With Insurance Advisernet being represented in nearly every edge of Australia, we recently got the chance to speak with Jeremy and Nikki Thornton, who are a part of Complete Risk Solutions Pty Ltd. Based in Taree NSW, but with additional offices in Dungong & Armidale, the pair are proud to be integrated within these regional communities. Both are passionate about insurance having been in the industry for 27 combined years, but also media, with the pair being involved in various roles in Commercial Radio, Sports Broadcasting and Voice Overs in several events and corporations. Most notable being the Information Voice of the Sydney NYE Fireworks! 

What is your best insurance advice for your clients?

The best insurance advice would be to not to presume a cheaper premium is better for you. Too often we hear "XYZ" are cheaper and the cover is the same. Most times, that’s simply not true and often not the case as the clauses and conditions of each policy are very different and can have a massive bearing on your outcome when you need it most.

What do you think is key to a good insurance practice?

Having a sound knowledge of the technical aspects of Insurance is definitely key to good insurance practice. I think the best Advisers have worked for an Insurer and vice versa (not that I’m biased or anything!) Being able to negotiate for our clients whilst understanding what Insurers are looking for helps us sell a client’s story and guide the process with greater clarity come claim time.

What is something you wish people knew about making a claim?

Their rights under the Dispute Resolution Process. It’s one of the key benefits of using Advisers. We ensure if a claim isn’t going the way you want, we know the avenues of dispute. If going via a direct insurer, this is often overlooked by consumers and that’s something that we won’t let happen. 

Would you like to share a memorable claims experience?

There's been plenty! Every single claim from the Dungog Super Storm of April 2015 is etched in my mind. While many people with direct insurance policies struggled to get results, we pushed on for our clients and had every single client receive a payout. 

More recently, we helped guide someone on a dispute over a declined travel claim with a direct provider. We walked them through the internal and external dispute process after multiple knock backs and after 18 months they won their case! They weren’t a paying client, but the satisfaction of helping someone through the process to gain a positive outcome in such trying circumstances was well worth it.

What do you think needs to change in the industry?

The fixation on advertising purely based on cheapest man wins. For us, it seems Insurers think they need to have a quirky or funny angle to cut through instead of selling the benefits to the community. 

It’s also time to seriously overhaul taxes on Insurance. We need to find a smarter way to do this because taxes form one of the key reasons as to why people choose not to Insure, particularly in NSW. If more people took out cover, then it would clean up major underinsurance and cost related issues. It’s something which has been talked about too long and we need action.