I need car insurance – how can my personal shopper help me?

Your dedicated personal shopper’s job is to help you shop for your insurance. Their job is to buy from the insurance companies. They don’t have to sell anything! We understand that (unfortunately) the insurance industry is driven by way too many sales agents and this is what we hate about insurance too! We know that what you really want is someone who is impartial, independent and truly knows what they’re talking about.

 

Of course we want your business, but our experience in providing insurance services since 1995 has taught us that this is not going to be achieved by being pushy, annoying and sales-commission-driven. This is why we don’t pay out a commission for every deal that your personal shopper closes (contrary to usual business practice here in the UAE). Rather, we understand that have to be helpful and that we have to be there for you whenever you need. We just need to promptly get you a good deal for the right product for you and this is what we promise to do for you. always!

So, this is what your personal shopper will do excellently well for you:

Explain – insurance is confusing and you just want your asset to be protected from any accident or risk. In the process of doing so, you may have many questions. Our personal shoppers have been trained to simplify things for you and explain the practical aspects in deciding on your insurance policy. Moreover, it really helps that we have a fast track claims unit within our own organisation, so we can see our policies at work on a daily basis. We’d love to share examples should you be concerned about a specific scenario.

Advise – your dedicated personal shopper has been trained to make sure that they’re never one of the two extremes: an indifferent source of information without any opinion or (perhaps worse) a sales agent of one particular product. We want to understand your requirement, what covers you require, which insurance company would most like your risk profile and then we recommend which options are most suitable for you. Usually, these are the most cost effective options (with the covers you need) but not always.

Modify – we realise that you initial quote comparison may need some changing in terms of covers or material information like car value or your Emirate of registration. Your personal shoppers will help you to make any modifications to your quotes quickly and accurately.

Negotiate – as mentioned above, your dedicated personal shopper is here to buy for you and on your behalf. Your personal shopper knows that they must assume that they are themselves spending the money to buy your car insurance policy and accordingly negotiate with the insurance companies to bring you the best possible deal. If you have some positive information about your risk profile (for example, your driving experience or your claims experience), then your personal shopper will definitely take that information back to the insurance companies and bring down the prices as much as possible.

Commit – your dedicated personal shopper knows that many things, when it comes to an intangible product like insurance, are not written on paper. Rather, some things are a promise from one person to another. They have been trained to understand the value of a commitment and have been taught to appropriately commit to something being as it is being explained – they will put themselves and their career on the line by doing so. So, if they are really telling you that your claim in a particular scenario would be paid, you can really take their word for it! Even if it isn’t written explicitly on your policy – after all, you cannot write about every scenario! Moreover, for an industry driven so significantly by interpersonal relationships, we will make sure that what the personal shopper promised you really comes true at the time of a claim – through the use of our relationships with the insurance companies.

Remind – we know that the Dubai life is very busy and that while you wish you could give enough time to things like car insurance, you’re not able to. Hence, in order to avoid you being in a situation where your insurance has to be impulse bought at the last moment, your personal shopper will ask you when you plan to register your car and accordingly remind you about choosing the right insurance with a sufficient amount of time beforehand. They will make sure that it is not completely forgotten.

If you really need something to be done very urgently, please feel free to contact any one of your dedicated personal shoppers directly and they will process your requirements on priority. So come visit insurancemarket.ae – we’d love to help!

 

I’m thinking of going ahead with Insurance Market – how fast can I expect my quotes and my policy?

Hey Alfred – how fast can I expect my quotes and my policy?

We realise that you are usually pushed for time when you come to us looking for car insurance. In fact, when we set up insurancemarket.ae one of our main objectives was to save you a great deal of time and effort.

As Alfred says, “we do the shopping around for you so that you don’t have to!” We know that you need your car insurance policy in order to be able to register your car and you need to register your car as soon as possible. It is also natural and normal to not have insurance at the top of your list of priorities!

But what we also know is that you don’t want to pay more or buy the wrong product because you’re in a rush. After all, your insurance is protecting probably one of the most valuable things that you will own in the UAE.

It is for the above reasons that we have set up our systems to deliver truly tailor made solutions in minutes. We really manually analyse your profile and requirements and we value this step of the process hugely – after all, we wish to retain you as our client as long as you’re in the UAE and hence need to make sure that we give you the right product at the best possible price. Read more about why we don’t sell online here.

Our Current Service Commitment

• You will receive your quote comparison within a maximum of 4 working hours
• You will receive a call and email from your dedicated personal shopper within a maximum of 4 working hours after your quote comparison has been sent to you
• You will receive your policy within a maximum of 2 working hours of sending across your documents and pending information (if you need it sooner, just let us know, it can sometimes be done in as soon as 10 minutes)
• You will receive your claim registration within a maximum of 4 working hours of sending across your documents and pending information
• You will receive a helpful and detailed reply to your email within a maximum of 3 working hours of us receiving it
• If your personal shopper misses your phone call they will make sure they call you within a maximum of 1 working hour of missing your call

We really aspire to meet and exceed the above commitments all the time, however some days can be unusually busy and the volume of requests can delay things a bit – but never by too much. Your enquiry is truly very important to us!

If you really need something to be done very urgently (sooner than the time frames mentioned above), please feel free to contact any one of your dedicated personal shoppers directly and they will process your requirements on priority.

Pre-Travel Tips for your Home

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Just because you are leaving on a trip of a life time, don’t forget to take second look around your house. There are some insurance requirements that you need to take care of before you leave:

• Make sure you have all smoke detectors on every level of the home.  It is also a good idea to check the electronic detectors as they can get old like everything else and stop working. A carbon dioxide detector should be checked at the same time. If you have a 24/7 monitored alarm system, it will pick up on the alarms.
• Do not keep money at home. If you have a lot of cash, put it in a safety deposit box at the bank. Home invasions are at an all time high. Your life is more important than your money or high priced jewellery. You could be walking back to your house after your vacation to a serious situation.
• Don’t let it be too easy for a thief to steal or break-in to your car. Never leave anything valuable in the car and make sure it is locked. If you are not using your vehicle for your trip, ask a neighbour to park their car there off and on so it looks like someone is home. You could even leave your keys with them to move periodically.
• Check your door and window locks. If you live in a house with a basement, some people will put bars on the inside for additional security.
• Have your mail and newspapers stopped while you are away.  You might mention to your neighbour that if they see a moving truck in your driveway, to call police, because it is not you.
• It is a good idea to have someone go in and just check around to make sure everything is alright. This is a crucial rule with some home policies. Many insurers want someone checking every 4 days. It is mainly to make sure there is no water that has backed up in the house or if there was a power outage, that your freezer goods were not affected.
• Check all your electrical plugs to make sure they are dust free and unplug all the ones you can. There is no need for them be on.
• Before you leave, take copies of passports, driving license, health cards, credit cards and put them in a safe outside the home, like a safety deposit box. This is a great way to prevent Identity Theft, and more important, if something happens abroad where your wallet or passport is stolen, you can call the bank to confirm your documentation with the people at customs. You don’t want to be denied entry to your own Country.
• Most thieves can spot a tourist within minutes. Carry your money close to you in a money belt or front pocket. Change the pin on credit cards and your debit while you are way.

Have a great trip!!

Enjoy your holidays and become complete tension free with right travel insurance policy from Alfred’s InsuranceMarket.

Salvage of Vehicles

People are always asking why they cannot keep their vehicle after it has been involved in an accident and is written off by their insurance Company. You may think the damage is not that bad but, looks can be deceiving. They used to allow the owner of the vehicle the choice of either just allowing the insurance company to salvage it or they would offer the client the option of keeping it. 

The damage to your vehicle would cost more to repair than the car is worth. They will not pay more than it is worth, so they may offer you a settlement of 3672 AED. They would keep the vehicle. If you wanted to keep and car, the settlement amount would be reduced to say 2571 AED, with you keeping the car. They lower the payment as the insurance company will be responsible for the salvage charges.

The option of buying back your car was discontinued due to a couple of different reasons.
1. The vehicle may not look too bad on the outside, but it was the inside frame of the car which was compromised, so it would not be safe to drive.
2. The vehicle might be fixed by a friend down the road that owns a garage and would fix it just enough to legally put it on the road.
3. Nothing would be done on it. Looks fine. Insured keeps driving it.

I was told by my underwriter at an Insurance Company that they stopped using that practice. They were finding that people took the money and vehicle but would not get it fixed. These vehicles were not repaired and were being driven on the road again. One of their clients sold off the vehicle to another person. That person ended up in a serious at fault accident. The claim proceeded as normal until it showed that the vehicle had already been written off in an accident. The Original Company ended up being sued because they allowed the vehicle back on the road.

It has become law through many DMV, Insurance Authorities, that any vehicle that has been written off by an insurance company will have the vehicle blacklisted and marked on the ownership.

There are now car history reports that you must purchase, before it is licensed showing all accidents that occurred with that vehicle.

If your vehicle is stolen and then returned to you. The adjusters will want your vehicle checked for all issues that could have been compromised while not in your care. Baby seats are an important factor as well. They should be replaced if they are involved in any type of accident.

Visit insurancemarket.ae to compare up to 10 car insurance quotes in minutes, with the help of a dedicated personal shopper.

Commercial Fleet Insurance in Dubai

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Fleet insurance essentially is a group insurance for cars. It allows for cost reductions as well as ease of administration. For any company that owns more than four or five vehicles, we strongly recommend structuring a fleet insurance policy. Fleet insurance is very popular across large corporate entities in Dubai however it’s slowly gaining popularity among the SME sector, who usually just insure all their vehicles individually.

If you take as an example, a hydro company, they have multiple vehicles on the road that their workers use for business. They range from executive driven vehicles to the work trucks packed with equipment.  Some of these businesses have 50-60 vehicles on the road each day.

Commercial Insurance Companies have recognised the enormous price of insuring these vehicles separately. They have set up a fleet insurance policy for businesses that have more than 5 vehicles in use. All commercial vehicles are rated for their individual use. You can have one rate for a car, and a different one for the truck that is fixing hydro lines. The rates vary depending on what the vehicle is used for each day. The commercial fleet policies often are given a standard discount of 30-40% off the premium of all the vehicles insured.

There is always a large turnover of vehicles. They are damaged, out of date, or have been totalled in an accident. At one time, and probably still in some companies, the insurance policy was written so the insured’s business could substitute vehicles on their own. They would just have to submit records at the end of the policy term. The liability insurance cards are sometimes written up as follows: ALL VEHICLES OWNED AND/OR OPERATED BY DUBAI HYDRO. This created less work for both parties. All vehicle descriptions are updated at the end of the year with DIN and the correct VIN of all vehicles.

Along with the change of vehicles, there are drivers who come and go each year. The client knows the rules as far as the type of drivers they can insure. They will have to produce the drivers abstracts each year when the policy comes due for renewal.

The coverage available is basically the same as you would put on your vehicle. There are Mandatory limits as described by law. The policy would include Full comprehensive or third Party liability, medical expenses and emergency care. There are a few Companies that are offering a Personal Accident Benefit.

There are commercial products available that can be paired with fleet insurance. If one of your vehicles happens have an accident, whereas the contents have spilled all over the road. You will no doubt want to have coverage for the cargo. Always speak to your broker to make sure your business is completely covered.

More and more people are turning to the road assistance programs available. AAA, or CAA are the most popular. It assists the Insurance Companies by absorbing some of the costs of towing, start-ups and fuel.

At insurancemarket.ae we can setup a custom-made fleet insurance policy for a company that owns two cars or more.

Car Insurance in the UAE – Weather

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How the weather in the UAE effects all aspects of your life and what you can do to be insurance proof your investments.

In the UAE it seems that during a few months, the problem there is the Sandstorms which are similar to a blinding blizzard.

It is a double or trip whammy in UAE. The sandstorms can affect the performance of your vehicles, pipes in your home and most importantly your life. Here are a few ways to avoid insurance claims on your policy for auto and medical insurance policy.

Auto Insurance

It is possible that these sandstorms can create major engine problems. It is possible for it to get into the engine, exhaust, fuel tanks, windshield wiper holder and possibly into your transmission lines. If you can’t see while you are driving, it will be very hard to avoid having an accident. Remember there are other people out there trying to drive too. The best advise is not even to drive in conditions like that.

There are a few preventative tasks you can do to lower the risk of any of these things happening to you.

1. Always check your tires. If the tires have no tread, your car it not going to be able to stop suddenly to avoid an accident.
2. Check you filters everyday and make sure they are clear.
3. If possible, cover the vehicle when not in use.
4. Always make sure you check your fluids to make sure they are clear.
5. Make sure your windows are closed

Home insurance

1.  Make sure all your windows are closed.
2.  Check the outside piping to make sure all is secure
3.  Electrical panels or plugs for outdoor lighting.
4.  If you do have a pool, cover it 

The main concern here is really the blockage of sand in a live electrical plug or panel. Even a pool filter could be affected.

Insurance on a Boat, ATV or other recreational type vehicle.

1. Boat should be totally covered especially the motor. Sand around water is mud and you could have a big expense on your hands if sand gets into the electrical area. Motors are not cheap and you will probably have large an excess or deductible.
2. The ATV and other recreational vehicles also have the motor, electric issue as well as an excess or deductible.

Sickness and Health

1. If you put water into a small balloon and then empty it, pour in a handful of sand, shake and them empty it, it you look into the balloon, you can get an idea of what your lungs are dealing with every time you step outside without a mask.
2. This must be taken seriously especially with young children. Asthma is a killer for many. Adding sand to the mixture could cause irreversible damage. Situations like this are the reasons you need to take out an accident and sickness policy or make sure you are covered properly.

Please visit insurancemarket.ae for car insurance in Dubai and across the UAE – compare from up to 10 insurers.

Questions you asked and the answers you wanted to know about car insurance in Dubai

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What happens if my unlicensed child takes my car out for a joy ride and smashes up the car and damages another person’s property?

In order to have your vehicle fixed by the insurance company, you would actually have to charge your son/daughter with theft. Your Insurance would pay for the other persons damages.

Can I keep the collision and comprehensive on my vehicle if it is over 10 years old? 

Collision Coverage

If you call a car dealer just to get an unbiased opinion, they will give you the book value of the car. This is normally how the insurance adjusters value your vehicle. As an example: You have an accident and total the car. It is a 1999 Dodge Neon and the dealer has told you it is worth about $900. You have collision coverage on the vehicle, however your excess is $500 and the premium you paid to have the collision was $150. You would only end of getting $900 – $650 = $250 and there is a chance it would be more depreciation on the car.  It is not worth it. Many of the Insurance Companies wont insure vehicles at that age, but some still do. There are cases that the vehicle is not a classic or antique but is in perfect condition, has low mileage and only driven in the summer months. If this is the case, a picture of the vehicle and perhaps an appraisal, they may insure it to value.

Comprehensive coverage

Comprehensive is another physical damage coverage which, if allowed to keep on the policy would be good for windshield coverage. You may have your excess to pay, but it may be worth your while to pay and keep it. This of course depends on the specific rules of the company.

If I leave the Country, should I cancel my auto insurance? 

It is a good idea to check on that. Some of the auto accident benefits coverage may not cover you of out of country or even local areas.

Why should I put my home and auto policies together?

This is a question that is asked all the time. One answer is because you will get a multi-line discount. Another reason is the contents of your car are insured under your home policy. You will only have to deal with one adjuster and possibly only have to pay one deductible.

What happens if my policy gets canceled?

Insurance premiums are spread over a year. If you cancel prior to the expiry date of the policy you will get a portion of the money back unless you have had an accident.

Can the Insurance and Registration be in two different names?

No. The ownership and insurance must legally be in the same name. 

Do you insure high value cars?

The best way to get a quote on a high valued vehicle is to call your agent. These vehicle differ in the way the insurance calculates the premiums.

Homeowners Insurance

If all my belongings are lost in a fire, how do I prove to the insurance company that I had what I say I had?

There is a burden of honesty that is expected from Insurance Customers. Insurance Company can investigate your claims, however it is a good idea to take pictures, videos appraisals, anything of great value. This information should be kept elsewhere.

Alfred has recently shared some wonderful videos on car insurance. You can watch them and share your personal thoughts with us. 

Car Accidents in Dubai

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You have finally obtained your driver’s license and more importantly, are you financially sound. If you are in this situation, you are on your way to purchase a car.

Once you have purchased the car of your dreams, call an insurer. Unfortunately, your four-wheeled beauty could become an obstacle in the path of a thrill-seeker, drunk or otherwise. Accidents are mostly unintentional and unfortunate, but sadly not uncommon. What’s even sadder is the amount of time wasted in pointing fingers instead of sticking around and cooperating with each other till (and even after) the police arrive at the scene.

In such an event, there’s just one simple rule: interact, don’t react and don’t admit fault. Check to make sure everyone involved is alright. If there are casualties, call an ambulance; be honest while explaining the incident, get the names and contact details of the other drivers involved in the accident and information about their cars, insurers, etc., and try to obtain as many eye-witness accounts as possible. From the legal point of view, taking pictures of the damaged vehicles is of utmost importance. In fact, here’s a tip for all parties involved the accident: have the ‘before’ picture of the car handy as well. Cell phones with cameras are a god send.

Lying is a strict no-no when it comes to talking to your insurer about it. You have to remember that you could be denied coverage for the damage if all the facts are incorrect. Carrying a copy of the police report is an absolute must: it could establish who violated the traffic law at the time of the accident. If you feel your insurer is not giving you a fair valuation for damages to your car, don’t hesitate to seek a second, and possibly a third opinion (including that of your car dealer).

Also, if needed, receive medical treatment as soon as possible. As far as visits to your doctor are concerned, all you have to do is be regular and heed every piece of advice. It’s very important to have a diary; it’ll help you keep track of the next appointment and amounts outstanding to your insurer, lawyer, etc. If the other insurers adjuster calls you, don’t speak to them, politely refer them to your adjuster.

Another consideration is waiting to make a decision once you have been made an offer. If it is a serious accident, speak to your lawyer and don’t settle a claim until you have made sure that you’ll be suitably compensated for all the injuries you have suffered. A doctor’s prognosis is critical, because some injuries could cause a great deal of discomfort for a very long time.

In the insurance industry, when a claim is presented to a Company and an adjuster is assigned to the claim, if it turns out that either party has called lawyers in for injuries, the companies will usually just take care of the physical damage of the vehicle and step back and allow the lawyers deal with the respected parties.

For more information you can visit car accident page of InsuranceMarket.ae and can also watch our YouTube videos for avoiding car insurance claims in Dubai.

Cyber Risk Insurance

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A core part of modern business organization is the technology operations a Company uses to run their business as seamlessly as possible. It is needed for electronic communication, daily management, storage of information data and software programs that are vital to your daily business operation. Unfortunately, the work you do on the internet is out there for the taking.

Cyber Risk Coverage

This type of coverage is not one of many that would be included in your business insurance policy. It is a liability policy/rider that needs to be added to your policy. It needs to adequately cover the cyber risks that may occur with your own technology and another business system owned by one of your clients.

There are a couple of different types of insurance for different types of risks.

First, your business information and technology is compromised; and secondly, any third party liability that you may be held accountable. A few of the important liability exposures:

• Database and Network Security Breeches – such as a virus or malware, that gets into your main information system and is passed on to your customers or business associates.
• Technology Failures – If you have any issues that prevent your employee from working all day, this coverage would cover the expense for the time down.
• Business Interruptions – If you can’t use your system, it is interrupting the daily work flow that needs to be done.
• Online Fraud – It happens everyday and the only course of action is to be as preventable as you can.
• Online Reputation Management – Advise clients that your website is verified, safe to use and protected by only the best security systems.
• Damage and Defense Costs – If you are sued by one of your customers, this coverage will respond to the damage and any legal costs.
• Cyber-risk insurance is designed to protect your business from all of the exposure risks out there. It can be a complex situation and you should sit down with your agent and confirm the type of insurance you have, and if it is the insurance you require.                            

Insurance Solutions by Industry

These information is extremely important to protect your business. Every business has a different need as far as insurance is concerned. A small breakdown of the types of Insurance that may already be set up together as a Small Business package.

• Automotive – including auto parts, gas stations, bars, glass and transmission shops, repair garages, service stations
• Office packages for accounting, beauty salons, medical offices
• Contractors – plumbing mechanical contractors, janitorial services, or electrical
• Realty such as commercial buildings, property owners of residential apartments which have been manufactured by others
  

It’s never too late to speak to a licensed broker to get all the information you need to set up your business. Knowing you are completely protected for business insurance gives you a peace of mind to run a successful organization.

In the business section of insurancemarket.ae, we can draft an appropriate policy that protects your online business.

Insurance Fraud in Dubai – we are all paying for it

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If you live in Dubai and have insurance on your vehicles right now, it is a good chance that part of the premium you are paying is due the Company increasing their rates due to fraud.

We all pay for fraud through the insurance premiums, you can be sure the number is in the millions. The act of fraud is a criminal offence so you have to wonder how so many get away with it.

If you are participating in any type of insurance fraud:

• Obviously your claim will be denied, the policy will be cancelled, and your license will be revoked. Because fraud falls under the Federal Government, high Authorities in some Countries, you could go to jail for 10 years depending on the extent of crime.
• When the time comes that you are able to get your license back and drive, because insurance is mandatory, you will have to buy insurance. The Company will only offer you liability for the other person and the rate will be astronomical.
• The most common type of auto fraud would include lying about the entire loss, staging accidents, entering claims on existing damage.

How Can What Can People Do to Help Fight Fraud?

• Insurance company adjusters, and different levels of law enforcement, are making great strides in exposing insurance fraud rings, but they need help from the consumers to get the problem under control.
• Report all suspicious activity whether it is in a parking lot, on the road, a hit and run, numerous criminal activity on your street like break ins, vandalism
• Staged accidents, get as much information you can. In fact, take a picture with your phone of the license plate, car, person, everything you can.
• Check over the claims form to make sure the information is all there and correct. Many cities now have collision reporting centers. Send you adjuster the pictures.
• Do not ever sign a blank claims form or any type of legal form until you have spoken to your own adjuster or lawyers.

Did you Know?

• If you lend your vehicle to someone and they have an accident, they will be liable for the accident, but so would you, being the registered owners. Make sure you have known the person you are lending your car to for quite awhile. A staging accident could be done with your own vehicle, and you wouldn’t even know it.
• Insurance Companies do not like dishonest people. If you are caught trying to pull one over on the insurance company, they will take full legal action against you.
• That an Insurance Company has guidelines to follow which before they can cancel your policy.
• If you decide to cancel your policy mid term, there is a penalty but the most important thing you should do is to take a look at your policy. If there is an accident or ticket, it may be worth staying where you are until renewal. The worst thing you can do it cancel your policy before you have a written confirmation of a quotation with another Company.  If you want to change insurance companies and cancel your existing policy before it expires, be very cautious.

Come visit insurancemarket.ae for your car insurance enquiry. We conduct a ‘know your customer’ check to reduce chances of fraud and hence protect you from facing higher premiums in the future.