Neil’s Income Protection Claim With British Friendly

Neil is one of Drewberry’s clients. He came to us looking for Income Protection to secure his income in case he couldn’t work.

After a discussion with him, we matched him with a policy with British Friendly that ticked all his boxes. Just 4 years later, Neil became unwell and needed to make a claim. This is his story.

Transcript

I wouldn’t be where I am now without British friendly. I’m a British friendly member and I’ve been a member for around about 4 years.

I was a bathroom fitter. Now I sell bathrooms and also I’ve got a team of guys install them for me.

Unfortunately back about a year and a half or 2 years ago, I became unwell and had pains in my belly. I went to my GP, who recommended that I went for something called a colonoscopy.

Based on the results of the colonoscopy, Neil was diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer. He then had surgery to treat the cancer. Unfortunately, after this surgery Neil developed severe sepsis, which required treatment in intensive care and set back his recovery significantly.

It was quite a long journey for me but obviously I had the peace of mind of knowing I had Income Protection for when I was out of work.

I had one person and one point of contact, which was James. He knew my case very well, inside out, and was very empathetic and very understanding.

I felt that I could talk to about literally anything to do my claim – and he was just exceptionally good.

As Neil neared a return to full-time work, his claims manager James rang to let him know about British Friendly’s Recovery and Support Benefit, a discretionary payment paid to long-term claimants supporting them after they return to work. In addition to the weekly benefit he received during his claim, Neil received £1,292.32 as a Recovery and Support Benefit payment.

Once I’d returned to work for month, they gave me some more money to obviously help me on my way so it was very valued.

Obviously being out of work, being sick, lacking in mobility is one mental strain on its own, but knowing that you’ve got something that will be in place to pay your mortgage like Income Protection gave me a great positive experience knowing that I wouldn’t lose my house with my illness.

If you’re self-employed and you’re able to afford it, it’s a must because you think it’ll never happen to me. Well, it happened to me.

It’s definitely worth looking at a company like Drewberry as an agent to put you in contact with an Income Protection company.

Drewberry were very good, very informative with what they’d done. They came along and gave me some quotations and recommended two or three Income Protection companies and I chose British Friendly.

And yes, the rest is history really.

Neil is now fully recovered and back to work.

I had a rough ride, but knowing that if I have any issues and am off work again I can go back to British Friendly and they would support me again. I think it’s a great relief knowing that I have got someone on my side.