Insurance is important. Who your insurance broker is -- can be even more important.
Many people think of insurance as a commodity, something you need to have and the cheaper you can get it, the better. Some people view their broker as someone who drops off that commodity. Nothing more.
In reality, not all insurance is equal, and not all brokers are equal. A broker's job does not end when his/her client buys insurance. A real broker proves himself when the client has a claim.
What Can Go Wrong The story below is about a client that bought Trip Cancellation Insurance from a major insurance company, not through Singer Nelson Charlmers. The person fell ill prior to the trip, and consequently could not attend. He then filed a claim, and received no satisfaction from the broker or the insurance company. After exhausting all avenues, the client contacted Singer Nelson Charlmers, founders of The Claims Protection Promise™.
The Story A man called us and said he purchased Trip Cancellation Insurance (not through us) to cover a trip that he and his wife were planning to Africa. The trip cost $30,000. At the last minute, the couple had to cancel due to medical reasons. The man filed a claim with the insurance company and his broker, but was denied payment. The broker told him that the insurance company simply, "Did not feel that his illness warranted the cancellation". The man asked us, as a favor, if we could get involved.
We Fight the Battle First and foremost, we believed that the man was justified and deserved reimbursement for the $30,000. Here is what we did to try to settle the claim.
We got a copy of the policy from our client, reviewed all the provisions, found areas where coverage would be provided.
We called our client's doctor and received a copy of the letter that our client filed with the insurance company.
We called the doctor again and asked him to re-do the letter, so that we could be assured that coverage would be provided. The first letter was not sufficiently clear.
Then we called the person at the insurance company who denied the claim, and reviewed everything. He gave us a complete explanation of why the company did not honor the claim, This provided us with the steps necessary to continue to fight the claim and get it reinstated.
Singer Nelson Charlmers went back to the doctor and asked him to write a new letter, based on the new facts that we received. We had the doctor send the letter directly to the Claims Department, along with a letter from us stating that the policy should provide coverage since it covered pre-existing conditions.
With the new facts stated in the doctor's letter, along with our letter, the insurance company paid our client $30,000.
Our Client Wins The man was ecstatic. "It is great to have someone like Singer Nelson Charlmers in our corner."
Insurance is not a commodity, and a broker is not just a person who hands off a commodity. An insurance broker makes sure that his/her clients have the correct coverage, with the correct company.
In the event you have a claim or problem, your broker must be willing and able to make sure your insurance company keeps their promise to compensate you fairly. That is what The Claims Protection Promise™ is all about. If your broker does not fight to the end with the insurance company, when you should be compensated for a claim, he/she works for the insurance company, not for you.
Singer Nelson Charlmers proudly serves as a broker, dedicated to our clients. We work directly for you, not the insurance company. We are your advocate. You are our boss. As long as you are right, we will continue to fight so that you get the compensation you deserve.
We Can Help For more information on how we can help you, or to discuss The Personal Protection Review, for yourself or your key people, please contact: Brian P. Boak, CLU, LUTCF, at 201-837-1100 or Brian.Boak@SingerNelson.com.
This information is for general knowledge and does not replace any terms and/or conditions of any policy. Please read your policy to confirm exact coverage.
