A weekend away at Christmas in a sleepy little seaside town
It’s Christmas Eve so after checking the forecast we decided to go out for an early morning Christmas fish. We checked the lines, bought the bait, put the cookies out for Santa and the boat on my car in front of the house ready to go bright and early. Up by 5 am we jumped in the car (in the dark) and set out for a morning’s fish and dive. When we arrived back later that morning, the bright blue day allowed us to see the full glory of the present Santa had left me. Over night a person had spent a great deal of time standing beside my car with a sharp object drawing circles all over it. Above the doors, on the doors, on the boot and all over the bonnet of the car there were deep round scratches. I was fuming but moved on and enjoyed the rest of our holiday incident free.
What Happened Next…
Back home I had a panel beater have a go at buffing the scratches out but there was no chance so he suggested this would be an insurance claim. The next morning while I was in my car driving to Auckland I called my adviser Rob and told him my problem. Before I was off the phone he had emailed me a claim form, I then had my office print the form, fill it in and send it back to Rob who had already called the insurer and started the ball rolling. Happy the process was started I didn’t expect to hear back for a few days and must admit I expected to have to fill in more forms.
The Good News
However I walked out of my last meeting to see an email from my office saying “Good news on your claim”. When I talk to people about the benefits in having an adviser look after them it is not always easy to convey all the benefits in a way you can really appreciate. However the experience I had made me think, out of all the benefits in having an adviser, it is claim time which really sets them apart. Premiums are important but receiving genuine help at your most stressful time is absolute gold
So what did I learn last Christmas?
Don’t leave your car in front of the house no matter how small and sleepy you think the town is. And always have an adviser look after you. p.s. The fishing was epic which made it a real kiwi Christmas lunch.