Insurance Articles
The dogs who ate Christmas? Pet health & safety
Posted by admin - 21/12/09 at 02:12:53 pm1300 Insurance are urging Australians to continue to practice caution around their animals and their festive celebrations, as further stories of animals caught up in health scares due to Christmas decorations have emerged.
Adelaide labrador Cuddles was recently rushed to hospital for emergency vet surgery after ingesting Christmas baubles. The resulting operation meant multiple stitches for Cuddles, a four day stay recovering in vet hospital, and $4000.00 worth of vet’s bills for Cuddles’ family.
A similar story occurred when an English dog, Duke, ate some tinsel off the family Christmas tree. After costly X-rays and a trip to the operating theatre, the vet was able to remove the tinsel from Duke’s stomach. Luckily, in this case, the UK family who owned Duke were covered by pet insurance.
Whilst these stories have an element of humor to them, the threat of foreign objects around at Christmas can pose a real threat to our pet’s health. Of course, there are other instances when our pets becoming ill is unavoidable. Pet insurance can be a great investment for both the unpredictable and the unavoidable in pet health.
To ensure you and your pet have a happy festive period, consider looking after your pet’s health with pet insurance. The Christmas period is a time for family, and it’s only natural to want to include our pets in these celebrations.
Insurance Articles
Christmas lighting hazards and home insurance
Posted by admin - 21/12/09 at 02:12:28 pmAround the Christmas period, accidents about the home can happen. However, there are a few preventative and responsible steps that 1300 Insurance customers can take to avoid potential fire and health hazards from one perennial Christmas favourite – Christmas lights.
Safety first around festive lighting needs to be a priority. In a survey conducted in the UK, it was found that dangers from Christmas lights were widespread, presenting a direct threat of electric shocks and fire hazards.
As a leading provider of online home and contents insurance, 1300 Insurance has the following advice for ensuring safety around the home with Christmas lights;
- Ensure you have a safety switch installed on your powerboard.
- Make sure the lights you have chosen are used for their intended application; indoor or outdoor, and always read instructions before use.
- Only purchase festive lighting that has been approved by Australian regulatory standards.
- Use powerboards with overload and surge protectors, not double adapters.
- Turn off your Christmas lights when going out, going to bed, replacing bulbs and when it is raining.
- Always supervise children around Christmas lights.
- Pack your lights away safely when not in use in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
These few tips for practising responsible maintenance of Christmas lights should mean that your family has a safe and happy Christmas. Remember to update your home and contents insurance and ensure that you have peace of mind this Christmas.
Insurance Articles
Tips for Christmas Travel
Posted by admin - 16/12/09 at 04:12:20 pmThe Sun-Herald has recently compiled a list of tips for Christmas travel to make it as painless as possible for the many Australians who will find themselves away from home over the holiday break.
- Be Digital.
If you’re flying, make use of online check in systems that may allow you to check in up to 24 hours before your flight is due to depart. This could save you some time and standing around at the airport.
- Prepare for the crowds.
Sydney Airport says that Friday, December 18, and Saturday, December 19 will be the busiest days at the airport this year, along with January 2 & 3 when people return home from holidays.
- Time your Drive.
The NRMA expects the busiest days on the road to be the last day of school, Dec 18, two days before Christmas, Dec 23, the day after boxing day, Dec 27, and January 4. The NRMA also says that morning traffic tends to peak later in holiday periods due to people being on annual leave, so travel early in the morning if you can.
It’s also important to ensure you have the right car insurance.
- Pack Light
Whilst it’s hard to pack light at Christmas, it makes life easier due to avoiding excess baggage charges and having less items to drag around.
- Pack Smart.
Make sure you are up to date with the latest in packing regulations with airlines, especially items such as sharp objects, aerosols, and hand luggage restrictions. If you’re carrying Christmas gifts, it’s best not to wrap them as they need to be available for inspection.
- Pack Safe.
Don’t put Christmas presents in your checked on luggage unless you absolutely have to. Christmas is the busiest time of year for travel, meaning a greater chance of luggage going astray, so make the most of your carry on luggage allowance.
- Cover Yourself.
“If ever there was a time to take out travel insurance, the peak Christmas travel season is it, especially if you’re carrying gifts. Online insurance providers have really brought down the cost of insurance and it’s money well spent.”
Travel insurance is available online through 1300 insurance.
- Think Ahead.
If you’re going to need airport transfers, airport parking, hotel parking or other arrangements, book it now. This will save time, and possible headaches, later.
- Be Entertained.
Use time spent standing around in airports to pick up a book. When you’re driving, download yourself some new music or podcasts to listen to. A DVD player for the back of the car may be a worthwhile investment for kids.
- Don’t forget your Christmas Spirit.
“Wear a Santa hat, listen to music, do whatever it takes to remember that Christmas is supposed to be fun, not survival of the fittest.”
Source: The Sun-Herald, December 13, 2009
Insurance Articles
Keep your pets safe and healthy this Christmas
Posted by admin - 16/12/09 at 03:12:39 pmWith Christmas just around the corner, it’s natural to want to spoil your pets. However, recent research has found that there are a few Christmas themed household items you should keep away from your pets.
Some items that are associated with the festive season may lead to injuries and damaged health that could lead to expensive vet bills in the new year.
The first well known items that shouldn’t be fed to pets include chocolate, macadamia nuts and onion and garlic, as they are toxic to an animals system. While these may be some of our favourite treats at Christmas, it’s important to remember that these are not good for our pet’s health.
Other items you should be wary of include turkey and meat with bones in it, as this can become stuck in your pets throat and intestines.
A perennial Christmas favourite, the red-leaved Ponsietta plant, can potentially be a stomach irritant to pets who consume it or its sap. Mistletoe berries can also cause stomach upsets and increase the heart rate of pets.
Christmas should be an enjoyable time for the whole family, and a time to celebrate good health. One way to ensure that the best in pet health care is financially available is by setting up Pet Insurance.
1300 Insurance has Pet Insurance available across all different levels of cover, with affordable and easy online rates. To give your pets a real treat this Christmas, and yourself peace of mind, make sure they are covered by Pet Insurance.
Insurance Articles
Avoiding a financial difficulty when personal tragedy strikes
Posted by admin - 08/12/09 at 03:12:17 pmAn Australian industry and Government campaign to raise awareness of the importance life insurance cover has found that the average Australian has only $91,000 of life insurance cover.
Chris Pearce, the shadow minister for financial services, superannuation and corporate law, said that the personal effects of a death in the family can be exacerbated by financial worries if a family member does not have an adequate level of life insurance cover.
“Millions of hardworking Australian families are seeking to build wealth in order to fund lifestyles both this side- and perhaps more importantly- on the other side of the day they choose to retire,” Mr Pearce said. “An accident, injury, illness or death, can have a dramatic impact on the financial security of an individual or their family. These financial consequences often compound the emotional or physical trauma experienced.”
Statistics from the Investment and Financial Services Association (ASFA) showed that in 2008, more than 13,000 families received the average life insurance payout of $91,000, whilst the average family with young children had debts of $167,000. These statistics show that financial difficulty would be extremely hard for a family to avoid in this situation.
1300 Insurance has life insurance consultants available who are able to discuss options of cover that is available to you and your family in the event of a tragedy.
Source: www.lifewise.org.au
Insurance Articles
Inadequate levels of travel insurance for Australians overseas
Posted by admin - 08/12/09 at 02:12:09 pmA survey has recently been published that has suggested up to 1.6 million Australians travel overseas each year without purchasing travel insurance. This figure has alarmed industry and government agencies, who say that the potential costs of overseas medical attention make travel insurance a necessity.
The article, published by The Age Newspaper Melbourne, found that over 5.4 million Australians went overseas last year, and that the age of people who are least likely to book travel insurance are aged 18-24.
The article suggests that the reason for lower levels of cover may be because holidays are increasingly being booked online and not through traditional travel agents, who would strongly suggest adding travel insurance to any holiday packages.
1300 Insurance has travel insurance available that can be easily purchased online, with differing levels of cover. This means you don’t lose any of the convenience and cost-effectiveness of booking your holiday online, and can have peace of mind that you are covered for an unfortunate event.
Source: ‘Insurance Policy is the Last Thing That Travellers Pack’, The Age Newspaper, Melbourne, December 6, 2009.