In early September, Helfgott – an accomplished runner and a minimum 12,000 a day steps person – was diagnosed with bladder cancer. For a while, he had noticed blood in his urine, but all the doctors he saw reassured him that there was nothing untoward.
Sadly, a scan proved otherwise, resulting in an operation to remove the tumour. He is now on a five-year treatment programme, which (touch wood) will ensure the cancer does not return.
Like all good financial planners, Helfgott is a big believer in the products he recommends to clients, and practices what he preaches. As a result, he has a critical illness policy just in case something like bladder cancer came along to disrupt his life. It did.
The policy is with Zurich and he took it out when he worked for Allied Dunbar. Allied Crowbar, as it was known in its prime, was bought from BAT Industries by Zurich.
Helfgott says empathy is all well and good, but it counts for nothing if claims aren’t processed in a timely fashion.
In his case, he was initially told his claim, made in September, would be looked at within 35 working days (seven weeks). Then, he was informed that it would take around 38 working days (nearly eight weeks) from October 12 to review "new information" sent from the hospital where he had the cancer removed.
"Unfortunately, due to an unprecedented high volume of claims, we’re taking longer to review new information as quickly as we’d like," Zurich told Helfgott. It added: "We do realise that this is a very stressful time for you and your family – and we’re very sorry for this delay."
It means that Helfgott will be lucky to get his claim met in time for Christmas.
"Protection insurance is meant to give you a financial comfort blanket at a time of great stress," Helfgott told me a few days ago. "Mine hasn’t arrived yet. I appreciate empathy, but I would rather have my claim dealt with efficiently and in a prompt manner."
It’s a view shared by Alan Lakey of CI Expert. He says: "If an insurer can’t get its claims handling right at a time of great anxiety for the customer, it has failed them."
Too right. Efficiency over empathy. Zurich, buck your ideas up (I feel better for saying that).
JCP, over and out.
Jeff Prestridge is group wealth & personal finance editor of DMGT
