Restoration over replacement reduces multi-trade teams and ensures safety, says Plastic Surgeon

Plastic Surgeon is working hard to educate the insurance industry to change its approach to restoration over replacement after receiving a claim

During these uncertain times of lockdown, it is important that the insurance industry pulls together to examine alternative avenues for claims management to ensure we offer the most effective solution during these unprecedented times. Plastic Surgeon Fine Finishers—the UK’s leading hard surface repair company—has been working with insurers throughout the pandemic to ensure that we can keep to business-as-usual levels, with great success.

Our dedicated insurance team is able to carry out multiple repairs requiring only one finisher for each job. This has many benefits but, most importantly, during the Covid pandemic it greatly reduces the number of trades teams required on site, thereby minimising the risk to the customer and tradespeople.

A kitchen restoration following water damage

Think of it this way: if a kitchen had been damaged, by perhaps an escape of water, there would be a multitude of trades required to get the customer back to their pre-loss condition if the kitchen were to be replaced. Kitchen fitters, plumbers, tilers, gas engineers and flooring specialists—the list of trades required to fit a new kitchen can be relentless. Not forgetting the time lags that would be caused while the customer waits for the new kitchen cupboards to arrive. The amount of people involved and numerous home visits obviously increases the Covid risk to the customer.

But if the damage had instead been repaired, works would have taken place on the same day/days by just one finisher. We would have liaised with the customer remotely leading up to the work taking place, receiving photos and imagery of the damage to limit the visits required.

Plastic Surgeon has been working hard on educating the industry to change its approach to restoration over replacement for some time.

Lauren Robson, insurance services account manager at Plastic Surgeon, comments: “Some insurers are still adopting archaic, expensive and somewhat unreliable processes when it comes to their approach to handling claims, particularly during large scale weather events.”

“Clauses within policy documents state that insurers have the option to repair, replace, or cash settle. Many insurers do not understand just how many items are completely repairable, and during incredibly busy times they revert straight to a replacement approach.”

In a report carried out for a leading insurer, Plastic Surgeon found that out of all of the cases that were presented, only 16% of claims were unrepairable.

Robson adds: “We believe that during this period of lockdown, repair over replacement will really assist the industry to ensure that customers’ claims are rectified, quickly and safely.”

For more details of the services offered by Plastic Surgeon Fine Finishers, contact Lauren Robson direct on lrobson@plastic-surgeon.co.uk or 07841817741, or visit plastic-surgeon.co.uk/business/insurance.

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