So, before I post a couple of cool little nuggets of information, I thought I would give you the OUTsurance contact details in case you need them.

OUTsurance Contact Details

New (FREE) Quotes

If you’re looking to get a quote from OUTsurance, visit this webpage, fill in the form, and let THEM phone YOU! It will be cheaper in the long run:

OUTsurance Quote Website

OUTsurance Claims

If you need to submit a claim to OUTsurance, you can use the following phone number:

08 600 70 000
Mon-Fri 07h00-18h00, Sat 08h00-13h00

HELP@OUT

If you’re in need of an emergency plumber, electrician, etc. at ANY time of the day, just phone the number below:

HELP@OUT – 08 600 80 000
24 hours a day, 7 days a week

I have used this service for a plumber, and I think the plumber arrived, did his job, and left, all in around 60 minutes. I was REALLY impressed.

You can read more about my experience here: “Help@OUT with OUTsurance”

Anyway, don’t forget to visit the website and get them to phone you. It just makes sense:

www.OUTsurance.co.za

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2010. | Contact OUTsurance Insurance | 2 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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The reason for that is because they’re way, WAY cheaper (for me) than ANY other insurance provider in South Africa. I know this because I phoned around for a couple of quotes recently and I ended up moving all my insurance to OUTsurance.

You can read more about that here: “OUTsurance saved me R500 a month”

As with most people, I am VERY quick to complain (read my Coricraft reviews), but not so quick when it comes to giving good reviews. But today, I just had to write another great review of OUTsurance.

My Plumbing Problem

One of the bathrooms in our house has been starting to smell quite badly. There have been no blockages, and no leaks that I can see.

It was INCREDIBLY frustrating, because the smell did not stay there the entire time, but when it was there, BOY was it strong!

So, obviously, the first thing you think of when your drains are smelling is “call the plumber”.

The second thing you think of is: “HELL no! Not at what they charge!!!”.

Well, from now on, the first thing I will think is, call HELP@OUT from OUTsurance!

About HELP@OUT

That last statement sounds really corny, I know. But here’s a little background about what HELP@OUT actually is (from the OUTsurance website):

Home Assistance applies if you have your Contents or Building cover noted on your Schedule.

You are covered for any of the emergencies listed under What is covered.

The following annual limits apply to each different address noted on your Schedule:

R5000.00 and a maximum of 2 incidents

What is covered (Limit of  Call out + 1 hour of labour):

• Locksmiths
• Builders
• Electricians
• Glaziers
• Plumbers
• Tree fellers
• Bee keepers

What is covered (Limit of  Call out + 12 hour shift):

• Security

Notification Services:

• Notification to the SAPS, Traffic, Ambulance and Fire Brigade Services

Home Gadgets:

• Referral to service providers for home appliance repairs and services.

(The costs for materials, parts and additional labour are not included)

Why OUTsurance is AWESOME!

So, back to my plumbing problem.

I phoned OUTsurance today at 3:27PM today to say that I needed plumbers to come out and check the smell. I’ve always assumed it was related to a blockage, so that’s what I told them it might be.

At 4:36PM, the plumbers left, after diagnosing the issue (more on the actual cause of the smelly bathroom in another article).

So, in just over an hour after phoning OUTsurance, the plumbers had come and gone. And if you’re aware of traffic in Johannesburg at this time of the day, you KNOW that this is a super-human feat!

What YOU must do NOW!

Like I mention in my article about saving money with OUTsurance, get a quote from them. It will take you around 15 minutes, and you might find out that you qualify for insurance that is a lot cheaper than your current insurance.

If anything, you might get a lower quote, and be able to take that back to your current insurance provider and ask for a lower permium.

BELIEVE ME! IT WORKS!

So, to get the free (no obligations) quote from OUTsurance, click this link and fill out the form. They’ll phone you back (so that THEY pay for the call):

OUTsurance quote

If you have any comments or if you’ve been through this, please let me know. I’d love to hear if everybody else has also had such a great experience!

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2009. | OUTsurance and the HELP@OUT Service | No comments yet. Click here to add yours... |

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In nice, simple English it explains the differences between the different vehicle tracking devices and how installing one can affect your insurance premium. They also talk about the benefits of each tracking company (such as Matrix, Tracker, Netstar, etc.), how much each one costs for installation and it’s monthly subscription.

Here’s what they say regarding OUTsurace:

Having a tracking system in your car also has insurance benefits. Outsurance will not insure your car if it is not fitted with a tracking device and if the value of your car exceeds R200 000. Pick Outsurance and they cover the initial installation costs.

My car doesn’t cost that much, but I do believe I got a discounted premium on my car insurance because I use the Matrix Vehicle Tracking unit. And, call me paranoid, but I don’t mind leaving my car anywhere.

I have:

Satellite Tracking
Gear Lock
Immobiliser

So, that’s pretty safe. Not 100% safe, but pretty safe.

If you’d like to read how I saved money on my insurance, feel free to read this post of mine: “OUTsurance saved me R500 a month“

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2007. | OUTsurance and Vehicle Tracking Devices | No comments yet. Click here to add yours... |

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In South Africa the colour of the litter on the pavement outside your house could contain clues as to whether your home is being staked out by robbers, according to an insurance firm.

A green object, such as a beer bottle, could be a signal to thieves to ‘go ahead, the coast is clear,’ whereas a red object, such as a Coca-Cola can, could be a sign to ‘steer well clear.’

Now, whether you choose to believe that is up to you. Personally, I think somebody who was upset with the litter in their area decided to ensure people tidied up. And they did it with the world’s best motivation: Fear

The problem is, OUTsurance is quoted as giving the advice to tidy up or be burgled. And I know they’re a pretty modern Insurance Company, but come on, do you SERIOUSLY think they would? Not according to their Head of Communications, Trevor Devitt, who left a comment to this effect on the above news story:

This information is incorrectly reported as expressing the views of OUTsurance. We certainly do not endorse the content.

It was complied from a range of comments and feedback given by members of the public in response to a request for suitable and practical consumer tips on home safety.

The issue of the coloured bottles on the pavement has fast become an urban legend and its factual accuracy is highly questionable.

The issue about bolting ones appliances, while acceptable to some, is extreme and may be both impractical and unsightly. We would never expect any consumer to go to such unreasonable lengths to secure their household items.

Trevor Devitt
Head of Communications
Tel 012 673 3060

So, while we’re at it with these extra special “Safety Tips for living in South Africa“, here’s one for you to take away:

If you stop at the traffic lights and you think the window washer or street vendor has touched the roof of your car, be careful! They might have put chewing gum there. And this will be an indicator to somebody at the next traffic lights that you are a good victim for a smash and grab or a hijacking…

Do you have any other safety Urban Legends?

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2007. | Tidy Up or be Robbed | 2 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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According to the article:

There are 3 groups:

• Those who are claim free
• Those who claim within expected norms
• Those who claim excessively

So, if you’re good, you pay less… Not really cool, but that’s life for heavy claimers, but that’s nice for the non-claimers, in a way.

Hmmm… I just hope OUTsurance covers me properly when I need them.

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2007. | OUTsurance cancels cover | No comments yet. Click here to add yours... |

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The fact that he works for a competing insurance company doesn’t really help his argument. (I noticed this by his e-mail address he used to comment with).

Anyway, you have GOT to read this article about how OUTsurance’s 24 hour assistance really beat out Vodacom’s competing product.

I called and spoke to a guy called Rueben. I explained to Rueben where we were, and after a brief silence, he told me to wait 1 minute. Sure enough, he calls back in 1 minute. Rueben told me that I had to wait another 5 minutes for ‘R&J Towing Service’. Rueben then gave us stern instructions not to get out the car, to keep the motor running, and to keep his number ready. By this time he had also phoned the police to let them know where we were.

It’s gripping stuff

Hopefully this isn’t a once-off occurence, though I must say I am NOT a big fan of Vodacom, and therefore no longer a customer. But that is a story for another day.

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2007. | OUTsurance proves themselves | No comments yet. Click here to add yours... |

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If you live in South Africa and you want to do JUST ONE THING that might save you money, go get a free OUTsurance quote by clicking here: Free OUTsurance Quote

If you go get an OUTsurance Quote, it might take half an hour, but, over a year, my quote is saving me R6000!

It will cost you nothing, and there is no commitment. You just fill in the form, and they will phone you back…

Why should you do it?

Read on to see how I saved R500 a month when I tried to CANCEL my OUTsurance car insurance.

My friend gets a good insurance deal

A friend of mine once mentioned that to get a good insurance rate, you needed to phone around and play the different Insurance Companies against each other. He proved this fact by phoning the one company and asking for a better rate than his current insurance premium. He then phoned his current Insurance provider and told them what he could get somewhere else. They bettered the rate, so he phoned the other company… This went on for a bit, until one of them caved, and he had a new, all-time low Insurance Premium.

SANTAM doesn’t play along

Of course, this might not always work out for everybody. For example, I phoned OUTsurance to cancel the insurance on a car I had sold, and they offered to give me a free quote on my current car (which was insured with Santam). I said fine, because I’m a sucker for sales people. They went and cut my Insurance Premium from R1,450 down to R945! AND, this included more benefits. But, remembering my friend’s story I phoned Santam and asked for a lower premium. They said they couldn’t better OUTsurance’s offer.

So, I cancelled my Santam Insurance policy, and went with OUTsurance.

I received a letter in the post from Santam the month after I cancelled my insurance policy, informing me that they had increased my premium to R1,550. I guess I changed just in time.

So, remember, do yourself a favour and go get your free quote here: Free OUTsurance Quote

© James for Make a good house a GREAT home, 2007. | FREE OUTsurance Quote SAVED me R500 a month!!! | 16 comments. Click here to add yours... |

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