We work closely with the travel industry and we have always found the staff of travel agents to be very professional in the way that they offer and sell travel insurance. This seems to go against the grain of the majority of high street insurance brokers, and certainly direct insurers.
To follow up on this, here is an extract from an email that has been sent by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) to its members and I beg the question: is the insurance industry doing the same?
"Yesterday ABTA's board discussed the following issues:
"Travel insurance - following ABTA's successful lobbying of the Treasury, it was agreed that ABTA introduce a comprehensive training programme for members
selling travel insurance. This follows the welcome announcement that travel companies selling travel insurance in conjunction with travel arrangements would be exempted from FSA regulation until 2007.
"It is now essential that the industry can demonstrate a good record in selling insurance. The board therefore agreed that basic training (Level 1) backed up by an examination, should be compulsory for all staff selling insurance by January 2005.
"At least one member of staff at each site should also undertake Level 2 training."
Derek W Ketteridge
Director
Ketteridge Group
Brighton
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