Advertise your business on onencalldirect.co.uk

Be seen by 65,000 people a month

One Call Insurance is one of the fastest growing brokers in the UK as it is an Insurance Age Top 25 Broker. We appear on all of the top comparison sites which means that we attract a lot of traffic onto our website and this is growing.

We have more recently launched an ITV1 campaign which has seen our web traffic increase by 25%!

Key stats of onecalldirect.co.uk

Businesses in the UK can now benefit from our growing traffic by advertising your own products and services to over 65,000 a month.

Advertise today!
Advertise your business with a MPU banner (highlighted in image) on onecalldirect.co.uk and be seen by over 65,000 people a month for just £250 + VAT a month.

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Placement is under the left menu on the One Call home page as represented in the image.

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Advertorials on onecalldirect.co.uk for as little as £50 + VAT

Or build your inbound links with an article on www.onecalldirect.co.uk
Onecalldirect.co.uk has an Alexa.com UK web rank of about 90,000 (July 2011) and this is increasing as more people visit our site.

You can benefit from our online activity which also includes online articles, social networking and extensive SEO activity by advertising your web link and organisation in a 500 word advertorial on onecalldirect.co.uk.

A 500 word advertorial which includes a link to your website and company logo is available at an annual rate of just £50 + VAT.

Take a look at a company that is already benefiting from a link building advertorial.

Advertise today
If you would like to take advantage of any of these advertising opportunities call us on 01302 554266.

• All figures are correct at the time of going to print.  One Call Insurance Services Ltd does not guarantee that site traffic and/or Alexa.com rankings will not fluctuate.

One Call detects fraudulent activity

Insurance fraud is a criminal act but unfortunately it is becoming increasingly common. This means that insurance companies are having to change the way in which they deal with customers in order to detect those policies that may have been set up with the purpose of making fraudulent claims.

Because the amount of claims being fraudulently made has increased significantly over recent years, the cost of insurance for law abiding people is on the rise. The Insurance Fraud Bureau reported that undetected general insurance claims fraud totals £1.9billion a year, this adds a whopping £44 to the annual cost of insurance per policy holder, each year.

This means is that honest customers lose out.

At One Call Insurance we are committed to identify fraud where ever it is committed and will take action to make sure that no fraudster can benefit from their actions. By stamping out fraud we can make sure that any money saved is passed on to our customers through lower premiums.

FRAUDSTERS WARNING - If you are thinking about committing fraud – don’t buy a policy from One Call!

See below for examples of fraudulent claims and how we at One Call detected them:

1. Collision between policy holder and a claimant

Insurance fraud is resulting in increased premiums

Despite Mr A being at fault for the accident which had caused damage to his own vehicle, he informed us that he did not want to make a claim for his car. Our claims handler, after talking to both Mr A and Mr X suspected that they did indeed know each other which prompted us to investigate their cases.

Early on in our investigations we discovered that Mr X’s vehicle was not owned by him, it was located on a local garage forecourt and was for sale, at the time of the accident. The car was also advertised on a number of internet sites and we believe that the fraudsters took the vehicle details from these sites to aid the fabrication of the claim.

We attempted contact with the policy holder of the vehicle in order to inspect the damage however, despite repeated attempts we were unable to make contact with him.

Further investigations revealed that Mr A was not the actual owner of his vehicle, which was insured with One Call. This enabled us to avoid paying the claim which could have amounted to over £30,000 had our fraud investigations not have been carried out.

Details of our investigation

Our investigators were quickly alerted as soon as the claims advisors suspicions were raised. The investigating team were quick to attempt contact with Mr A at his home address but this was unsuccessful. One the second visit, the investigator did gain access to the property which he discovered had a repossession order in motion.

The contact number that had been given to us by Mr X belonged to someone else and we were unable to contact him at the home address he gave to us. The investigator upon visiting the property did talk to a lady who claimed to be his wife and said that she would pass a message to Mr X, however he still failed to make contact.

As Mr X had reported damage to his car, and was not at fault we would have assumed that he would be eager to get the matter resolved and make contact with us. This prompted us to make further enquiries on Mr X and found that he was not on the electoral role at the address provided. When checking his postcode against other databases, we could find no record of Mr X having any formal connection to that address.

We then used anti-fraud databases and connected Mr A to a number of addresses and different claims through a number of different insurance companies. This indicated a high potential for making fraudulent claims, especially as one of the addresses he was linked to was in the same block of flats Mr X was connected to, indicating that they could potentially know each other.

What happened next?

On completing our investigations, we presented our findings to the solicitor who was representing Mr X. We were then advised that their client no longer wanted to peruse the claim against One Call Insurance.

We have issued a fraud notice to the insurance market and have made a request to the Ministry of Justice Compliance Unit that a fraud investigation takes place in respect of Mr X.

By investing the time and effort that this investigation required, we were able to stop this fraudulent claim and help One Call keep its premiums low.

2. Completely fabricated claim
One Call policy holder, Mrs X was alleged to have pulled out into the path of a vehicle owned by Mr A. When reporting the claim, it was confirmed that Mrs X or Mr A did not know each other.

One Call's claims team investigate claims as they arise

Mrs X reported that she was at fault and had damaged her vehicle in the accident which was insured under a comprehensive policy. One Call arranged for the car to be inspected in line with our claims process.

Details of the fraud investigation

Early investigations on Mrs X’s claim highlighted that she may be using an assumed name and address which could be linked to other claims with a number of insurance companies. We also had suspicions that Mrs X and Mr A knew each other.

The investigators were instructed very quickly and took a detailed statement from Mrs X. When this was referenced against the original accident report we were concerned about the amount of damage sustained to both vehicles.

An engineer was instructed to inspect both vehicles and concluded that the alleged accident could not have happened as Mrs X described because the damage to the vehicles was not consistent with the way the accident was reported.

What happened next?

Further investigations showed that Mrs X and Mr Y had not been involved in an accident and the claim was fabricated. As a result we avoided paying the claim which could have cost in excess of £40,000.

We reported our findings to the solicitor reporting Mrs X and we have issued a fraud notice to the insurance market.

By investing the time and effort that this investigation required, we were able to stop this fraudulent claim and help One Call keep its premiums low.

3. Bogus theft claim
One Call policy holder Miss P claimed for the theft of her vehicle in August 2010.

Details of the investigation

Our standard procedure is to put all new claims through a number of anti fraud databases which enables us to have confidence in the information given to us by policy holders and other involved parties.

The first attempt to make contact with the claimant was unsuccessful; we required documents for the stolen vehicle so that we could carry out history checks against the motor Insurance Anti Fraud and Theft Register. After a couple of attempts we were able to gain sufficient information in order to carry out the vehicle history investigations. This led to concerns that the vehicle had not been stolen but repossessed.

We then discovered that Miss P was not the owner of the vehicle, it belonged to a finance company to whom Miss P owed outstanding payments. The non payment of the debt led the finance company to repossess the vehicle.

What happened next?

On completion of our investigations, we presented our findings to the policy holder, explaining that we would not be paying the claim for the alleged theft as it has clearly not been stolen.

By investing the time and effort that this investigation required, we were able to stop this fraudulent claim and help One Call keep its premiums low.

4. Exaggerated damage and injury
One Call policyholder Mrs A ran into the back of a vehicle owned by Mr B at a junction. Mr B was carrying a passenger, Mrs C.

Although Mrs A was deemed to be at fault for the accident, she reported that minor damage had occurred to her vehicle – a minor scuff to the front offside bumper.

Mr B instructed a solicitor to represent him, claiming for injuries said to be caused by the incident and also to damage to his vehicle which amounted to over £1,000. Mrs C also instructed solicitors to represent her in a claim for injuries she alleged to have sustained in the collision.

Details of the investigation

We put all new claims through a number of anti fraud databases which enables us to have confidence in the information given to us by policy holders and other involved parties.

Our suspicions were raised because we thought it unlikely that a collision causing minor scuff marks to Mrs A’s vehicle could have resulted in a impact that resulted in the severity of damage to Mr B’s vehicle and the alleged injuries him and his passenger sustained.

Our investigator visited our policy holder’s vehicle to take detailed photos of the damage to her car and confirmed that a high impact collision could not have happened to cause the damage to the claimant’s vehicle and the alleged injuries.

What happened next?

On completing our investigations, we presented our findings to the solicitors who were representing Mr B and Mrs C. We were then informed by them that their clients no longer wanted to make a clam against One Call Insurance.

By investing the time and effort that this investigation required, we were able to stop this fraudulent claim and help One Call keep its premiums low.

5. Non disclosure of information
We received a phone call from the Metropolitan Police following them having stopped Miss S who is insured by us on the grounds that she had a cracked windscreen which was sufficient enough to obscure vision whilst driving. The police officer discovered that the insured only had a provisional driving licence and was driving without supervision. He also discovered that Miss S had held a provisional licence for 12 years and had a number of convictions for driving without insurance.

In line with the Data Protection act we were able to disclose to the officer that Miss S stated that she held a full licence at the time of setting up the policy and had not disclosed any pervious convictions.

We then wrote to Miss S enquiring why she failed to disclose the convictions and that she only had a provisional licence. No response was received so we executed our right to cancel the policy.

One Call Insurance provided full assistance to the police investigation and Miss S was duly charged. Miss S pleaded not guilty to the following charges;

During the trial the officer presented information which included that given to him by One Call Insurance and after a recess was requested by the defence council, Miss S changed her plea to guilty, which was accepted by the court.

After the trail, Miss S received the following sentence;

By investing the time and effort that this investigation required, we were able to stop this fraudulent claim and help One Call keep its premiums low.

On Saturday 23rd July, Doncaster Lakeside was full to the brim with paddles and Chinese dragons as the Dragon Boat festival came to town which saw 20 boats battle it out to be crowned the 2011 winners.

The event was organised by Doncaster Tourism and the Rotary Club of Doncaster St George’s to raise money and awareness for the British Heart Foundation. The Dragon Boat Race acted as a great opportunity for team building amongst staff but also invoked some healthy competition between local businesses.

One Call Insurance entered two boats to compete due to the popularity from last year’s event. One Call’s Storming Oars and One Call’s Aqua-holics were in the company of 18 other local businesses and were determined to make it to the final this year after narrowly missing out on the final at last years competition.

The race consisted of 3 rounds which saw the Storming Oars gain the fastest time of the day. The weather was cloudy and windy but that didn’t deter the spirits of the One Call camp as the Storming Oars then went on to compete in the semi-finals and then were named champions as they won the final with a time of 60.27 seconds. The Aqua-holics also set a record for the day… with the slowest time of 82.09 which meant One Call Insurance represented both the winners and the losers of the race.

Both teams consisted of staff from the One Call Group including directors Sarah Chadburn, John Parker as well as founder and CEO John Radford. The day was enjoyed by all, especially the Storming Oars who received gold medals from Peter Davies, Doncaster’s Mayor.

The atmosphere between all competing boats was fantastic- even with the boat that accidentally capsized which drew quite a crowd. The amount raised for the British Heart Foundation is so far unknown but we hope its surpassed the total from last year.

The Storming Oars are looking forward to the event next year where they hope to retain the Dragon Boat Race title.

A recent survey taken by Confused.com revealed that damage to vehicles on UK roads costs motorists an average £400 each year. They also found that 90% of motorists proclaim that they aren’t made fully aware of potholes on the road.

The comparison site has launched a campaign by designing a road sign that intends to warn road users of the estimated 2 million potholes that is currently on UK roads. To help combat these growing risks and reduce car insurance claims, Confused have begun an online petition to urge road users to show their support and sign their names.

They have worked with a number of  industry insiders to design the road sign which would be the first of its kind. They will then be lobbying the results of the petition to the Department of Transport in an attempt to enforce the road signs across holey roads up and down the country.

The signs would be welcomed particularly by cyclists as potholes could cause potential damage to their bike and their person. The potholes follow severe weather conditions which has seen the government budget stretched to attempt to rectify this growing problem.

Chief marketing officer at Confused.com Mike Hoban said “Although repairing these roads is obviously the long term solution, something needs to be done now. Currently the UK’s road signs include warnings for wild horses, wild animals, cattle and even toads but potholes aren’t considered worthy enough. A pothole road sign is a vital step in preventing accidents and reducing insurance claims.”

The campaign doesn’t seem to have the full support of all road users as some have argued that the time and money wasted on the road signs could be put to better use to actually fill the pothole that is causing the disruption and damage. Paul Watters, head of transport policy at The AA said “We should not be campaigning for a sign; we should be campaigning for the potholes to be fixed. It costs up to £100 to put up a sign but £50-£60 to fix a pothole.”

Did you know?

• Road maintenance in the UK is currently under-funded by 50%.
• A pothole has to be at least 1.5 inches deep to be classed officially as a pothole.
• If the government supplied a sufficient budget to repair potholes, it would take them 11 years to catch up on the repairs.
• The average road in England has to wait 65 years to be resurfaced.
• The average motorist in the UK is presented with 10 potholes per day.

At time of release, Confused.com had 5,032 signatures in support of this campaign.

Damp is a huge problem for many home owners and if not dealt with quickly it can lead to extensive and very costly repairs being needed later on.

It’s a good idea to know what to look out for when recognising the early signs of damp and to take steps to avoid damp appearing or spreading. The best way to avoid taking on a damp ridden property is to carefully read the survey when buying a house as damp should show up on this. If damp is mentioned then it’s normal to negotiate a discount on the sale price to take account of the cost of a damp proof course. If you already own the house then you can get a Damp Report from a specialist damp company as a part of the quotation process for a damp proof course.

Where does damp come from?

Damp makes its way into a house in one of three ways: rising damp, penetrating damp and condensation. Whilst rising damp and penetrating damp can be avoided by keeping your home in good repair (including gutters, waste pipes and damp proof course), it’s in preventing condensation that home owners can play the most active role in avoiding damp.

Steps you can take to avoid damp

Condensation is easy to see as it often appears on windows in the morning, or on toilet cisterns or cold pipes. Most of the time condensation will evaporate when the heating is turned on. It only becomes a problem where water is condensing on cold walls and turning to black mould. There are a number of reasons why a wall may be cold but the main reasons are that it is thin, north facing or in an unheated room.

The water vapour that creates condensation is formed by every day family activities. You can avoid releasing too much water vapour by doing things like keeping lids on cooking pans, drying washing outside and not using paraffin or bottled gas room heaters. Ensuring your home has adequate ventilation is another key way to avoid damp – without this air can become saturated and water vapour condenses on the nearest cold surface. Opening windows and doors, fitting extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom, using air bricks and chimneys are all essential for ventilation. It’s also a good idea to avoid still air pockets between furniture and walls by moving furniture around.

Making sure you have adequate insulation is another way to avoid condensation as it keeps walls warm for longer, as does double glazing. Regularly turning the heating on will also help condensation that has formed over night evaporate.

Top tips to avoid damp

Produce less moisture:
• Cover pans when cooking
• Dry clothes outdoors when possible
• Vent your tumble dryer to outside of your home
• Avoid using paraffin or flueless bottled gas heaters

Ventilate:
• Ventilate all the time, especially when someone is in
• Increase ventilation of the kitchen and bathroom when in use and shut the door
• Ventilate cupboards, wardrobes and blocked chimneys

Insulate and draught proof:
• Insulate the loft
• Draught-proof windows and external doors
• Double glazing

Heat your home:
• When possible, keep a very low heat on all day

Home insurance policies often don’t cover the affects of damp but they do give you cover for accidental damage on your contents and building, personal injury assistance, home emergency service plus much more.