We know Ausure insurance brokers act on behalf of their clients. They do this in multiple ways including:

• Providing expert risk management advice when clients are taking out insurance,

• Knowing and understanding the technical details by keeping constantly up to date with changing insurer products and wordings and

• Providing professional assistance if there is a claim.

There are many stories of how brokers have added value and saved their clients heaps of money. They help in both the big and small ways.

This month in our Good News Stories, we hear from a broker in one of Ausure’s award-winning offices situated in tropical Hervey Bay. Vicki Kelly is part of SunQ Insurance in Hervey Bay and has more than 30 years of experience in insurance broking.

“I wanted to share this story with my team as it shows people that we don’t always just accept what an insurer might be saying initially,” explains Vicki.

“We work hard for the client and often have to fight for them and their interests. This applies not only in claims but also when underwriting seems outside of acceptable terms.”

Vicki’s story

“Our client owns a Hilux which has over $40,000 worth of accessories on it. He wanted to add tyres and rims worth another $4,000.

I processed the endorsement and due to the value of accessories, it had to be referred. The insurer came back saying they don’t cover tyres under this product and to remove them from the cover and only note the rims.

The Insurer’s PDS Exclusion states:
‘Tyres: Damage to the tyres caused by the application of the brakes or by road punctures, cuts or bursts.’

The insurer provides some of the best cover for motor vehicles, so rather than swap insurers, I thought it was worth further pursuing the point with this insurer. I responded to them saying I understand tyres are not covered for damage from brakes/punctures etc, but if the vehicle was stolen or had fire damage etc., then the tyres need to be covered.

The insurer agreed to allow them to be noted.

On a separate point, but on the same endorsement, the insurer kept trying to tell me I had changed modifications, in particular to the suspension. They said I had increased the sum insured from $1,510 to $5,000.

Thankfully, we always keep good records and I had downloaded a copy of the insurer’s schedule (new business, renewal, endorsement) so I had the last renewal in our files showing these items were already approved and no changes to the sums insured were made.

It took three referrals and eventually me sending them a copy of their renewal schedule for them to accept no changes were made.

Rather frustrating and time-consuming, and often clients aren’t aware of all that goes on in the background, just to ensure they get a good policy coverage result.

However, knowing we’ve got a good result for a client is one of the things that makes insurance broking so rewarding.”

It’s attention to this kind of technical detail that can help set a client up to have a good solid insurance policy. So, if something unfortunate happens, they have the best chance of a good claim result.

Ausure awarded SunQ Insurance the coveted Award of Excellence Shield back in 2017. When interviewing Sun Q’s Director about what contributed to the growth and success of their business, it was clearly the focus on customer experience and professional approach, which continues today, as well as having solid business processes and systems in place.

Good old fashioned customer service and experience leads to referrals and that’s what makes insurance brokers shine above the rest.