A few weeks ago I was invited to feature on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC)’s Kwacha Good Morning Zambia programme to discuss the reading culture in Zambia.
I was invited to speak from the author’s point of view along with the president of the Zambia Library Association who was picked to speak from the general readership point of view.
As we started the programme ZNBC played a video showing people’s views on the street on the subject.
I was astonished to see from the short documentary that most of the people expressed concern over the poor reading culture in Zambia.
Some were attributing the poor reading culture to the way we grow up
while others were of the view that most books were not interesting, etc.
As an author of one book so far, some of the people I have given my book to read just browse through and still come back to ask me questions even when the answers are there in the book.
There is a saying that if you want to hide anything from a black man then put it in a book.
This should not be the case.
In contract what you sign for you live with and what you don’t sign for you live without.
Unfortunately many are the times when we sign contracts without reading the details therein.
Take for example when applying for a loan at a bank, as soon as the loan is approved someone would just be excited about the funds such that they don’t take time to read the details in the contract.
When as issue arises which triggers a clause that affect them negatively they claim that they were not aware yet they signed the contract. The devil is in the details, it is said.
Insurance is not different from the foregoing.
In my 11 years of experience in the industry I have discovered that few people read the policy terms and conditions.
Insurance is a promise to pay the insured in an event of an insured loss occurring. This promise has terms and conditions enshrined in thepolicy documents.
Ideally, the insured is supposed to read these terms and conditions sothat they understand how insurance operates.
For example one must understand the type of insurance they are buyingfor their motor vehicle.
If they buy third party insurance they should not claim on theirpolicy if there vehicle is involved in an accident.
But there are people who have come back to claim for the damage ontheir vehicle even when they only bought third party insurance.
All they say is that ‘I have insurance…’ When you explain what their insurance covers they exclaim ‘but what is the purpose of insurance…’
Others have said ‘insurers are thieves…’ largely for failing to read and understand the terms and conditions of the policy.
As an expert I always advice customers that if you can spend money on it then you can equally spend time reading it.
Ignorance is no defence at law.
Alternatively ask questions when buying insurance on what is covered.
It is expected that insurers will explain some salient features of the policy at selling stage but the insured cannot use this expectation to dodge what the policy requires.
It is for this reason that the role of a broker or agent becomes vital for the ‘busy’ customers who don’t have the time to read the terms and conditions of the policy.
They can entrust their broker/agent to get the best deal for them and also ask them to take care of all the devil in the detail.
A broker being a professional is expected to perform their duties professionally and should there be breach of this professional duty the client can sue them.
This is why all brokers are expected to have in a place Professional
Indemnity cover to protect themselves against breach of professional duty.
I don’t know the best way to address the poor reading culture but right from tender age children must be trained on reading, even books outside their curriculum so that as they grow up this attribute is inculcated in them.
I reiterate that most of the content is books is by far well thought through than what is shown on TV yet we would rather spend much time on the later.
Like I have alluded to above the devil is in the details, try to fish him out through reading the terms and conditions of the insurance contract before signing up. Comments: webster@picz.co.zm or webster_tj@hotmail.com or on face book search for Insurance Talk-Zambia page or call/text 0977 857 055
[The Author  is aChartered Insurer with more than 10 years industry experience]