Archive for December, 2012

Lesson learned from Sandy Hook Elementary: ‘Harden’ soft targets

Insurance companies have vast security knowledgeI know an insurance executive who likes to inspect the schools that his company insures. He has children of his own, and says that one day he would like to teach.

While inspecting an elementary school he stopped at the emergency exit when he noticed that the panic bar was too high for small children to reach. Then he pushed on the bar. It took all of his strength to open the door.

“Fix it, or we won’t insure you!” he told the school superintendent.

In the aftermath of the terrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where 26 children and school personnel died at the hands of a deranged young man, the time has come to stop feeling powerless and do something.

Insurance companies aren’t new to this

And insurance companies are equipped to do just that. Many are in the business of insuring schools, because every school has to have insurance coverage for the inevitable lawsuits from an accident or tragedy related to school activities. (continue reading…)


Even insurance experts make misteaks

Pay your insurance bills on time and click on the send button!Donald Light is one of the smartest — and busiest — people I know. But even this longtime Celent Research Services insurance consultant makes mistakes. Light was so busy minding other people’s insurance needs this year that he didn’t keep track of his own.

His story came to light when he admitted in an online mea culpa, titled “Why Billing Matters,” that his homeowners insurance policy had been cancelled. So for all of us who’ve lived through the nightmare of cancelled insurance policies, here’s the unmistakable message: Insurance companies don’t care.

Slip and fall

Here’s how it happened. Light’s homeowners policy ends each year on Oct. 8. When Light got the bill in August from his insurer, he thought he had paid it online. But when he returned home from a trip on Oct. 21, Light found out that his insurance policy had been cancelled as of Oct. 8 due to “non-payment.” (continue reading…)


Don’t despair, get an OEM repair!

OEM vs. non-OEM repair partsAbout two years ago I was driving my new Honda Fit in the center lane across Florida’s Alligator Alley. In the right hand lane ahead of me was a pickup truck hauling a car engine strapped to the back of an old wooden trailer. A metal piece from that engine, which could have been a valve cover, bounced up and out, careened off the blacktop and smashed into my windshield as if an Olympic athlete had thrown a javelin.

The windshield held, but began to crack. Then a small hole appeared that let the wind whistle through. When I reached my destination I called my insurance company, which recommended several repair shops that could replace my windshield. Funny thing: No Honda dealership was mentioned.

“Shouldn’t I just go to Honda?” I asked. (continue reading…)


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