Protect Your Property This Winter & Opening Hours

Last year was one of the coldest winters it's been in the last 30 years and the industry saw over 60,000 household claims made with £194 million paid out in claims. Already November this year has been one of the coldest on record with plenty of snow hitting the UK, it's nice to start with but certain areas the weather has caused havoc, (in sunny Bude we've hardly had a single shower), and it's not looking to improve any time soon. Winter weather can seriously damage your home and here are some tips to help protect your home before it's too late:

1. Check all your pipes and tanks are fully lagged, one of the main winter claims is burst pipes from unlagged pipes.
2. Is your loft insulated? If it is, great, but make sure it's the recommended dimensions and also in good condition. If not, buy some insulation now, it's cheaper to buy than you think, it'll save you money by reducing your heating bills and will reduce the possibility of burst pipes.
3. Check that your heating is in good working order, if you have an open fire, should that chimney be swept.
Repair any loose or fallen of slates to reduce the risk of them falling off causing damage and stopping the elements from getting in, also clear those gutters to avoid water overflow.
4. Check doors, windows and fascias are in condition and will not allow rain to penetrate.

If you are going to be away over the winter or you have a holiday home which may be unoccupied at times read these tips:
1. If you are going away even for a night we recommend the heating is kept on at all times, don't just have the heating coming on say twice a day for a couple of hours. You could possibly also open up the loft door to allow the warm air to circulate to your pipes.
2. If you want to turn the heating off, then drain the central heating system and switch off the water supply at the mains.
3. Get a friend or family member to check the property daily. If there are any problems they can be dealt with quickly.
4. If you have a holiday home then you will probably find their are conditions in your policy which insist on tip 1 or tip 2 being undertaken through the winter.


Christmas Opening.
We will be open over the Christmas period, times and dates are below. If you cant get hold of us and you need to make a claim, for motor claims please contact Kindertons on 08456 766261 who manage all out motor claims. For all other claims on property, travel, liability we would recommend you digging out your policy booklet which will have the necessary phone numbers in them.

Friday 24th Dec 9-12.
Saturday 25th Dec Closed
Sunday 26th Dec Closed
Monday 27th Dec Closed
Tuesday 28th Dec Closed
Wednesday 29th Dec 9-12
Thursday 30th Dec 9-12
Friday 31st Dec 9-12
Saturday 1st Jan Closed
Sunday 2nd Jan Closed
Monday 3rd Jan Closed
Tuesday 4th Jan Back to normal 9-5


Hope the above tips help you this winter, thanks to all our customers, we will continue to service you the best we can again nexty year, have a great Christmas and New year, see you all soon.

Quinn Direct Insurance In Administration

The insurance company Quinn Direct were placed in to administration from 31st March 2010 and were forced to stop writing any new business in the UK. Quinn Direct, an Irish insurer who entered the UK market just a few years ago, have been growing substancially through their cut throat rating in the young driver car insurance market and public and contractors liability arena.

Ever since they arrived they have been shrouded in controversy, at the end of 2008 the company were fined nearly £3 million, and company director Sean Quinn himself was fined 200,000 euros for making unauthorised loans.

GJT Hodgson Insurance Services, business development officer Gary Hodgson commented, "We have seen this coming for a long time. In the motor market they have been charging out unsustainable low premiums and in the liability market they have been undercutting their rivals without any real underwriting involved. It was only a matter of time before they had to start to pay out for large injury claims and it looks like now they don't have the financial backing to cope with it. We have never used Quinn Direct at Hodgson Insurance mainly because of the concerns we had about the way they dealt with things and we regularly advised customers against using them, but when customers are being told Quinn Direct can offer you a policy half the price of yours they cant not take it up. Unfortunately those customers have now got to hope the company don't go bust or they will lose all the money they have put with them and claims may not be fully settled."

From today, the regulators have told Quinn Direct that they may start providing car insurance cover for provisional licence holders, but our advice to you would be to steer well clear, no matter how cheap they look, you usually get what you pay for. Use a respectable insurance company or you may find yourself in financial problems !!!!!

Escape Of Water Campaign

With winter now well and truly here, we are reminding customers about the importance of taking simple measures in helping stop the escape of water through freezing pipes and joints, leaks and internal flooding. Sudden freezes can and do cause havoc with thousands of homes and businesses, causing millions of pounds of damage and untold disruption and destruction to customers.

We should know, in the last 6 months we had an escape of water claim in our office. A washing machine leaked from a flat above, although maybe not a lot of water from a single wash, it caused nearly £5,000 worth of damage to electrical equipment, computers and general contents. It took weeks to get the office running back smoothly again and this was a fairly minor incident compared to some.

While we cant control the weather, we can help ourselves by reducing the risk in the first place. We have teamed up with one of our partner insurers Fortis to bring some handy hints and tips in how to avoid an Escape Of Water disaster striking you.

Escape of water insurance claims costs are spiralling and ultimately it will be customer who will pay the premium in increased premiums. In 2008 3 out of 10 claims were for Escape of water incidents and claims costs have doubled from £46 million in 2006 to £93 last year, so it's a growing concern.

To help you, just click here which takes you to the Fortis Insurance website and download your FREE toolkit, and make sure you are not one of those above stats. There is one which is aimed at private homeowners and one which is for business owners.

Good luck with it and have a great Christmas and Happy New Year !!!

Christmas Opening Hours & Merry Christmas Everyone !!!

We would like to wish all our customers a Happy Christmas and hope you all have a great new year, don't drink too much. We will be open over Christmas, below are our opening hours:

Opening Hours Over Christmas

Tue 23rd. 9 - 5
Wed 24th. 9 - 12
Christmas Day. Closed
Boxing Day. Closed
Sat 27th. 9 - 12
Sun 28th. Closed
Mon 29th. 9 - 12
Tues 30th. 9 - 12
Wed 31st. 9 - 12
New Years Day. Closed
Fri 2nd. 9 - 5

Merry Christmas !!!

Small Business Owners Warned About Reducing Cover To Save Costs

Insurance companies have been sending out messages warning small business owners about reducing cover on their insurance policies.
With the credit crunch affecting the majority of businesses in the UK, everyone is obviously looking to save money where they can, but reducing cover on their insurance could have a reverse effect. It's easy to remove cover on a shop for perhaps stock, or reduce the sums insured on your buildings or contents, but in the event of perhaps a fire or flood you could be even more out of pocket, not being reimbursed for your loss or if underinsured possibly not being paid enough to get your business back where it was before the claim and putting your business at more risk of going under.
Our recommendation.... Speak to a professional insurance broker who will be able to give you advice on what you should insure and for what amount and only remove the covers which are unnecessary for your business. They should then be able to search the market and find you the right product, and at the right price!!

New Online Quotes Available For Classic Car Insurance & Pleasure Boat Insurance

Two new additions have been added to the GJT Hodgson Insurance Services online product range.

The first is for Classic Car Insurance and we have teamed up with Lancaster Insurance to provide owners of older and classic vehicles with a specialist policy which can cover vehicles on an agreed basis. Lancaster will quote for all types of vehicles including cars, classic vans, classic motorcaravans like VW Campers, American classic cars, classic 4X4s amongst others. Checking over 20 specialist companys, discounts are also available for limited mileage, Classic Car Club member discounts, garaging discounts, no claims and limited drivers discounts. Breakdown cover and legal expenses cover is also available. Best of all you can get an instant quotation online in minutes and if acceptable cover can be given there and then . Just log on to Classic Car Insurance for your instant quotation.

The second offering is for owners of pleasure boats. Again this is an instant online quotation system for customers to get instant quotes on. Through the UK's number 1 motor boat and yacht insurer, Navigators and General (Zurich Insurance), competitive quotes can be given in minutes for craft including dinghies, general small boats, narrow boats, inland craft, cruisers, powerboats and others up to a value of £10,000,000.

Do you have to have boat insurance ???... Yes and No, Evidence of third party insurance is compulsory at most marinas, harbours and in recognised mooring areas. To obtain an inland waterways licence, you need to produce proof of third party insurance, most lakes and reservoirs require the same.

Again check the site out for a quotation at boat insurance and get that competitive quotation now.

Short Term Car Insurance

People looking for quick cover to insure themslves on a car temporarily then look no further. Via GJT Hodgson Insurance Services we can offer you cover for up to 28 days on any type of private car or small van from our partner Temporary Cover Limited. Maybe you want to insure yourself on a friends vehicles for a few days or maybe you have a relation staying and you want them to borrow your vehicle. Whatever the reason you can get an instant online quotation and take up instant cover if the price is acceptable and the take up is high with it's competitive pricing. You do need to be over 21 to take out this cover through and you can pay online through a secure payment facility.
Just log on to our site here 'Short Term Car Insurance Here' and get an instant quote now.

New Insurance Scheme For Guest House Owners

GJT Hodgson Insurance Services have just set up a new guest house insurance scheme. A new website has been created for customers to send their quotations through, and already is very popular with extremely competitive prices being provided. We have a panel of top insurance companies including Norwich Union, Royal & Sun Alliance, Axa, Primary, NIG & Fortis to provide the best policies on the market for the guest house owner. Cover can include buildings ,contents (business & personal), stock, guests effects and of course public liability cover.
View the new website now at www.guesthouseinsurance.co.uk

Childcare Insurance Specialists Receive Top Award

Top Award for Morton Michel

Childcare insurance specialist, Morton Michel has received a top award, Schemes Intermediary of the Year, in this year’s UK Broker awards, which are run by Insurance Age. Morton Michel has been specialising in insurance for childcare professionals for more than 40 years and is now the established leader in this field. Its insurance schemes are underwritten by Sterling Insurance Company and support virtually all areas of professional childcare.

Over 500 people attended the UK Broker awards ceremony, which took place in The Brewery in the City of London. Morton Michel was presented with the award by Irish comedian, Ed Byrne, who said, “Schemes Intermediary of the Year is always a popular category in these awards with a large number of superior entries. The winner was extolled as a real gem by the judges and it has dominated an important sector of the market – childcare insurance.”

Morton Michel partner, Samantha Beere, received the award with her two partners, Nick Beere and Jerry Beere. “We are just thrilled to receive this award,” said Samantha, “it is wonderful to have this recognition from our peers for all the hard work that we have put in over the years.”

For the category Schemes Intermediary of the Year, the judges were looking for a company that could demonstrate a commitment to meeting customer needs and to delivering a high quality of service across all its activities. This had to be coupled with a proven track record of successful and innovative expansion into new or existing markets.

Insurance Age received over a hundred entries for its awards with a particularly high number of entries for the Scheme Intermediary of the Year. “This is one of the most hard fought of all the categories,” said editor of Insurance Age, Michelle Worvell. “Furthermore, the quality of the entrants was exceptionally high this year and there were some real top players competing for this particular award.”

Morton Michel are the preferred insurance company used by GJT Hodgson Insurance Services. As you can see they are the No1 in the childcare insurance sector. We can provide insurance through them for all child care sectors including:
Day Nurseries, Social, Voluntary, Educational and Charity Groups, Residential Children’s Homes, Children’s Activity Areas, Crèches, Childminders, Pre Schools, Out of School Clubs and Children’s Sports Clubs. If you are looking for insurance then please contact our office on 01288 353999 or visit our website at www.hodgsoninsurance.co.uk

Car Breakdown Cover From Just £ 25.20 A Year

We can offer you car breakdown cover in the UK from JUST £ 25.20 A YEAR. Our policies are the most competitively priced policies in the UK, and we offer 6 different levels of breakdown cover, so you can choose the right cover for your needs.
The prices are based on one specified vehicle and covers anyone who may drive that vehicle. Cover is available for cars, motorcycles, motorised caravans, light vans, estate cars, and 4x4 sport utility vehicles. All vehicles must not exceed a gross vehicle weight of 3,500kg, a length of 7m, a height of 3m and a width of 2.25m.
The breakdown service is provided by Europ Assistance. They have over 5,000 trained mechanics throughout the UK to respond to your breakdown and they currently have an average call out time of just 35- 40 minutes, which is quicker than a lot of their competitors.

Why choose Europ Assistance?, Who are they?They are the worlds most widely used breakdown emergency assistance company, protecting over 109 million people worldwide, that's a lot. In the UK, Europ Assistance work with a network of over 5,000 trained mechanics, to provide national coverage and rapid response times. Their team of expert co-ordinators work around 24/7, 365 days a year to make sure all emergencies are quickly and safely dealt with, allowing you to continue your journey with as little disruption as possible.

To see the up yo date prices just click here and go to our breakdown cover page

Allianz Cornhill To Offer Recycled Parts In Repairs

Allianz Cornhill has launched a three month pilot project to test the use of recycled parts in repairing vehicles. From 1 October 2006 policyholders from the public and commercial sectors, who own vehicles of five years and older, will be invited to consider the use of recycled parts to repair their vehicles. The insurer said that as well as reducing the environmental impact of repairing vehicles, it would look at whether the scheme helps to reduce claim costs. Allianz Cornhill said 'The use of recycled parts will be entirely voluntary. Policyholders will have a 24-hour cooling-off period during which time they can change their minds and decide for or against using recycled parts.' The parts will be distributed by vehicle salvager Car Transplants to the ten Allianz Cornhill approved repairers from across the country that are taking part in the pilot.

Many companies have been trying this recently without much success and we cant see it working for the long term. We feel if customers want their vehicle repaired they will want them repaired with the same spec parts they had on their vehicle before. If insurance companies want to make a go of it they must covince the public the parts are just as good as originals, 'recycled parts' just don't seem quite that safe!!

Holiday Home Insurance

More and more people are buying holiday homes throughout the UK for holiday letting or using it themselves or thrir friends to just get away from it all. If you have a Holiday Home then you must have specialsed insurance for it. A standard house insurance policy will not cover it if's not your main residence and are unoccupied for long periods of time. If you are looking to insure it then contact us now for a competitive quotation. We have been insuring holiday homes for over 25 years and search a panel of the top UK insurance companies including Axa Insurance and Towergate Insurance amongst others.

Call us today on 01288 353999 for a quote or visit our website and complete a quotation form. Click Here

Motor Cycle Insurance For People Over 50

Many insurance companies now are looking very carefully at how they rate premiums for motorcycles for people over the age of 50 who have not ridden a biike for years. The reason basically is that vthe statistics have shown an alarming rise in older bikers killed in road accidents. This is mainly because these bikers now have more money to buy bigger bikes than they did when they were 16 but the power and performance of the bikes is far higher than the equivalent bikes were back then. Plus there is a lot more traffic and faster roads. If a dog runs out in front of a car at 80mph you kill the dog. If a dog runs out in front of a bike at 80 mph the biker is killed or at the least usually injured

I have just started biking again after 30 plus years and I drive very warily and defensively and would advise all older "born again bikers" to stand back and acceot that the bikes are now different and you wiill enjoy safe biking for many years

Be safe

If you are looking to insure your motorcycle we can arrange instant online quotations and instant cover with prices the most competitive in the UK. Please visit our site. Click Here For Quote

Graham Hodgson
Company Director

New Safeguards For The Public

New safeguards for the public came into force from January 2005. Anyone trading in insurance in the UK will have to be registered with the FSA (Financial Services Authority) which means that they have got to stick to very strict guidelines or they will not be able to trade. The public can feel rest assured that their money should be safe with a FSA registered broker as well as getting the best possible advice.

GJT Hodgson Insurance Services are pleased to confirm that they are FSA registered so you can be assured you are dealing with a compliant and professional insurance broker