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The role of a cargo surveyor


If a business has cargo insurance, at one time or another they are going to come into contact with a cargo surveyor – some will have regular interaction. Cargo surveyors are usually based in ports but as marine (cargo) insurance is applicable to the transport of goods by land, air and inland waterway, they are also in other locations – particularly airports.

A ship cargo surveyor carries out inspections of loads to cargo to address the needs of a wide group of people with a vested interest. This group includes marine insurers, government agencies, remote ship owners and ship captains. It is the responsibility of the cargo surveyor to inspect loads of cargo to identify any concerns about contents, safety, load handling and any restrictions. The surveyor has the right of access to the cargo areas on and off ship, the right to open cargo for inspection and can question anyone associated with handling the cargo.

When insurers provide cover there is always a set of assumptions within any policy that the insured party complies with. marine insurers are particularly interested in the compliance aspect, particularly regulatory compliance. It may be to the altruistic benefit of an insurance company to not to have to pay a claim based on non-compliance but there is also a duty of care and the engaging of a cargo surveyor is in the best interest of both the insurer and insured. The surveyor will check that all documentation is present and there is no illegality in operations or cargo. The surveyor will also check if there are restrictions on cargo types at the intended destination.

Cargo surveyors can also pick up on health and safety issues. A shipping company is bound by law to have employee liability insurance but naturally, if claims are made, the premiums increase. A cargo surveyor can identify potential risks and therefore reduce the incidence of employee accidents. They can check that cargo is correctly stowed, securely fastened, evenly distributed across the ship and that any hazardous materials have been handled correctly.

Upon completing the inspection, a cargo surveyor prepares a report which is made available to interested parties.

Boatquote is one of the UK’s leading marine insurers

Posted
February 29th, 2012

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Van Insurance: Get Back the Money Locked in your Damaged Car


The vehicles like vans which we put to use in our business and personal life are very much prone to accidents due to increasing number of vehicles on the road. Therefore it is very important that all goods or passengers in the van are also insured in addition to the van while it is on the road. This can be achieved through van insurance.

Van insurance provides two types of cover to the vehicle. The first one is collision cover. In this, the vehicle is covered against any damage that is incurred to the vehicle and the passengers traveling in the van caused due to a collision with another vehicles irrespective of who was at fault.

Van insurance also provides comprehensive coverage to the car owner. In case there is any natural disaster like fire, cyclones, earthquakes etc, the car owner will receive the amount equal to the loss incurred minus the deductible amount. Mishaps like thefts or loss are also included in comprehensive coverage of van insurance.

Van insurance can be obtained easily at low premiums. This can be done easily by increasing the deductible amount on the insurance policy. This would mean that a lesser redemption of money is made to the car owner in case of damage to his car and the amount of money deducted by the policy provider in each claim is more.

Van insurance policies can be easily obtained online as there are many agencies which provide van insurance at low premium rates. The policies offered can be compared by the car owner and thereby he can avail a cheaper policy. The car owner can search online for insurance policies. Since there is a lot of competition in the market, the car owner can benefit by availing the lowest premium policy but a wider coverage is the more important criteria to judge.

Van insurance makes the car owner secure about his car and he can now drive without any fear of loss of money.

Posted
February 24th, 2012

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Dental Insurance is a Ripoff


Insurance companies continue to earn massive record profits, there’s nothing wrong with that it’s the free enterprise system at work, but people are being misled and ripped off. All insurance is not bad, in fact you’d be crazy not to have many forms of insurance, but that certainly doesn’t apply to dental insurance.

Homeowners insurance is something I’d prefer not to pay for, we’ve had it for about 20 years and never filed a claim, but what if your house burns to the ground? Let’s just say that your house is worth $250,000 and your homeowners insurance is $2,500 a year. If you pay for 20 years and never have a claim you’d be out $50,000 but if your home is destroyed could you afford to rebuild without insurance?

Insurance is for the most part designed to prevent you from suffering a catastrophic loss, and in our example the $50,000 you spent over 20 years looks like a bargain when your insurance company builds your new home for nothing. But not all insurance is created equal!

Dental insurance is a colossal waste of money. If you have dental insurance, you’re probably paying from $600 to $1,000 a year depending on a variety of variables, how many people in your family, deduct etc. So let’s say that you don’t use it for just 3 years. With an annual premium of $800 you would have paid $2,400 during that time and just like homeowners insurance you never filed a claim, but in year 4 you need some major dental work to the tune of $4,000. What happens now?

You probably won’t see this on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams but this my friends is the fleecing of America. Over 4 years you would have paid $3,200 in dental insurance premiums and you may be expecting your insurance company to foot the bill, but you’d be wrong. Most dental insurance sold today has a maximum benefit of $1,000 or $1,500, so guess who’s going to have to pay $2,500 to $3,000 out of their own pocket?

That would be you the fleecee, sorry, the person who get’s ripped off. Dental insurance has almost no value whatsoever which is why many insurance agents refuse to sell it. Homeowners insurance has value, so does car insurance and if you can still afford so does health insurance. They protect you from a devastating financial loss, but dental insurance doesn’t do that at all.

A brief history lesson, and I promise it will be brief. Back in the 60’s and 70’s when dental insurance became commonplace most plans had a maximum benefit of $1,000 or $1,500 which is the same limit that most dental insurance policies have today. The problem is that the cost when you go to the dentist has almost tripled.

Your insurance company charges you a lot more for less, and they raised your deductible too! So why is it that so many still have dental insurance? That’s a good question. Perhaps it’s because people know that they need to take care of their teeth but they just don’t know what to do. Now that you know that dental insurance is a ripoff, you don’t have to be taken advantage of anymore.

Posted
February 24th, 2012

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What’s good about United Health Care Dental Insurance?


With so many choices out there for dental insurance it can be over whelming trying to pick one. United health care dental insurance is considered by many to be at the top.

With over 26 million customers they have one of the largest bases in the United States for dental coverage. Some would say that with that many customers their customer service must not be that good. The opposite is true. They have so many clients because they do have great customer service. They are considered as being the strongest and most committed health care company in the world, and so you can definitely feel assured and secured when you go with United Health Care dental insurance.

Here is What They Have

The United Health Care dental insurance offers an array of features and services, including a broad offering of consumer oriented health benefit plans and services and practical online tools for consumers and employees.

One reason I like them is their online site is so easy to navigate and find what you are looking for. In just a few clicks you can see what doctors in your area accept their insurance.

With United Health Care you are able to see claims activity for your whole family, check costs for a particular procedure, compare hospitals and physicians, order your prescriptions, get the latest health and wellness tools, and chat live with a nurse.

Of course there are many other companies that you can go through for dental insurance, but the United Health Care organization is without a doubt one of the best. Their programs and services are fantastic and definitely ones that you will consider worth checking out.

Dental insurance is not for everyone. Often times you may just be better of going with a dental plan rather than dental insurance. dental plans tend to be more affordable and cover very close to what dental insurance would. The down side is many dental plans do not have as wide a network as dental insurance would. If you already have a dentist be sure and check if your doctor is included in the dental plan.

Having the right insurance is very important, and it is essential that you have it before you actually need it, so that you are already prepared and will have nothing to worry about once the time comes when you actually do need the insurance. It is obviously even more important to be protected with insurance when you have a family, so that they are all covered as well. It can be hard to find good dental insurance, but know that there are some great options, such as the United Health Care organization, which has been discussed here.

Posted
February 20th, 2012

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Top Five 2005 Required Marketing Tips Needed To Succeed Updated


When marketing your practice, as well as designing your brochure, web site, business card, flier, advertisement, or other marketing efforts, we recommend investing the time and
effort needed to effectively address all these tips. Not one of them can be omitted.

Tip 1. MARKET FOR YOUR DESIRED PROSPECTS, NOT FOR YOURSELF

What looks good to you is not necessarily effective for your desired audience. This is the biggest mistake I see people make over and over again. They come up with an idea, they think it’s great, a few friends, family or nontarget market people give them the thumbs up and they run with the ball.

When it doesn’t work, they just can’t understand why.

Do market research and test your strategies on your target market. Big companies do lots of market research before launching a product or service. The little guys don’t have the resources to match this but that doesn’t mean you omit it. Even if you are an independent professional, you
need to do marketing research. And market research isn’t a one-time deal. It needs to be incorporated into your marketing system and it needs to be ongoing.

Tip 2. YOU MUST ANSWER THESE FOUR CRITICAL MARKETING QUESTIONS

Question 1: WHAT’S THIS ABOUT?

Is it immediately clear to the reader what is being offered? Any opaqueness, confusion, or question marks in their mind, even for a second, and they have moved on. Don’t be cute or clever. Make it simple and clear. Cute and clever has a reference point now with S*P*AM or hype. Don’t let them place you into that category.

Question 2: WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

The big benefits are very clear and directly stated… not implied; the reader doesn’t have to guess. The listener doesn’t have to guess. They come to you from all different stages of readiness and desire levels.

How do you handle each one when they arrive, makes what occurs afterwards critical? It isn’t what you perceive that they want, it is what they perceive they want. Stop guessing just because you are too lazy to do the legwork. Start asking and don’t ever stop.

Question 3: CAN I TRUST YOU?

How do I know you are safe and credible? Can I find out easily enough if I want to? Is your photo and contact info prominently displayed so I can build a relationship with you? Put your photo on every web page. It doesn’t matter if they are different pictures.

People don’t trust any more especially if all your contact information isn’t on your web site. Put your phone number and address on ever page. It says you are credible. Put them in every ezine, in fact, add them twice — beginning and end.

Create a safe place for them to be in — a comfort zone. If you offer a complimentary session, realize that people don’t immediately sign up for these because they aren’t comfortable yet. It doesn’t matter if you think you are safe, it’s what they think. Step them through becoming safe with you.

People are either boulders or blue birds. Blue birds are easy to convert to clients. Boulders need to know that they have a safe place to roll to before they will move.

Question 4: DO I FEEL GOOD ABOUT THIS?

Do I WANT to engage you? Do I feel COMPELLED to click or pick up the phone (or whatever the call to action is)? Do I feel good about myself in deciding to engage you? Can I trust that I’m making the right decision? What’s my motivation? Am I being motivated by fear, shame, or being empowered to make a good choice? Am I so excited that I want to tell all my friends?

Lots of questions need to be answered to deliver the emotional needs people have before they buy from you. Don’t leave these out.

Tip 3. ALWAYS INCLUDE THESE THREE KEY ELEMENTS IN YOUR MARKETING MESSAGES

Element 1: POWERFUL HEADLINE

This grabs their attention and lets the reader know what you can do for them; the big benefit. Say what the biggest benefit is up front. Make it about them. Use attractive words that rock their boulder so they read more.

Element 2: COMPELLING CALL TO ACTION

Your desired result is to motivate your ideal client to act immediately to engage you directly or indirectly and generate a prospect by getting their contact information. What do you want people to do? E-mail, phone, what? What will compel them to take action?

Element 3: OFFER THEM MULTIPLE CONTACT METHODS

Offer a choice between e-mail, telephone, web site, etc, so your prospect can choose what is most comfortable to them. I have visited many web sites where I had to search for five minutes to find their contact information. I am a persistent person and I know that most others have left after 30 seconds. Can visitors to your web site find your contact information in 30 seconds? Put the information on every page.

Tip 4. CREATE A SYSTEM

Design a marketing system that you can implement repeatedly. Make it as automatic as possible. Ask the most valuable series of questions to yourself: “And then what do you want them to do? And then what? And then what? Etc.” If they visit your web site ask, “And then what?” If they subscribe to your ezine ask, “And then what?” And then when they do that, ask “And then what?” Keep challenging yourself to come up with the answers.

No, I didn’t say it was going to be easy. When I work with clients, sometimes it takes months to create a system. Most people give up to easily. Once you have it set up and it runs automatically, you will understand.

Don’t waste your time, effort, and money with one-shot deals or fragmented marketing activities. Leverage everything. If you use writing for publicity, don’t just write an article once for your ezine, ask “And now what?” Send the article to past clients with a “just in case you didn’t see this yet.”

Tip 5: FOLLOW UP, FOLLOW UP, AND FOLLOW UP AGAIN

Following up is one of the biggest areas independent professional fail to do. Set up a follow up system that is a part of your overall marketing system. Make it as automatic as possible — so that I can run while you are on vacation.

If you want to always have that “personal touch” with everyone, hire a virtual assistant as part of your system. Always have the next step planned and let your prospects know of future opportunities to engage you.

Working with many independent professionals this past year, including coaches, insurance agents, real estate agents, engineers, too many medical practices to mention, I found they never asked the challenging question I mentioned earlier, “And then what? And then what?” Etc. They did speaking engagements and there was only one “And then what?” and they stopped there.

Remember, people are at different levels and need to build trust with you. Give them the ladder and the rungs to do that and they will.

Always contact your leads within 24 hours of receiving them. Contacting them a week or two later, they have moved on. If they had an issue they need to solve that you had a solution for, they had most likely already found someone else and by-passed you.

Always follow up by e-mail, telephone, etc, multiple times. Yes, it’s true, 80% of sales are made after five or more contacts.

These elements will make all the difference in the world between struggling to get clients and becoming wildly successfully in marketing your services. They are worth investing your best efforts and getting the support you need to implement them effectively.

(c) Copyright Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.

Posted
February 18th, 2012

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Commercial Vehicle

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Safe messing about on the water with sailing dinghy insurance


Relaxing and enjoyable, life on the ocean with a dinghy is an ideal pastime for those people with a love of the sea and inhaling the scent of invigorating salt air. Weekends spent away from city boating in sun and wind, with the odd seagull for company, is a wonderful life experience.

Dinghy, the word

Dinghies are small boats often towed by larger ships, or they can be for recreation as open sailing boats. They are also small racing yachts or rowboats. Some have outboard motors, others sails. Furthermore, they are ideal for beginner training in sailing, as they are quick and easy to manoeuvre.

Dinghy Racing Fun

Dinghy racing is an exciting and favourite sport for schools and universities across the globe, with many international events taking place. There are races for different age groups, weights and abilities of the sailors, organised on a handicap basis. There are also different types of dinghies involved. The system of handicapping based on the ‘Portsmouth Yardstick’, which allows a different rating to each class of boat in a mixed fleet to have an equal winning chance.

dinghy insurance Cover

Buying a sailing dinghy and fitting it out with various accessories is expensive, so it is a good idea to have insurance cover for it. Not only does sailing dinghy insurance cover you for fire and theft, it also provides comprehensive cover against any collision. Dinghies to have a tendency to capsize as winds change direction. Luck may be with you and you only end up with a few scratches on the paintwork. However, you may also end up causing major damage to your dinghy, and then you will have large costs to bear if you have no insurance.

Boats of this style today can cost over five thousand pounds to buy, so it is very silly not to have an insurance policy for a sailing dinghy as protection for any unfortunate major occurrences. Remember, as with all insurance policies there are exclusions.

Exclusions for Dinghy Cover

• Normal wear and tear
• Corrosion
• Loss of dinghy value, following a repair
• Loss of value through use and age
• Scratching or denting while the dinghy is transported

Look after your boat, protect it with insurance and look forward to many hours of pleasure.

Buy sailing dinghy insurance at Boat Quote

Posted
February 15th, 2012

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Boat Insurance

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Cheap Taxi Insurance Online


Take advantage of the services online insurance brokers offer. Not only will they provide a number of insurance quotes from different insurances companies they work in partnership with – they also have dedicated teams of consultants who specialise in taxi insurance to help you obtain the most competitive quotes and insurance options available.

It should be realised that the brokers do not all work in partnership with the same insurance companies. Therefore using more than one broker will provide more quotes for you to compare.

It is wise to tell them you are getting as quotes from other brokers as they may offer to beat any other ‘like for like’ quote you receive.

The brokers will need to know the nature of the taxi business; whether you have a taxi or private hire business will be a key factor in the type of insurance you will require.

They will also need to know how many vehicles and their types are to be insured. The brokers will be able to find competitive insurance quotes for taxis, private hire, MPVs, black cabs, minibuses or stretch limousines.

Whatever your business needs they will be more than willing to help and provide a number of quotes from a variety of taxi insurance companies.

Although you may be looking for cheap taxi insurance, cheap does not always mean the most appropriate. Having the wrong insurance can be very costly if you should have the need to make a claim.

Worst case scenario may be that you actually end up with no payment at all. In order to meet legal requirements there are different insurances for different types of vehicles and businesses.

Brokers who specialise in taxi insurance will know which type of insurance is required for your taxi services.

If you are a little dubious about using online brokers look for those which are regulated by the Financial Services Authority. The FSA regulates and set the standards for companies who offer financial services, including insurance companies, in the way they advertise their products and how they deal with any complaints made against them.

When making your comparisons, look at the key policy information – not just the price. This information will provide an overview of what is included and what’s not.

If you are not sure of what things mean ask questions. Remember the brokers are there to help you. They want you to be a satisfied customer in the hope that you will renew your taxi insurance with them year after year. Looking after you and providing a good service is in their best interests!

It is advisable not to wait until you receive your insurance reminder before looking for the best deals. Even if you are happy with your current company who offer Cheap Taxi Insurance it is always worth letting them know that you are looking for other competitive quotes.

They will more than likely offer to beat any ‘like for like’ quotes you receive, as they undoubtedly what your loyalty to remain with them! Buying your insurance online will also be rewarded with additional discounts.

Posted
February 13th, 2012

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Taxi Insurance

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Supplemental Dental Insurance Plan


Even if you have health insurance there is a possibility that your dental insurance plan will not cover the entire cost of your necessary dental treatment, often leaving you to pay out of pocket for many minor expenses that add up. This is so common because many insurance companies leave more coverage for the bigger treatments. In cases like this supplemental health insurance is the common solution.

supplemental dental insurance is a secondary source of coverage if the primary health insurance or dental insurance doesn’t cover a cost.

A type of these supplemental dental is a dental discount plan. These discount plans are designed to lower the costs by making the dentist lower their rates for specific clients depending on how many people they help. You generally pay a small fee to get the services of such a company, much less than the average amount you can save. These plans can cost as little as $10 per month.

One of the more common supplemental dental insurance is the preferred provider network. This provider has a list of dental professionals that you can select from. As long as you stick to the network of providers your charges will be greatly discounted. This plan usually pays a fixed fee to the dentist for their services, and the balance is left to be paid by you. This option can save you a lot of money.

If you are a college student you are in luck. There is a whole rang of discount dental plans offered especially to you. These college dental plans work very much like any other discount dental plan, with the only difference being that only college students can qualify for benefits. These discount plans often cover regular common procedures such as cleanings, fluoride treatments, x-rays, and emergency dental for pain relief.

Posted
February 13th, 2012

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Is Dental Insurance Even Necessary?


In a recent survey of the most wanted work benefits and perks, health insurance was at the top of the list. That’s only to be expected. Everyone knows that you need health insurance. It might come as a surprise, though, that the second most desired work benefit is dental insurance. Why is dental insurance so important and necessary?

Anyone who has ever suffered a toothache can tell you that when your teeth hurt, your whole world seems to become one throbbing, aching tooth. There are few things that can disrupt your day more than a bad tooth. And yet, most people don’t consider dental insurance to be that important – and major employers are only just starting to realize what a potent piece of their employee benefit dental insurance is. Dental health is far more important than most people realize, and doctors are realizing that more and more each day.

Dental health is closely tied to overall physical health in ways that most people are only beginning to realize. Gingivitis – infection of the soft tissues of the mouth – can easily become systemic infection that requires hospitalization. Misaligned teeth can cause neck pain and headache, and broken teeth can open the way to opportunistic infections that can, in the worst-case scenario, be fatal. Neglecting your teeth is neglecting your health.

Without dental insurance, many adults neglect routine dental care because it’s simply too expensive. A simple filling averages $125-$200 depending where in the country you live. Routine examinations and cleanings – recommended at least once a year for adults – average $75 and up, and a full set of dental x-rays can easily cost over $200. The cost for emergency services is even higher. A root canal – one of the most common oral surgeries – can approach $1,000. And cosmetic dentistry – from whitening teeth to full replacement bridges – averages $1500 to $3000, depending on the procedure.

Good dental insurance reduces the cost of routine dental care, often paying in full for one set of x-rays and a cleaning each year. That routine care can prevent many of the more expensive emergencies. Even more important, routine dental examinations can often turn up the first signs of more serious health problems – the first signs of illnesses like diabetes are often found in your mouth. comprehensive dental insurance is one of the key ingredients in good health care.

Is dental insurance really necessary? The answer is an unqualified yes.

Posted
February 2nd, 2012

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Dental Plans

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