Im not much of a tabloid fan but an article was noticed in the Sun newspaper within the last couple of weeks, apparently the ombudsman is now going to release the stats on the complaints lodged against financial institutions. To be honest I cannot see the harm in this. I think that the public honestly has a right to know what the behaviour is of any financial institution that they may become involved with in the future. At one stage a blanchardstown based insurance company (that shall remain nameless even though they have since changed their name) were known to be the toughest insurance company to get paid from in the event of a claim. This became common knowledge and they did in fact try to change this perception that the public had of them and in the last few years they became a little more reasonable to deal with. Hopefully this new guideline will see all insurance companies and banks become far more conscious of how they treat the public and how the public see them. Unfortunately due to the upgrade of the website I cannot upload the article to the blog but it is on our facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Insuranceworksie/186030908101975 I’ll get the image uploaded here when re get the issue resolved. Joe Doyle

We had one of our local hero’s Stephen Ormond boxing on Saturday in Glasgow in which anybody with a pair of eyes who seen the fight blatantly slammed the decision of the judges to award the fight to his opponent Paul Appleby. This was followed last night by young Devin White who gained a clear victory in the Dublins in the National Stadium on South Circular Road, Devin who is 12 years old and is the son of Rachel from the accounts department here at Insuranceworks.ie won his fight by 15 points and now goes through to the next round, we all have high hopes for him and wish him well and also look forward to his next fight. Devin is being trained well by the team down at Neilstown Boxing Club which is well known for churning out talent these days, with the likes of Bernard Dunne and Olympic medalist Kenneth Egan having started out there a few years ago. Well done lads keep up the good work from all at Insuranceworks.ie. We’ve even heard reports that the photographer needed a new camera to try and match the speed of both fighters Joe Doyle

During the daily war that rages between members of the general public who hold property insurance, and the paymaster insurance companies that sell this insurance and then fight tooth and nail not to pay out in the event of a claim. Most of the time the behaviour by the insurers and I stress only most of the time, this behaviour is professional and held to a high standard, however this was definitely not the case recently in Dublin 12 If you see from the picture below, this was a sign erected in a public place on the grass verge between both sides of the Long Mile Road, Dublin 12. The sign you see in the photo is the 5th that had been put up there because the previous 4 were ripped down by AXA. We assume this person to be a manager, who was seen on one occasion by a staff member of a neighbouring business ‘with his foot up against the tree’, ripping the signs down during which he slipped and almost fell and then blatantly walked back in to the Axa branch on the Long Mile Road. 2 signs were then reinstated and 2 days later they were removed again, this time seen again by a second person. Surely that has to be theft or criminal damage right ? I mean , Axa we are all grown-ups here, If I put a sign in my garden that you didn’t like would you come in and rip it down or send a polite email and/or phone call asking for it to be removed. I know thats what I would do. Or maybe you dont want people to make claims [...]

If I had a penny for every time this happened, or that happened or I could write a book on all the things thats happened to me. 2 little Irish quotes that us Irish people, being as pessimistic as we can be, probably use without even thinking about it. Well yesterday I literally thought that I could write a book on all the stunts that the insurance company pull on members of the public on a daily basis. I was in my office when one of the claims handlers called in to me and explained to me a situation that he had seen whilst out on a claim in Lucan. The call came in to the office in the normal fashion, details were taken that repairs were needed due to a leak from a bathroom and appointments were set up. When our man went out on site the owner of the property who is a landlord advised him of the situation to date. He had previously logged a claim with his insurance company himself, not knowing better he said that he would deal with both the claim himself. The loss adjuster from the insurance company called to his property, told him that the damage caused to his ceiling was as a result of leaking bath seals which is not covered under the insurance policy. (And yes the loss adjuster is right to decline the claim on this basis) The landlord, trusting this man as a professional of the insurance industry to be honest and of reputable character to be correct in his assessment of the situation, took this as fact and then proceeded with the works himself at his own [...]

You may have heard in the last few days that Dublin City Council have put into effect the new fire brigade call-out charge. The problem here is that people may delay in calling the fire brigade in the event of a fire and there could be serious loss to both life and property due to this The charge is €500 for the first hour the fire brigade spend with domestic fires, including false alarms and chimney fires. So, no matter how big or small the fire is or how serious it may be, this charge applies. It is generally well known that Fire Brigade charges are covered within the standard home insurance policy, and I seen an interview on the news from an industry representative advising that yes it will be covered. I think if this message were being put in writing it would come with ** after the sentence noting that terms and conditions apply. There is a policy excess applicable to all insurance policies which at the minute is running at an average of €500. This means that if you do have a call from a fire brigade and you do get a bill for €500 when you make the claim to the insurance company this cost will be equal to the policy excess which means that you will still end up having to pay this anyways. For a change I think its the government in the wrong here and not the insurance companies. Joe Doyle

Being the premier insurance based property repair and loss assessment company in Ireland, we at insuranceworks.ie are often faced with many questions from clients and policy holders so they can get to know us better. So, this is a quick blogpost that covers most of these questions. We hope that it will be a lot of help to you when you need it most. Primarily based in Dublin, the company was formed after it was established that there was no convenient and efficient way for the average property insurance policy holder to deal with the insurance provider, the builder and also have the claim processed immediately. We are currently developing offices in Cork and Waterford. What other services does insuranceworks.ie provide? Insuranceworks.ie offer a complete property repair, claim handling and assessment service. This is broken into three separate areas: -property repairs and maintenance which is having your property repaired by a professional fully qualified team of tradesmen. -loss assessment, whereby an individual qualified assessor talks directly to your insurance provider and negotiates the best possible settlement for your claim. -claim handling service, whereby our property repair department provides detailed quotations and reports on your proposed work and repairs to furnish to your insurance company and also where we have our customer care team to keep you informed of your claims progress, who are also on standby should you have any queries. Are insuranceworks.ie associated with or working for any insurance companies? No. insuranceworks.ie are only employable by the policy holder and not the insurance companies. We only represent the policy holder, therefore only act in your best interests. Is my damage too small to claim? No. You can claim for [...]

There are a number of tactics that insurance companies may use when you contact them and make your claim. One of the most popular is to tell you over the phone that you are not covered, however it can be extremely difficult to determine if cover is in place or not before they review your policy in detail and see the exact cause of the damage. If you accept this as truth, you may never know for sure if you were supposed to be covered Another tactic that they employ is to tell you that if you do not accept a settlement proposal that has been offered they will send out their own builder to do the work at that figure. However, more often than not, the amount they offer is much lower than the realistic cost of repairs. This can almost be seen as a threat that insurance companies can hold over people’s heads, hoping that the homeowner will just accept the initial quote to avoid hassle and further debate. Recently, we had a situation in Tallaght where the insurance company offered a very low amount, an amount that would in no way cover the cost of the repairs builder. After taking our advice, when the homeowner refused to accept this amount, the company then threatened to send in their builder- which we encouraged. As it turned out, the builder priced the cost of the damage correctly and fairly and it resulted in being twice the amount in comparison to what the insurance company was initially offering.  As in any walk of life, if you allow yourself to be pushed around, you will be. That’s why it is so [...]

Hello and welcome back after a busy and eventful holiday season. Firstly, we’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, all the best for 2012 and we hope you had a lovely Christmas with family and friends. As we are well aware, many people may have left their homes during the festive season only to return to damages that were beyond their control. Burst pipes can be a common problem, an absolute pain and that’s why it’s always important to do something about them straight away. No heating or running water is surely something you don’t want to be faced with for too long at the beginning of 2012. A burst pipe is always considered to be water emergency with the capability to cause serious damage to your home’s structure and electrical wiring. So here’s our handy little guide to D.I.Y. steps you should take if this happens to your property. You can do these things while you wait for professional help. 1. To start, it’s important to turn off the water supply and then drain the system by turning on all cold taps. 2. Likewise, you should turn off any water heating systems, central heating, immersion heater etc…Once this is done, drain the system by letting the hot water taps run. 3. Always be careful when entering rooms that appear to have a large amount of water in the ceiling the extent of the water damage may not be fully visible and you may not know how long it has been left unseen, Catch any dripping water and leaks in buckets to prevent further damage to the floors below. 4. It’s so important to call in the professionals [...]

When it comes to a boundary or a party wall in between two residential properties, many people can get confused about their legal rights. This confusion can only be heightened when damage and insurance claims are involved. Our aim with this post is to make things clear for you so any work to your boundary can be done in a quick and effective way, leaving minimum impact on you and your neighbours lives. The bad weather we were faced with in October of this year, saw a lot of storm damage to peoples’ boundary walls, party walls and other types of property. First things first, it is absolutely essential for anyone who needs property repair to call on professionals and get the area looked at by a regulated loss assessor. Secondly, it is so important that neighbours agree to work together on the issue for the best possible outcome. We know that in a perfect world, we would all get on well with our neighbours; have them over for Sunday lunch and let our children play together. However, in truth, this is not always the case and disputing neighbours can put a strain on day to day lives as well as on legal and insurance issues. There can be a lot of myths surrounding whose insurance company should cover the damage. Many may think that it depends on where on the legal boundary line the wall lies; therefore is may be the sole responsibility of one person. In Ireland, however, laws surrounding boundary and party walls differ greatly from those in the UK or other countries. The way it works is that each party is partly responsible for their boundary [...]

At some time or another, leaking roofs play a part in our lives and there’s no question that they can be an absolute pain while causing a lot of damage. Excessive amounts of water damage can cause floors to buckle, constant wet walls and a musty, damp smell that is impossible to hide in the house. It’s always important to have a loss assessor call to your property, look at the damage and fix it temporarily while the property claim is dealt with. There are a few cases in which your insurance company may refuse to cover the damage. Leaks due to wear and tear or lack of maintenence are usually not covered. However if it is the first time that you have been faced with the problem and the roof is essentially in good condition there should be absolutely no reason why it should not be able to make claims and get the help with an insurance claim you need. Much of the damage to roofs in this country is caused by bad weather- heavy rain, strong winds etc… In these cases, your insurance company should and in most cases will cover the cost. Insuranceworks.ie deal with leaky roof claims regularly and our team is here to help you with your insurance claim. Our highly qualified professionals will temporarily repair your property, look at the damage and contact your insurance company for you, meaning that you do not need to speak with anybody else, once your insurance company have confirmed cover is in place you can then have your roof fully fixed. Don’t hesitate to call us 1890 25 25 42 to talk further about having an experienced and [...]