer to do business with this type of broker or one who will offer you the following five pledges?

1       I will shop around for the best deal at new business/renewal stage, contacting all relevant insurers, not just one insurance company.

2       At renewal, I will contact you with the renewal invite price as soon as I receive this from your insurance company.

3       If required and relevant, I will furnish you with the most up to date Claims Experience from the insurance company as soon as I receive it.

4       I will convey to you the best price I obtain from the shopping around I undertake.

5       If another insurer offers me a rate lower than your current insurer, I will take that price back to them to give them another opportunity to retain your business.

If that sounds like the kind of service you expect from your insurance broker, then please call Steve Halliday on 07875 743 271 or e-mail steveh@countyins.com

Cash is now no longer accepted on London buses which will see a £24 million profit maximisation.

The change comes due to less and less passengers paying with cash on London buses.

Transport for London research showed that 99% of their customers were using cashless payment methods such as Oyster cards, prepaid tickets, contact-less payment cards and concessionary tickets.

This means that any passengers travelling on London’s buses will need to use one of these payment options otherwise they will not be able to travel. However last month the ‘one more journey’ feature for Oyster users was introduced which allows passengers to make one more journey if they have insufficient funds on their Oyster card.

Mike Weston, Director of Buses at Transport for London said: “The way our customers pay for goods and services is evolving, so we need to ensure our ticketing process evolves too”.

He then went on to say “Removing cash from our bus network not only offers customers a more efficient bus service but it enables us to make savings of £24 million a year which will be re-invested to further improve London’s transport network”.

Although there are question marks surrounding the new change. Green Party London Assembly member Darren Johnson highlights what would happen to passengers who have lost or had their Oyster cards stolen and if they would be allowed to travel or not. This comes after more than 2,100 Oyster cards were lost, stolen or had stopped working on the average day last year.

Darren Johnson said: “I am very concerned that Transport for London are only planning 19 new Oyster ticket stops in preparation for the cashless switch-over. This seems highly inadequate, especially when every ticket office across the tube network is going to be closed. I have serious concerns about the impact of which this sweeping change would have on vulnerable passengers”.

Due to this drivers have been issued refreshed guidance on how to deal with vulnerable passengers.

We at Bus and Coach insurance offer very competitive bus and coach insurance prices so for a quick quote call our specialist team today on 0800 980 3425