Page 41 - Insurance Times April 2021

losses. However, it is felt that the surveyor has a role independent assessor to assess a loss beyond a certain
to guide the claimant to properly fill up such form since amount is never disputed. There would be requirement of
the claimant may not be well conversant with such supporting documents as well to authenticate both the
form or may be modestly educated. The spirit and genuineness and the quantum of loss. The policy document
intention at all points should be to assist a distressed as furnished by the Insurer to the surveyor would establish
Insured rather than pressurizing him with voluminous the validity of the coverages and perils covered with the
requirement of documents. boundaries of payment defined through various conditions,
losses, warranties, deductibles etc.
10.Claim bill:
This is a required document and the claimant must be The bottom line however remains the fact that the ultimate
guided to make a proper itemized claim bill. Legally, this goal is to reasonably dispose of the claim (it could be
is the evidence of the claimant's demand of a particular payment or a rejection even). Be that as it may, the role of
quantum to compensate his loss. the surveyor is to quantify the loss through physical
examination of the damages and not to rely solely on the
11.Meteorological report: supporting documents. In that event, logically the surveyor
has no role and all the cases can be converted as self-
This is another favourite document sought by the
surveys or mere document based assessment. No stakeholder
surveyor for weather losses. For a normal homeowner,
such document must not be insisted upon. The reasons would want such a situation.
are many. Such document may not be readily available. The insurer also has a very important role to play and must
There could be a possibility that no meteorological guide the surveyor on how to complete an assessment
office exists in the location. Finally, even in absence of
smoothly without pressing for irrelevant or unnecessary
the meteorological report, common knowledge and
documents which defies the very basic principal of customer
physical inspection would very well establish the
service and claims settlement. The regulator also has a role
genuineness of the loss and quantum thereof.
here by way of issuing standardized guidelines on simple
property loss assessment so that the surveyors cannot take
Conclusion: resort to unnecessary requirement of documents to delay
The fact that an insurance contract would require an or jeopardize an assessment.

Edelweiss General Insurance joins hands with InterMiles to launch

travel insurance

Edelweiss General Insurance (EGI) has declared the launch of Edelweiss Group Domestic Travel Insurance in partnership
with InterMiles. The product, which is a free cancellation air travel policy, takes care of all cancellation concerns
customers may have, thus allowing them to be stress free in a volatile environment, where travel plans may keep
shifting.
The customers, who are booking tickets on InterMiles for traveling across India, can opt for zero cancellation, by
paying a nominal amount at the time of booking. The policy is a full proof cover for travelers, since it covers most of
the reasons that lead to ticket cancellation.
This policy will also allow the customers to cancel their flights up to 24 hours before departure in case they are unable
to fly due to some unavoidable circumstances. All the claims will be settled digitally. Free cancellation allows InterMiles
members to get a complete refund on airline cancellation penalty. Members can add the free cancellation policy to
their booking.
Shanai Ghosh, ED & CEO, Edelweiss General Insurance, remarked, "Our travel plans sometimes change due to
circumstances not under our control and it can end up costing us quite a bit. This hurts especially in current times
where people are looking to save all they can. We are excited to partner with InterMiles to help customers plan their
travel without any stress. We have integrated our platforms to offer a seamless experience to the customer, especially
for claims which is also completely digital. We are consistently looking for opportunities to provide innovative and
simple digital solutions to the customers to protect their Health, Lifestyle and other prized possessions."

The Insurance Times, April 2021 41