Claims

As you may be aware, society is becoming more litigious and sometimes even simple disputes will end up in court.

Whether you are right or not, the level of legal costs associated with resolving disputes can be high and at times disproportionate to the actual dispute.

In our experience claims of negligence often result from fee disputes even when, in your opinion, there is no substance to the allegation. The benefit of this policy is that these costs are covered by your insurers and that they take over the handling of the matter to enable you to concentrate on your business.

It is a specific and fundamental requirement that you notify us immediately of all and any incidents which may give rise to a claim, as delays in notification may result in invalidation of a claim.

What to do in the event of a claim

As soon as you are aware of any circumstances which could lead to a claim, even if no formal claim has been made and it is simply an expression of dissatisfaction, you should immediately contact us for assistance. Please have your policy details to hand when you contact us.

By e-mail:-
simply.consultants@inkunderwriting.com

By Phone:-
Call 0207 444 0010
(from 9:00 to 17.00 on weekdays)

By writing to:-
Claims Department
Simply Consultants
INK Underwriting Agencies Ltd
Birchin Court
3rd Floor
20 Birchin Lane
London
EC3V 9DU

Important

Do not admit liability or instruct solicitors without insurers agreement. All third party correspondence, claims, writs, summons etc should be forwarded to us unanswered and without delay. We will advise you on what action is required and by whom.
Please remember that your Professional Indemnity cover is on a claims made basis and it is therefore vitally important that any intimation of a matter that may result in a claim is notified to us within 14 days of expiry of your policy. In accordance with policy conditions, notifications received after this period will not be dealt with by insurers.

Our promise to you

We will handle claims fairly, promptly and keep you advised of developments. We will explain in writing (where appropriate) why your insurers are unable to accept your claim or otherwise.

Claims Examples

Professional Indemnity

• Whilst undertaking a PC clean up you accidentally erase your client’s entire database. They would be well within their rights to sue you for the financial loss suffered as a result of your negligence, as well as the cost of reinstating the data.
• Without authority you decide to amend some of your client’s working practices, without being fully aware of the implications that these changes will have on the successful operation of the business. As a consequence of your negligence your client suffers a severe disruption to their business for which they hold you responsible.
• You complete your contract and submit your fee invoice. Your client delays paying you and, when you threaten legal action, they suggest that your work was not satisfactory and counter-claim alleging negligence. Even though this counter-claim is clearly without merit, substantial legal costs could still mount up in defending it.

These types of claims would be dealt with under the Professional Indemnity Section of cover.

Public Liability

• You are contracting at a client’s premises and your laptop lead is stretched across a common walkway. A member of the client’s staff fails to notice the cable, trips over and injures themself. As a contractor you have a legal duty of care to third parties and it would not be unreasonable for the injured party to claim against you for loss of earnings, pain and suffering etc.
• You are contracting at a client’s premises and spill a cup of coffee into the client’s server resulting in severe damage and loss of functionality. Again, you have a legal duty of care to your client’s property.

These types of claims would be dealt with under the Public Liability Section of cover.

Employers’ Liability

As an employer you have a legal responsibility for the health and safety of your employees, which could include someone engaged under a government work training initiative. If someone suffers an injury whilst working for you then the likelihood is that you will be held in some way accountable and such cases are notoriously expensive both in defending and resulting damages if proven.

This type of claim would be dealt with under the Employers’ Liability Section of cover.