At ARAG, clear and concise messaging at the point of sale takes priority

The FCA's concern regarding the sale of add-on products and how customer behaviours at the point of sale can be affected by the method of sale is well documented. Home emergency was one of the products selected by the FCA for inclusion in its Market Study of add-on products and we have concerns that generally speaking Home emergency assistance products are not always correctly understood by consumers. Managing expectations can be difficult.

Although the proportion of complaints reported to ARAG is very much below the market average, we strive to do better. Every single expression of customer dissatisfaction we receive whether justified or not, is an opportunity to learn more about our products. 

Some of the complaints we receive about Home emergency arise from customers reporting a problem that is not actually a "Home emergency". They have a fault which may be inconvenient but it doesn't cause damage or compromise the safety or security of their home. 
We can always help by making arrangements for an approved contractor from our networks to attend the insured's home, however contractor's costs will not be covered under such circumstances.

We value the assistance we receive from our brokers and business partners to minimise misunderstandings that can lead to disappointment for customers if their policy does not perform as envisaged. We don't need to convince you that messaging at the point of sale is key to avoiding customer expectation gaps. You can down-load suggested customer demands and needs statements for all of our products from our new-look website by clicking through the "BTE Products" tab. The statement for Home emergency is longer than for most other products and probably longer than we would like it to be however it has been drafted in consultation with our Customer Relations Team with the aim of getting across the information that we consider critical to consumers. We hope you find this helpful.

ARAG gains ISO certification

ARAG believe that protecting information is critical for the successful management and smooth operation of an organisation so are pleased to announce that they are certified to ISO27001:2013 (Information Security Management System) by URS, “a UKAS approved certification body”.










The company and some key individuals have invested a lot of time and effort in obtaining this certification for a number of key reasons;

•    Evidence commitment to satisfying the legal requirements under the Data Protection Act and to demonstrate a high level of information security
•    Give customers and staff confidence in data protection standards and ability to safely manage confidential information
•    Provide a competitive advantage, demonstrate compliance and gain status as preferred supplier - meet more tender expectations
•    Minimise the chances of any interruption to services and provide consistency of delivery.
•    Protect company and customer assets and prevent loss, abuse or modification of information.
•    Manage and minimise risk exposure
•    Encourage a company culture of security.

ARAG have invested heavily in the company's IT infrastructure, including software, hardware and training and see this as a commitment to an ongoing process rather than something that has been achieved and can now be left to look after itself.

They feel that this standard is of particular importance in the financial services sector where the protection of information is vital and where high standards have not always consistently been achieved.