Lancashire-based loss assessing and property insurance claims management company, Aspray Limited, is hoping its very own board game will become a game-changer, raising awareness of its valuable service for insured home and commercial property owners.
The myth-busting Mistakes & Ladders game is designed to highlight that the service Aspray offers to consumers UK-wide, is nothing whatsoever like PPI claims handling and ambulance chasing.
The Darwen company actually charges clients nothing for their service, providing it is able to instruct and project manage the vetted contractors, who complete the reinstatement works. The service is charge-free then, despite providing total property claims support from the start of a property claim to its conclusion.
One thing the game heavily underlines is the difference between loss adjusters and loss assessors – and with good reason. When Aspray commissioned independent research, it found 48% of people admit to not knowing the difference and another 9% believing there is none.
42% felt that a loss adjuster was there to assist the policyholder, not realising the loss adjuster represents the insurer’s interest in the claim. If they want someone on their side of the fence, they actually need a loss assessor, like Aspray.
21% said they thought a homeowner does have the right to appoint someone to handle a claim, but it would cost them a fee or commission payment.
The Aspray Mistakes & Ladders game is a first in its sector. Workmen’s ladders lead players up the board and flumes of water and fire hoses, representing water and fire-related claims, whoosh them down. However, there is a major twist – gamble cards picked up whenever a player lands on an Aspray logo and with positive or negative consequences.
20 of each have been devised, with the negative relating to insurance smallprint, the loss adjuster limiting cover or declining a claim without being challenged. and gaps in cover that can catch property owners out.
On the plus side, situations include a loss assessor gaining compensation for water damage resulting from a chip pan fire (not just the fire damage), an escape from the clutches of cowboy builders (who 43% of us fear, according to Aspray’s independently commissioned research), and receiving satisfactory payouts to replace the whole of a kitchen or three-piece suite, rather than just units, cupboards or pieces actually damaged by water.
Director Andrea Loasby, says: “Our Mistakes & Ladders game is vibrant and enormous fun, yet the message behind all the gamble cards is that property owners can be taking a risk if they choose to go it alone and handle their own claim.
“When they can take the ‘I’ out of claim and have Aspray assist them and charge them nothing, if they use our vetted contractors, it can be hard to argue against using our service. Our loss assessors deliver not just negotiation and property repair skills but also great empathy and moral support – which many of our clients require, given the distressing state their property is in post-loss. Handling your own property claim can often be fraught with difficulty and could be viewed as a gamble not worth taking.”
Whilst the game is out and about as an information tool, Aspray HQ is the information hub available 24/7, directing policyholders towards professional and friendly help with their domestic or commercial property claims.
