For many NHS workers, being able to get to and from work is even more vital as the COVID-19 pandemic grips the nation.
So, when Gemma Smith’s car was involved in an accident, she knew she needed to get back on the road quickly.
Gemma, from Portsmouth, works as a receptionist at a doctors’ surgery. As well as making sure people get the appointments they need, her role often sees her as the first person people contact when they’re suffering from anxiety or depression.
She said: “I deal with a lot of people with anxiety and clearly at the moment, with everything that’s going on, it’s an even more difficult time for them.
“I help by signposting patients to places where they can get help, for example counselling services or places where they can get more information on ways to deal with how they are feeling.
“It’s a really rewarding part of my job. I’d say it’s even more important now because of the added stress on people with coronavirus, so it’s important that I’m able to get to work.”
Gemma, who bought her car insurance through the BGL Group, a digital distributor of insurance and household financial services, was going to pick her daughter up from school when a delivery van collided with her Audi.
Recognising her important role within the NHS, the claims team at Ageas, which underwrites her policy, quickly leapt into action and pulled out all the stops to get her car fixed and back on the road as quickly as possible.
“It was really fast,” Gemma said. “The team arranged for me to have a courtesy car straight away but I only needed it for a couple of days because my car was fixed really quickly.”
Ageas’ approved repair centre, Halo, gave Gemma’s car a thorough clean inside and out before returning it to her and also sanitised the vehicle to be extra safe. “They even gave me a lovely orchid when I got the car back,” Gemma said. “It was so nice of them, I wanted to cry!”
The kindness didn’t stop there. Ageas also waived the excess fee on Gemma’s policy, as the company was satisfied the accident wasn’t Gemma’s fault. Luke Cole, who helped with Gemma’s claim, said: “Considering Gemma’s circumstances of being an essential worker during this pandemic, we wanted us to do everything we could to make the situation as easy as possible for her.”
Gemma now has her own car back and appreciates being able to get to and from her role as a key worker during the pandemic. “It was excellent service from start to finish,” she says. “It’s been a difficult time and I really needed my car. The people I dealt with at Ageas, Halo and BGL were fantastic and I could not have asked for more.”