How to compare our policies with others

We are fully confident that we have the best to offer from the UK market at the present time, both in terms of insurance cover, service and price. The critical question is, how do you, our potential next client, satisfy yourself that this is the case?

Someone who had been a client for nearly ten years decided to move their insurance to a competitor because it was cheaper. "Have you checked that it is like for like cover?" they were asked. "Does the policy include earthquake cover?" "Yes, yes," they replied and off they went. A fortnight later they were back on the phone, asking to reinstate the cover they had had for nearly ten years. Why? Because on receiving the policy it was quite clear that earthquake was definitely not included, despite all the assurance the other company had given on the telephone.

A verbal or written offer of insurance cover is usually far from complete. In order to understand exactly what you are buying from one insurer as opposed to another, the ultimate evidence is to be found in the policy wording.

How can you actually know what the policy wording is until you become a client? The answer is you cannot and in this interim time (ie the time between your selection of an insurer and the issue of the policy document, a period which can often be quite long due to inefficiencies in the insurer's systems, and a period during which you are required to pay the insurance premium) you are relying on information which has been given to you by someone on the telephone whom you will probably never meet, or increasingly these days, information you have discovered from the internet - just as you are doing now, in fact!

Some insurers will give a policy summary, sometimes also called the Key Facts. If you are dealing with a website, you will often find a questions and answers section which is intended to help you evaluate the features of the policies on offer.

Unfortunately, neither of the above provides the ultimate solution. Every policy has a standard policy wording and it is only a specimen of this that you will find on internet sites. Each policy, when issued, is individual, because each person's situation is unique. Insurers reserve the right to make any amendments they see fit and these amendments become incorporated into what is known technically as the insurance policy schedule. It is only when you receive this document, your policy schedule, that you really know what your cover includes. But you will only receive your policy schedule once you have paid a premium to become someone's client. We therefore encourage you to ask us any questions you wish in order to compare our policies with those of our competitors. We believe italianhomeinsurance.co.uk have the best policies available for Italian properties and we want you to be reassured of that at all times.

© Robertson-McIsaac 2006

Italianhomeinsurance is a trading style of Robertson-McIsaac Insurance Brokers Ltd who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority