CGU Insurance has taken immediate action to support customers impacted by the severe hailstorm that struck Perth earlier this week. The insurer has received over 2,500 claims so far, mostly for damage to motor vehicles.
Ben Bessell, General Manager of Claims for CGU, said that Claims teams were focused on helping customers as quickly as possible.
“We have set up a specialised claims management team to coordinate our response to this event.
“We understand that our customers want to get things back to the way they were before the storm hit. We are prioritising claims based on the level of damage and need for critical repairs.
“We knew straight away that this event would be significant. So, one of the main issues we have been managing is resourcing, because the insurance industry is already busy managing the impact of the Melbourne storms that hit two weeks earlier, as well as Cyclone Ului that struck Queensland last weekend.
“It’s important that customers in Perth receive the same standard of service that customers in Melbourne are getting.
“So we have Claims people all around the country supporting our Perth team in lodging and processing claims.
“We are working very closely with our network of qualified assessors and repairers to ensure that our customers’ vehicles and homes are assessed as quickly as possible, and then of course repaired promptly too. These companies have already developed workforce plans to bring in additional resources from areas such as regional WA, interstate and overseas.
“Due to the high volume of storm-related claims across the insurance industry both in Perth and Melbourne, we know that it will take longer than usual to complete some claims because of the limited availability of quality assessors and repairers. We appreciate that this will inconvenience affected customers and we are implementing processes to minimise delays.
“Our priority right now is on lodging claims, booking customer vehicles into assessment centres, and arranging for our home assessors to inspect property damage.”
CGU is encouraging affected customers who have yet to make a claim to contact the 24-hour claims hotline on 1800 252 461 or speak with their insurance broker or adviser.
ENDS
Media Relations – Iwona Polski (03) 9916 3433 / 0411 010 496