Things about places you've worked at that they don't want the general public to know

When you receive a survey after a support call, fill it out positive. The agent gets a bonus at the end of the month based on their return rate / % of positive ones.

It's not their fault the product is shíte. Give them a break.

Unless they fob you off with a complete load of bullshít excuses. Then be as brutal as possible so they get fired for being useless at their job.

radharc wrote: »

Worked in the risk department of a major Irish bookie. Standard industry practice to restrict or close accounts that are likely to be unprofitable while increasing limits for mug punters. The idea is that you never want a mug punter to hit their max bet so their limits are constantly extended as their bet size increases (even if they are displaying signs of addiction / problem gambling).

I doubt any of this will be shocking to anyone.

It's people. "It" is made out of people.:eek:

Insurance:

1. If you ever need documents sent out, or really are getting anything done to your insurance that won't impact the policy (e.g. claiming, adding drivers, changing vehicle) and get told there is a €25-50 charge, don't accept it. They'll then tell you "it's just a charge because it is" or some abrupt bullsh**. It's not. It's an admin fee that their managers pressurise customer service staff to get off everyone they can (check if it's in the Ts & Cs of your contract, though most leave it out because it doesn't look 'appealing' for new customers to see). Nobody's mate who happens to be insured there will ever, ever be made pay it for example. Printing a new cert and disc or policy schedule does not cost €40, it costs the price of ink and a piece of fancy paper.

2. If you change from a small car to a bigger one, your insurance will likely go up. Sometimes, this can even happen in the reverse (certain companies add a loading for GTI types and whatnot - even if you're a pensioner, those cars tend to be driven by people more prone to crashing ). But if you ever change from a bigger car to a smaller one and get told there is "no charge"... ask for a premium breakdown. Your insurance company might owe you well upwards of €100 or even more and will instead hold onto it as 'admin fees' without ever telling you. I worked for a company that did that to a guy for €310 before... he only lived a 5 minute drive from me, so I drove to his house and let him know (but that he never heard it from me). MAJOR fallout there.

3. The 'gender directive' a year ago was a joke. It was meant to level out insurance costs between men and women, yet for example if Mary paid €300 for her insurance beforehand and Tom €800, you would think they are both paying €550 now right? Wrong. They are both paying €750-800. Not one person in the entire insurance industry has ever been able to explain why to me, and how what happened can be seen as legal, I have no idea.

4. "Bonus protection" does NOT mean you keep your bonus if you have a claim on the road. You will very possibly lose 2-3 years of it still. Make sure the person selling (key word there) the policy to you specifies FULL bonus protection if you are after it, and whether that will allow you make one or two claims without losing your bonus (it varies). It's a really dirty trick a lot of people working in insurance use.

5. The no claims bonus system is a farce and even kind of a scam... and here is why. If you own a car with a full 6+ years bonus, and go to by a second car... nearly all companies will not give it to you, and you must start from scratch as if this were your first ever policy. If you own a van and decide to buy a car, it is likely a necessity (kids and such), so again companies will not carry over your bonus if you choose to keep the van. But if you own a car and decide to buy a van (not a necessity as if you really had to, you could probably use the car for this purpose) they will pretty much all let you keep your bonus on the car AND use it on the new van. Why? Because they know in one instance, you still NEED the car but in the second, your are less likely to need the van as badly and so might just scrap the idea.

6. Your no claims bonus also expires if unused for two years, and companies never tell anyone until after the fact. So if you and the other half each have 6+ years bonuses but have to cut down to one car, and you keep the insurance in one name for two-and-a-bit years, things improve and you buy another car... sorry, but your bonus is gone! Same for people who spent 2+ years abroad unless insured there. Apparently not paying money to the insurance industry for 24 months and 1 day causes you to forget how to drive. Absolute farce.

7. NEVER tell the person on the phone your best price before they give you any. If they are coming in €100 cheaper, they can just add €80 onto the cost at the click of a button, and most will. If you call Chill, or the AA, or whoever, they can't see the prices you have been given - that's a bluff - they can only see the prices under their criteria. That said, apart from that they are typically trying to get you the best price they can (especially if you are not already insured with them) - they want you to take it, after all.

There's plenty more again, but I just can't think of them right now. Insurance (especially Irish car insurance) makes the banking sector look like a pack of saints by comparison.

Also, more an opinion that a fact here, but the RSA scandal will have to impact customers, despite them saying it won't. Insurance in principal is quite basic - money comes in (premiums) and goes out (claims). The more money going out (claims), the more that must come in (premiums). It's why insurance went up a lot from 2008-10 - home insurance from the claims to do with the weather, car insurance for things people would have just paid off hand themselves in the boom years (scratches and bumps). Now €84mn has gone out... erm, somewhere... so that will again need to come back in. If you are with them, take a check to see if your premium goes up this year.

numorouno wrote: »

Make even more money? They now have a plane + 20 extra paying customers

The way he worded it, the plane needs to be full to make money. Maybe more people to buy crap, but more spent on fuel too. Overselling seats is a different matter that will indeed bring in more money, but that's not what he said.