Q: Why does my cover lapse after missing one premium payment?
Q: Why can I not choose my preferred legal practitioner to be paid from my legal cover?
A: A contract usually stipulates when cover will lapse if no premiums are paid. One should remember, however, that premiums are paid in advance. Consequently, should payment not be effected for the period commencing, this would mean that you are not covered for that specific period.
A: That is usually because of what is stipulated in the terms and conditions of the type of cover taken out. Very often it is specified that the insurer will choose a legal practitioner from a pool of legal practitioners they engage with. If you accept those terms and conditions, you will be bound by them.
Q: What is NAMFISA doing to protect consumers from falling prey to unscrupulous agents?
Q: Why may I not be provided with a legal practitioner when I am a complainant in a criminal case?
A: NAMFISA constantly embarks on Consumer Education Campaigns to educate consumers to be cautious when entering into transactions and when dealing with agents. Consumers are always encouraged to read the terms and conditions of contracts before signing them, and to ensure that they under-stand all risk involved in any transaction they undertake. Consumers are also advised not to put too much trust in agents and brokers, and that they should be pro-active in that they read the contracts and ask relevant questions in re-lation thereto.
A: That is because, as the complainant, you are automatically represented by the State Prosecutor, who will act as your legal practitioner in the matter. Con-sequently, there is no basis on which the insurer should provide you with a legal practitioner. Should the same facts also entitle you to lodge a civil claim, however, you may be provided with a legal practitioner.
Q: Why do you accept the assessors report as final with
regards to a claim?
A: NAMFISA never accepts an assessors report before carefully analysing it. If we accept an assessors report, it is because we are satisfied that, given the circumstances, the conclusion therein is the most probable. Alternatively, after analysing an assessors report we accept it at face-value only if the complainant is unable to provide us with a reasonable explanation of the events.
“I believe that the true definition of
wealth is loving what you have rather than what you don’t have.”
– Celso Cukierkorn