GGFi's team of qualified Insurance specialists have a wealth of General Insurance experience, including Travel Insurance,
which means they can provide you with the peace of mind you need to chill out and enjoy your well-deserved holiday:
- Single Trip
- Annual Multi Trip
- Up to 75 years of age
- Medical cover up to £5m
- Discounts for families, couples and groups
Contact GGFi's Travel Team on 0207 6453740 Monday to Friday 9am-5pm or send an email to travel@ggfi.org.uk to arrange a callback.
GGFi, the Glass & Glazing Federation's Insurance Backed Guarantee specialists are taking their Quality Insurance Made Simple mantra one step further by joining the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA), the UK 's leading general insurance organisation representing the interests of insurance brokers, intermediaries and their customers
BIBA represents the interests of over 2,000 insurance broking firms throughout the country and is regarded as the insurance industr's voice of authority. GGFi General Manager Lee Appleton comments: "I've said it before; we are not like our competitors. We are the only IBG provider to be registered with BIBA, and as a result we have access to a full range of technical and compliance assistance that our competition just don't have, which helps us further improve our service offering to existing and potential clients."
It was announced this week that buyers of new homes will be able to borrow up to 95% of their value as part of plans the government says will help get "Britain building again".
The mortgage indemnity scheme, in which the government will underwrite part of the risk to lenders, is part of a wider strategy to build more homes and boost home ownership.
Building more homes is one of the government's economic priorities, with the number of new ones being built at its lowest level since World War II, and with rents and prices remaining high while mortgage lending is restricted.
Prime Minister, David Cameron said "when the buying market grinds to a halt it ricochets around the economy, affecting builders, retailers, plumbers - all the people that depend on a housing market that is moving"
Contact GGFi on 0207 6453740 to discuss Insurance Backed Guarantees on glazing jobs into new builds.
The Glazing Ombudsman has been launched for the Glazing Industry covering the installation of replacement windows and doors, conservatories and roofline products. The Scheme, known as 'The Glazing Ombudsman' (TGO), will use the services of The Property Ombudsman to provide the Ombudsman facility.
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is a Member of the British and Irish Ombudsman Association (BIOA) and has been providing an ombudsman service for 20 years.
The Ombudsman is completely independent of his members and is accountable to an independent Council, ensuring that The Glazing Ombudsman can provide a free, fair and, above all, independent service for dealing with unresolved disputes between customers and members (registered businesses).
The Glazing Ombudsman is sponsored by the Glass and Glazing Federation and FENSA to provide financial stability, but in the medium term the low fee structure for registered businesses will provide sufficient funds for it to prosper. Members must follow the Code of Practice set out by The Glazing Ombudsman and provide customers with a fair and clear Contract of Sale in addition to Deposit and Work in Progress Insurance and several other commitments of service.
Lee Appleton, general manager comments "The set up of TGO is fantastic news for the glass industry, which has been crying out for a bona fide ombudsman scheme for a long time. A scheme of real value, which puts the restoration of Market confidence in our industry at the very centre of it's strategy, rather than another over priced vehicle to sell insurance, is great news for us all. I urge all GGFi members to log onto the TGO website and find out more."
Companies wanting to join the scheme or consumers wishing to know more can simply contact The Glazing Ombudsman on 020 7397 7200 or visit the website on www.glazingombudsman.com
As part of our ongoing mission to provide excellent value to our Insurance membership, GGFi is delighted to announce a new, free and exclusive service to GGFi registered installers and their friends and family!
In the event of a non-fault accident, GGFi's RTA Claims Management Service provides a free, guaranteed like-for-like replacement vehicle for the duration of the repairs that matches the members own specifications. The service is aimed at helping Glass Installers get a fully functioning replacement van, fitted with frails etc, while theirs is being repaired. However, anyone can carry one of our tax disc holders in their van/car and take advantage of this free service if they are involved in a non-fault claim.
What do GGFi members get?
When a driver in possession of one of our tax disc holders is involved in a non-fault accident, they will receive:
FREE replacement vehicle of the same class as your own, including all glass carrying vehicles and frails, if needed.
FREE vehicle repair by specialists accustomed to working with glass carrying vehicles
FREE legal advice and compensation (if applicable)
FREE physiotherapy (or appropriate treatment) to aid recovery if injuries are sustained as a result of the accident
Did we mention this service is FREE?!? And remember, it can benefit your friends, family and all your employees too, all they have to do is carry the tax disc!
GGFi has thousands of tax-disc holders ready to sent to it's entire membership, which contain a telephone number for the driver to ring in the event of a non-fault accident. Once the call has been made, a GGFi representative will take over from there.
To request a pile of free tax disc holders, please send an email with your company name, your address and the number of tax disc holders you require to info@ggfi.org.uk or contact General Manager, Lee Appleton on 0207 6453740 for more information.
GGFi have launched a new and exclusive Payment Protection Insurance product, which has recently been marketed to GGFi installers. The large amount of early signups from the GGFi membership is possibly down to the fact that no proof of earnings has to be proved in the event of a claim, something that separates the product from the vast majority of PPI cover on the market.
What is PPI?
Payment Protection Insurance is protection for company principles should they be temporarily disabled due to accident or injury and be unable to work. The policy will pay out up to £30,000 per year, and is 'peace of mind' security against something which can have a potentially terminal effect on your business, and your ability to provide for your family.
To find out more, telephone the GGFi PPI department on 020 7036 6543.
In a bid to continually improve its service offering to its members, GGFi has introduced 2 new consumer search functions to the GGFi website. The 'Find a GGFi Tradesman' and 'Check a GGFi Member' search functions are now available online meaning that consumers will now be able to locate their nearest GGFi registered company or check whether a company is registered with us. This facility assures consumers that the company they choose to carry out there home improvement works are fully vetted, trusted and reliable professionals.
GGFi hopes that this checking facility will prove to be a valuable resource and selling tool for its registered businesses, whereby they can point potential customers in the direction of the GGFi website. From here the customer can find out all they need to know about insurance backed guarantees and all other relevant insurance products, and also verify that the business is a bona fide member of GGFi.
For more information or if you have any questions please do get in contact with us 0870 850 8281 or please visit www.ggfi.org.uk/find-your-local-ggfi-tradesman or www.ggfi.org.uk/check-a-tradesman to see it in action.
Throughout 2010 GGFi saw a huge increase in the number of FENSA installers requiring Insurance Backed Guarantees on commercial contracts. This demand has continued into 2011 as more and more local authorities, housing associations and commercial organisations seek further protection on their investment before they sign up for the work to be done.
If you're putting together a tender for non-consumer double glazing work then why not make your client aware that you can provide an IBG on the job: it will almost certainly give you the edge over your competitors!
Contact GGFi General Manager Lee Appleton on 0207 6453740 for any commercial queries.
2011 has started in style for Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG) providers GGFi, who are delighted to announce Grabex Windows Ltd as the 2500th company to sign up to the GGFi IBG scheme since it began in 2005, re-affirming GGFi's position as one of the UK's leading IBG providers.
In celebration of this milestone, GGFi commercial manager Lee Appleton dropped in on Grabex owner Michal Grabowski and his team at their premises to personally thank them for choosing GGFi as their IBG provider. Lee says: "I met Michal last year at the Grand Designs exhibition, and he had been meaning to contact GGFi for a while about joining the scheme but hadn't got round to it. It was clear that Michal had big plans for his business but also big concerns with his previous IBG provider and wanted to be part of a more flexible and competitively-priced Insurance scheme. Michal has built up a fantastic business at Grabex, and GGFi are delighted to be working with them for their Insurance requirements."
Having spent 6 years as a sole-trader, Michal started the company 4 years ago, and throughout an extremely tough economic climate, Grabex has continued to prosper. They have pushed the limits of thermal performance by achieving a Window Energy Rating of A+32 and U-value of 0.8 W/M²K – the highest in the UK. The recently purchased Haffner Cutting Centre has sped up the manufacturing process to produce 500 frames a week, enabling them to target more trade Customers. The future plan is to improve the timber section (as Grabex believe they are experts in UPVC already!)
To find out more about one of the leading Insurance Backed Guarantee Schemes on the market you can contact Lee Appleton on 0870 850 8281 or send us an email info@ggfi.org.uk
Fensa has launched the Fensa U-value calculator for its registered businesses.
The FENSA U value calculator is available online on the FENSA registered businesses' website www.fensaonline.com . Installers can sign up to use the calculator for a year and undertake as many 'U' value calculations as required for the amount of £199. The calculator has undergone extensive testing and provides a very accurate method to calculate whole window U values to demonstrate compliance for windows and doors to the Doc 'L' regulations.
Installers will be required to enter the following details:
Window or Door frame details
Insulated Glass Units details
The calculator will produce a combined whole window/door U value. The whole U value calculation and the various factors entered to achieve the final calculation can be downloaded and printed out, and registered with the FENSA database as a record which can be used by the FENSA inspectors.
Installers are advised to keep a copy for themselves for the FENSA inspectors to check and verify during a preinspection, and to give a copy to the homeowner for the FENSA inspectors to check and verify during a post inspection if a permanent record has not been made on the FENSA system. For further information on the FENSA U Value Calculator, please contact the FENSA team on 020 7645 3700 or go to www.fensaonline.com
GGfi is pleased to announce the launch of its newly designed website www.ggfi.org.uk. The website has been re-launched with a vibrant new look, as well as an enhanced user experience for Homeowners, Installers and Existing GGFi members alike. Talking about the new website, Lee Appleton Commercial Manager at GGFi has said that "The new GGFi website has been designed to provide a more comprehensive source of company information and services. We hope that all users find the new site useful and would love to hear if you have any feed back on how you find the site and any improvements that can be made."
GGFi will be appearing at Glassex alongside FENSA & GGF between 17-20 October 2010 at NEC Birmingham. We would like to invite all existing members that are thinking of attending to pop by the stand and say hello.
GGFi are inviting companies to visit them at the regional G10 glazing show at Villa Park, Birmingham between 21st-22nd April 2010, at our stand that is alongside FENSA and BFRC. Companies are invited to take the opportunity to meet the staff and find out how to take advantage of the range of comprehensive and cost effective GGFi insurance schemes offered – considered to be one of the most competitive in industry. So whether you are an existing member or looking to switch IBG providers, please feel free to drop by and say hello and see how we can help you.
GGFi recently conducted a client satisfaction survey in a bid to further strengthen and continually improve its service offering.
The Real Bridgnorth Windows UK Ltd were put into a free prize draw by filling out and returning their GGFi customer survey, and were pulled out of a hat to win a Majestic Wine 6-bottle gift box.
GGFi Commercial Manager Lee Appleton explains; "We felt the time was right for GGFi to contact all of our existing clients, thank them for their continued business and find out how the Insurance Backed Guarantee scheme is working for them." He continues; "We were completely overwhelmed by the response, our clients given us some really useful and encouraging feedback about how they think we're doing so a big thanks to all the companies who took the time to give us their comments."
The survey results showed that 97% of GGFi clients find the scheme easy to use, 96% felt the scheme was meeting their expectations and most encouragingly 91% of members would recommend the scheme to others. Other areas of the questionnaire focused on GGFi's marketing material and the forthcoming new GGFi website. Lee closes by saying; "We listen very closely to what our clients say and the message we want to send back to them is thank you for your business, thank you for your comments and rest assured GGFi will be stepping up its performance even further in 2010 and beyond!"
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