Pickfords in the news

Pickfords introduces new
Insurance Charter

 · New insurance charter for domestic and international removals

Pickfords, the UK’s leading removals and storage company,  introduced a new insurance charter this month, to maintain the standards imposed during regulation by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

From 2005 – 2009 the selling of transit and storage insurance by removers was regulated by the FSA.   Regulation by the FSA introduced processes, which improved Pickfords’ employees’ knowledge of its insurance services and ensured that the company provided clear, fair and not misleading information in connection with insurance sales.  Pickfords’ customers were also protected by its membership of the Financial Ombudsman Service, which deals with customer complaints concerning the mis-selling of insurance.

In April 2009 the selling of transit and storage insurance by removers for private customers was deregulated by the FSA, and in 2010 Pickfords reviewed its need to be regulated and ended its association with the FSA.

This month, Pickfords launched its own Insurance charter to maintain the principles of the Financial Services Authority.  The charter is applicable to business and home movers moving within the UK and overseas.

The Insurance Charter defines Pickfords’ approach to selling insurance to protect its customers’ interests and includes; a new on-line training programme for staff, an insurance booklet, given to all customers, which sets out clear insurance information and a detailed complaint handling processes.

Pickfords is a voluntary member of the Financial Ombudsman’s Service so customers still have an objective party to resolve concerns, should they feel they have been missold insurance

Group Compliance Manager Richard Summers said,  “Regulation by the Financial Services Authority meant that the business had to adopt a new approach to the selling of insurance to protect our customers’ interests.    Following deregulation, we wanted to ensure that those processes remained in place, so our customers felt confident buying insurance when they move home with Pickfords.”

For more information contact your local branch on  0800 289 229