Even in the most serious of human activities, there is a place for something “frivolous”. And insurers in their work and are constantly faced with the oddities and ridiculous queries of “star” customers, and incredible coincidences. This is one of the few professions that gives you the opportunity to fully get acquainted with the oddities of human behavior.
There is even an anecdote: the client is incredulous considering insurance policy: “If my house burns down, you will pay me this amount?”. Insurance agent: “Yes, provided that you do not set fire to it themselves.” Customer: “I felt it! There is still a catch!”
“I can say that the humor of insurers is similar to humor the doctors. The essence of our work in resolving unforeseen, emergency and crisis situations. This is a serious psychological burden. Humor for us — defense mechanism,” says Board Chairman ERV Ukraine Miroslav Boykin. As they say, “to die is most advantageous to our insurance policy!”. So, armed with a wish from the Deputy Chairman of the British auto club of ASI Trubetskoy — “to all the disappointments in your life was within the limits of the franchise”, — go to get acquainted with funny cases of insurance business.
OVERPROTECTION FOR THE BUTT AND LEGS, OR HOW NOT TO FORGET THE TALENT
The news how the next star of show business or sport insure some part of his body, always arouses interest of the layman, although most understand that this is just another link in the PR campaign of the star. While walking through the media is not always reliable and clear. For example, loin of Jennifer Lopez is insured for $300 million, as the most “noisy” version of the events, or “only” $27 million, as indicated in other sources? Mariah Carey has insured her legs at an incredible $1 billion or cost “much more modest $70 million” — and coupled with the voice? Insurance policies close-up no the public is not showing, so I have to believe the news word for it.
Insurance show star or athlete is investment protection.
WE HAVE. Patriotic stars in your insurance scope to a global level is not yet reach. Of the most sensational cases it is possible to remember the voice of Taisiya Povaliy on 1 million UAH, insurance protection for voice and knees Svetlana Loboda 3 million UAH and the policy of $0.5 million for the feet Natalia Mogilev. But it seems that the palm belongs to the Opera singer Yuri Godo: he reportedly insured his voice for 1 million euros.
“The unusual insurance a lot of media attention to make a joke. But insurance is no joke. This tool minimize the risk of losing large investments”, — said the representative of the insurance company PZU Ukraine Oleksandr Melnychuk. Although truly pragmatic insurance is complete without fantastic amounts and hype in the media — all modest and ordinary, kind of apartment insurance. So, according to Alexander Melnichuk, there are insurance programs for several Ukrainian singers: they were designed just for the treatment of diseases of the throat.
CONCERTS. Closer to the practical needs seem to be insurance of professional activity as such. “In 2005, insurance company ASKA acted as the General insurer of the only concert of the great Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti in Ukraine. This insurance contract includes not only the history of the company, but generally in the history of the Ukrainian insurance market, because at that time he had no analog/examples” — says the Deputy General Director for claims settlement and service of the insurance company ASKA Andrew Ermochenko.
OUR “SMALLER BROTHERS”, OR “BRUTAL” CASES
Animals often become co-authors of insurance claims.
“For example, recently: a man in new York was bitten on the finger protein, — recalls the Director-General of the assistance company “KORIS Ukraine” Konstantin Shustorovich. — The cost for first aid and the introduction of tetanus toxoid was $1928. Often our tourists suffer from the bites of dogs, monkeys, and even donkeys. The usual cause is the desire to feed or Pat a cute animal, so it is not recommended to do that.”
Except for goodwill and love for our younger brothers, the Ukrainians abroad brings insatiable curiosity.
“The doctors of seaside resorts often joke that most of our tourists it hurt the index finger, — says Konstantin Shustorovich. — Another joke to which our operators are already used to when calling the representative of the clinic from Greece and says: “Your camper has committed murder!”. First, the staff wondered, and then knew that one of our insured again stepped on a sea urchin. By the way, to pull the needles of a hedgehog stuck in the body, still the procedure!”.
HOME. However, “brutally” to suffer not only over the oceans. “Many customers with a smile are “non-core” risk comprehensive insurance — such as “animal attack”. It would seem that some animals where to get them, why would they attack the car? But there are a variety of situations. For example, one horse in the Kyiv Hydropark frightened, escaped from the hands of his attendant and in a panic trampled front legs on the hood of a parked car. The horse was not injured. But expensive cars were luckily insured, and the repair made through an insurance company,” — says Asya Trubitskaya.
BRUTAL. Sometimes the animal takes over the human. “In the practice of the insurance company ASKA have been an accident — injury to person from a bite of another man, gives the example of Andrew Ermochenko. — The contract of the client, the insured event is recognized only bites the animal. But our company has decided, exceptionally, to make a payment to the affected customer. We decided: the man who bites so hard, can be likened to an animal”.
Curiosity: “Often injure the index finger”. Photo: ZumaTASS
CUSTOMERS IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE
Why not just invent our man to find himself in trouble! “Someone hurt the hand blender, someone received severe cuts when peeling potatoes (Thailand, $173 covered by the insurance company). In Germany the Ukrainian woman in the yard of garbage was burned, which was a can of deodorant — explosion, severe burns of the face and treatment at 320 euros” — lists Konstantin Shustorovich.
Miroslav Boykin shares his list of “achievements”: “one of our tourists in the Dominican Republic happened volvulus of the intestines — she had five in a row(!) servings of seafood. Tourists vacationing in Turkey, addressed a broken leg, and a few days later, already in a cast, went to the local disco, where he again sustained injuries, but due to fight. Another tourist got beaten in India for refusing to buy drugs from a local. In India signs of drug intoxication were hospitalized insured child is eighteen months. Twice in our settlement Department has received complaints for the same policy on broken hand of the child in Cyprus. Receiving a second, our staff even suggested duplication. But the child really broke the first one, and after seven days second hand.”
With a broken leg went to the disco and there received injuries in the fight.
The SCATTERBRAIN. “The most instructive error, when the client leaves documents, keys in his car and her in the meantime steal, — says Andrew Ermochenko. — It facilitates the task of the hijacker and the payment can not expect. Although there was a case when in Italy the client-the Ukrainian an expensive car drove up to my hotel and gave the keys to Valet, and he turned out to be the thief, disguised in the uniform of the hotel. We made a payment to the client, as for stealing”.
ALCOHOL. Most expensive to find trouble drunk — such cases are not insured. “One of the tourists in Turkey dropped out from a balcony of the third floor of the hotel, were injured. Medical documents indicated 3 ppm of alcohol in the blood, a stage of severe intoxication. Medical expenses totaled approximately $10 thousand,” — says Miroslav Boykin. “Sometimes clients try to hide the details. One of the tourists wrote, “Danced on the table. Was sober”, — says Alexander Melnychuk.
THE ROAD IS FULL OF SURPRISES
The roads are usually not joking, but sometimes accidents are hard to take seriously. “From the explanation of the victim: “Driving on the highway, crossed the road partridges, about twenty. Knocked out about seven, six of them did not cause visible damage to the car. But this one left a trail — knocked foglights”. Of course, a pity partridges, but the cases are different,” — says Konstantin Palazov, Director of Department of settlement of losses of the regional network of IC “Arsenal Insurance”.
Often people in stressful situations make illogical actions. So it was with one of the clients of the same company, which left the scene, got in an accident, and when he returned the car was gone in the place it was stolen: “I Went to the scene of the accident leaving the vehicle. I was scared to believe what happened (car is in mom), and I is the second time I get in a bad situation. Sat down on the bench and braced myself (I don’t remember how much time, approximately two hours). Came to the scene of an accident, and the machine on which I rode. The next day went to the police”.
Often ridiculous statements get and staff the call center. “Once she said that she had an accident involving two cars. After the operator has recorded the event, he asked her to expect the arrival of the emergency Commissioner, and received the answer: “let’s Just hurry up before me someone else did not drive.” And guess what — a few minutes later the same girl called back again, claiming the second event insurance! Still entered,” shared another story of Alexander Kostecki, Director of customer service and call center IC “Arsenal Insurance”.
Crash. Sometimes auto attack partridges and other animals
MISCELLANEOUS: RAIN AND GOLF
A good insurance agent certainly knows how to convince: “last year a man fell from the 27th floor, so he just drifted to the third, as the wife has already got insurance.” But often the creators of the unusual become customers themselves. “How are we to insure one of the Golf tournaments, that one of the participants will fall into the right hole with the first blow,” — says Alexander Melnychuk.
It turns out that anyone who will perform the super move, the organizers promised to give an expensive car!
“How to calculate insurance rate, given that it involved about two dozen professional athletes? Even our experts in Poland was not willing to help! I had to contact the underwriters in London, who had such insurance practice and statistics. But unusual for us, insurance is a financial risk, as with the usual investments”, — says Alexander Melnychuk. Another example of unusual insurance leads Miroslav Boykin — rain: such a contract may sign a tour operator that allows it to offer discounts in case of bad weather.
