Insurance Guide

One of the major international buzzwords in 2015 was Uber. The highly divisive private car company has caused quite a stir in cities around the world, including Hong Kong. Since its launch in Hong Kong in mid-2014, it feels like the company has been near constant presence in the news. Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on regarding Uber, recent news has caused a fair amount of confusion around the legality of the service and whether car insurance will cover those who use it.

In Hong Kong, as in almost every other city, there are many key things car owners need to know before they hit the road. Firstly, they need to have a license in order to legally operate the vehicle, and secondly, they need to secure motor insurance. The issue with the latter is that, while it is legally required, there are different types of car insurance plans available, and numerous providers in the city offering these plans. In truth, it can be a bit of a chore finding the best insurance for you. In an effort to help make the whole motor insurance process easier for people in Hong Kong, Ken Chung, Kwiksure's Motor General Manager, joined one of the city's most popular radio shows for an interview that covered a wide variety of topics around motor insurance in Hong Kong, as well as what car owners need to know.

In a perfect world every car that rolls off the assembly line would be a shining example of quality; riding all shiny and chrome well into the future. In reality, as an article published in Forbes points out , your car is probably not going to last much more than 250,000 miles (402,336 km), or around 10 years. Keep in mind that these figures are for vehicles with good quality ratings that have been maintained properly (e.g., the owner follows manufacturer maintenance guidelines) and have not been in an accident. Of course there are stories out there of some vehicles, especially older Toyotas and Hondas, that have reached well beyond the 400,000 km mark with some even going over 800,000 km with little to no problem, but these are few and far between. In fact, most of the stories we hear about cars revolve around poor quality. Talk to anyone who has owned more than one car and you can bet that you will eventually hear a story about a car of such poor quality that it leaves a sour taste in your mouth, like a lemon.

Kwiksure快而保在 最近發表的文章 中，探討過汽車保險界一些情況，包括以近乎欺詐的手法處理「狀況改善」條款，以及我們的客戶在申索車保賠償時，經常遇到的五類投訴。 或者，我們可以先重溫一下五類最常見的投訴： 未能公平處理「狀況改善」條款，導致投保人無法獲得全額賠償。 目前處理索償的程序，需要涉事各方投入非常大量的人力資源與時間。 部份不良保險公司會在裁決後，就賠償金額與投保人討價還價。 假如事故是你的過失導致，即使是非常輕微的意外，你都必須接受違例記分。 繁瑣的索償程序促使涉事各方傾向私下解決爭議，導致當事人面臨日後再次被索償的風險。 請閱讀 另文 ，詳細了解投訴的底蘊以及出現這些投訴的成因。下文將會論述快而保樂於見到的重大改變，令投保人在索償程序中得到公平的待遇，同時也可以提高警方與保險公司的工作效率。 今年較早時在本港舉行的亞洲理賠會議，快而保董事總經理雷偉民先生(Neil Raymond)發言時，經已向與會人士建議如何改善本港的保險索償機制。

If you have ever been in an auto accident in countries like Canada or the UK, you know that small accidents that do not lead to injury are handled by insurers directly, with the party not at fault receiving payment in a relatively short amount of time - usually under two weeks. Here in Hong Kong, this is not the case. In fact, many parties will end up waiting six months to a year or more to receive payment from an insurance agent even if the accident is as inconsequential as a fender bender. This, along with a number of other common complaints, including one that was highlighted in our last article, point to a claims system that needs a massive overhaul. Complaints with the claims system in Hong Kong When looking at the claims process used by car insurance providers in Hong Kong, there are five common complaints that point to issues that need to be fixed in order to make the claims process better for all parties involved.

Check The Car Before Purchase The first thing you should do is check the car's service history to confirm the mileage stated by the seller. An independent source can ensure this, and that the car is in good running order. The Hong Kong Automobile Association offers this service (391 Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, Tel: 3583 3628)

The issue of ‘Betterment’ How would you feel if you owned a car, was in an accident that was not your fault, and had an insurance provider offer to pay 70% of the value of the parts arguing that they actually ‘made the vehicle more valuable’? Chances are high that you probably will not be happy being stuck with a parts bill and ultimately a car with a decreased value because of the accident. While this may seem unfair, it’s a common practice of Hong Kong insurers to do exactly this. Before we explain about this practice, it would be a good idea to first establish how insurance compensation should work in the city.

'Deductible', also known as 'excess', is a pre-set amount in an insurance policy that the policyholder is required to pay to the insurer when a claim is made. For example, if the total amount of a claim is HKD $15,000, and the policy has an excess of HKD $5,000, the policyholder will then have to pay the deductible of HKD $5,000, and the remaining HKD $10,000 of the claim will be paid by the insurer. The amount of the deductible may vary with individual insurers. Deductibles vary by insurer and also by policy. Some policies have very high deductibles, while others may have no deductible at all. Generally speaking, the higher the excess, the lower the premium, and vice versa. Therefore, when comparing different car insurance plans, the excess is also an important consideration in addition to the premium. Hong Kong law does not set a minimum requirement for the sum insured for property damage, but most local insurers will provide third-party property coverage of HKD $2 million. Car insurance policies typically come with several deductibles, which may take effect depending on the situation or personal attributes of the insured when a claim is made.

Lots of things in Hong Kong are old, but very few can be called vintage – and even fewer are in perfectly restored or preserved condition. But this autumn, the public is invited to come and feast its eyes (and stomachs and eardrums) on some of Hong Kong’s best classic cars, motorcycles, and auto-mobilia.

How to stop your car from overheating (and what to do if it does) Driving in warm weather can be wonderful; with the windows down and the radio on, a pleasant drive to the sea can be a great way to relax. What’s not relaxing, however, is hanging around by the side of the road waiting for your car to be towed because the engine has overheated. Whizzing along in the car whilst temperatures soar outside, then, is an infinitely more attractive prospect than having temperature’s soar under the hood, which can swiftly turn a casual day out into a full-blown nightmare. Check out our guide below to learn how to detect the vital signs, and thereby prevent, identify and remedy your car overheating.

Enjoy hammering the throttle down the freeway and feeling the wind rush through your hair? Here are a selection of five of the best convertible cars that will help save the earth and save you money in the long run. There are few better ways to take on the highway than in a convertible. Cruising along the open road with the wind rushing through your hair and the sun in your face is an exhilarating experience unmatched by more traditional means of transportation. With increasing concern about the environmental impact of motorised transport, and the increasing costs of fuel, there has been a push towards more fuel efficient vehicles. We explore some of the best options for an eco-friendly thrill ride.

So it turns out the internet isn’t just for looking at pictures of cats (who knew?), you can also use it to diagnose your medical maladies. WebMD is one of numerous online diagnosis sites that have popped up in the last few years. If and when you’re sick, these sites allow you to list your symptoms and see what the probable causes are. This is done either by searching the symptoms directly, or clicking through diagrams of the anatomy and selecting suggestions for what your symptoms may be. Once you’ve submitted these symptoms, a list pops up of the potential ailments that the all-knowing doctor of the interweb believes may explain your symptoms. In this hi-tech, fast paced, instant gratification era that we’re all living in, sites such as WebMD are becoming increasingly popular. Let’s face it, anyone with a laptop or smartphone and a propensity for being too lazy to arrange a Dr’s appointment has used one. We’ve all woken up with a rash, or a sore throat, maybe a body part looks a bit swollen, and we can’t face the hassle of making an appointment with the doc, taking the day off work and sitting in a doctor’s office full of sickly, sneezing, potentially contagious types, only to be told we simply have a common cold or have a mild allergy to our new detergent. Instead, we whip out our smartphone and tap away explaining to WebMD what’s sore or swollen or leaking, and the internet tells us “all is ok, no appointment is necessary, go about your day as normal” or, what seems more likely on these sites “Warning! You absolutely have x,y,z and every other letter of the alphabet, death is im­minent!”. Clearly, there are reasons why self-diagnosis is not such a grand idea. Namely, we haven’t seen WebMD’s medical qualifications - where did this great wise interweb doctor do his 7 years of medical school? More importantly, if you’re self diagnosing with your laptop, there goes your chance of getting a lollipop from the nurse for being a good patient. With that in mind, we’re going to take a look at the pros and cons of using online diagnostic sites to see whether this is the way forward for healthcare or a misguided fad.