Cyclone Larry
Insurance company flies in staff to manage NSW storm claims
Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency (Apia) has flown in additional staff to Newcastle to manage claims from customers affected by the NSW storms.
The company has offices in Newcastle and Gosford. It also has a major operations centre at Gosford.
It will have over 60 staff in Gosford and Newcastle working on the large number of insurance claims it expects from the storms.
Apia has also put its national network of branches and staff throughout Australia on alert to assist with claims management.
Apia’s NSW State Manager, Graeme Browne says the company has responded rapidly to the storms.
A resident of Newcastle, he and other local staff will be managing damage to their own properties and those of their customers.
“We live here. We know the impact of this tragedy and we want to ensure we help our customers get back to normal life as soon as possible”, Graeme Browne says.
“In addition to our customer service managers at our Gosford and Newcastle Branches, we are flying in claims assessors from other areas of Australia to assist.”
“As with all residents of the Central Coast, it is difficult for us to travel throughout the area. Our branches at Newcastle and Gosford are undamaged and will be open for customers.”
“We also have a 24 hour, seven days a week call centre which will have advisers available at any time to assist customers with claims or queries,” he says.
Apia’s Gosford staff are well equipped to handle storm issues. They were a key part of Apia’s national response to last year’s devastating Cyclone Larry in Queensland.
Apia customers affected by the NSW storms can ring 135050 at any time. They can also visit the Apia offices at 17 Darby Street Newcastle and on the corner of Mann and Donnison Streets in Gosford.
For further information contact: Ron Burke (0419 334 452)
