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EU Insurance Direct celebrates their
10th Anniversary in Spain!!! We have seen many changes along the way over the 10 years which started in 2005 with one single client (who is still our client 10 years on!), but the years have flown by but we are still here and will still be here hopefully for many years to come.
We have seen 100s of clients come and go, no day is ever the same in our office, from marriage guidance, child phycology, pets, childcare and providing advice on all matters (including insurance….) life in our office is anything but dull! So I want to say a big thank you to all our clients past and present who come back to us year after year because without you we wouldn’t be here. Our Newsletters are not read by all, we know this as we are able to look at statistics of how many clients actually open the email. We only hope to give you some advice on general matters and any new changes in the laws which may assist you. If you don’t want to receive the newsletter you can click on unsubscribe at the bottom of the newsletter and you wont receive anymore. TESTIMONIALS – Is it always nice to have some positive feedback from clients insured through us. We have many testimonials on the website and have many more I have to include however I wanted to share with you just a couple that we received this week, all too often us Brits seem to complain but the odd thank you really does go a long long way….provided at the end of this Newsletter* testimonials are not fabricated they are 100% genuine. DEBATE ON UK/SPANISH DRIVING LICENCES This brings me down to latest news about driving licences. The big debate for this newsletter is do you have to change to a Spanish Driving Licence? The question is simple – do holders of UK photo card-style licences have to change them for the Spanish version once they have been resident in Spain for two years, or can they carry on using their British licence until it expires and then renew it? It would seem a simple question, but trying to get a simple answer is no easy matter. Some clients tell us they have been told by their local DGT Trafico department that yes, they must change them. But then visitors to another Trafico department get the opposite answer – no, they do not have to be changed. Just recently the Euro Weekly News team thought they had the answer, and called the Trafico central advice line to get the definitive answer. They were told that the changes only affect holders of old style licences valid for more than 15 years. UK/EU photo-style licences with a validity period of 10 years or less do not have to be changed. However it appears that different regional departments are interpreting the rules in differing ways and using ‘incorrect interpretations,’ leading to some people being fined who should not have been. We will keep you updated on this topic as soon as we are 100% clear! Accidents and Claims forms. Even though we have started a new year the accidents and claims keep coming….however more and more forms are arriving in our inbox incomplete, some without the registration number of the 3rd party and some incorrect ones too. The quicker we can sort out a claim depends initially on the correct information being given on the form, clear and concise. If you are unclear on what to do in the event of an accident, please familiarise yourself with the procedure. Take a look at our website and read through the FAQs, Even if the police are called we still need the European Accident Form completed. We have had 2 instances in the last month where the details taken down by the police have been wrong! Check the number plate carefully, take pictures, make sure you have the contact details of the 3rd party. It not only makes our life easier but yours too in the time it takes to sort out the claim. YOU CAN MAKE A DENUNCIA IN ENGLISH If you have to make a denuncia (police report) due to a theft or any other reason you can do this in English by calling 902-102-112. Before you make the call you should have your NIE (or passport number) available, together with your address, for identification purposes. It is likely that the first person to answer the phone may not speak or understand English so you should at the very least be able to ask to be transferred to an English speaking operator in Spanish. The operator will then take you through a series of questions to determine the nature of the crime and take down a few basic questions to try and arrive at an understanding at what has occurred. It is recommended that you go through the sequence of events in your mind beforehand so you can be clear on this, making notes if necessary. Once all the information has been taken down you should be given a reference number – you have now made a denunica. The operator will then enter the details of your statement into the system and the denuncia report will be despatched to your nearest police station. You should confirm where exactly this is, as you will be required to report there with your documents, and quoting the reference number that you have been given, within 48 hours. Speed trap 'tolerance threshold' revealed by traffic authorities SPAIN'S traffic authorities have published their 'speed camera tolerance threshold' list and warn that restrictions came into force yesterday (Thursday). Limits of up to 100 kilometres per hour with speed cameras set up, either fixed ones or temporary speed traps, will be programmed to catch drivers travelling at seven kilometres per hour or more above the limit. This means in a 60-kilometre limit, drivers will not be fined until they are caught travelling at 68 kilometres per hour. From 100 kilometres per hour upwards, speed traps will be set to record driver details once they exceed the speed limit by 7% or more. On motorways, where the speed limit is 120 kilometres per hour unless stated, anyone driving at 131 kilometres per hour or more will be fined. And once the planned 130-kilometre stretches are in place, those travelling at over 139 kilometres per hour will face penalties. Every month, the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) will carry out special crackdown campaigns in 1,200 places on Spain's roads, and will publish on its website – www.dgt.es – where these will be in advance. Cameras will always be visible to drivers, even mobile ones on roadside tripods, a short time in advance but long enough for drivers to be able to slow down. "Fining drivers is not the end aim at all – the presence of speed cameras is to discourage and prevent speeding and to ensure drivers respect speed limits in general, especially in accident blackspots," the DGT claims on its website. Testimonial 1.Thank you for the reminder that our Home Insurance is due for renewal. Please go ahead with the renewal on March 8th. Can we also tell you how wonderful Liberty Seguros was when our dishwasher inlet hose burst in the middle of the night and flooded the whole house? To get out of bed at 2am and put your feet in water was such a shock and then to realise the whole house was flooded was terrible. However Liberty Seguros came out and replaced all our door frames and architraves ( some doors of which we couldn't close at all ) and were most professional. Thank you again for such a good service. Testimonial 2. We thought that you might be interested in some feedback on the Home Assistance DIY service provided under our new Liberty Seguros home insurance. Flat pack furniture arrived from IKEA last Friday, Feb 6th. I then called the Liberty Seguros English speaking freephone for Home Assistance DIY service. I was quickly connected to a staff member who understood & spoke excellent English. A joiner was arranged to visit our home on the following Monday morning @ 9.00 am (we were offered a next day service!). We received a call from the joiner the next day confirming the arrangement. -FOR ALL YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS AND IMPARTIAL ADVICE
CALL WENDY OR ASHLEY AT EU INSURANCE DIRECT
952 830 843 / 676 098 464 www.euinsurancedirect.com info@euinsurancedirect.com |
All your insurance needs in "plain" English
