Information and Support
Our Complaints Procedure
Family Violence, Supporting Vulnerable Clients and Financial Hardship Policy
Our Privacy Policy
Our Complaints Procedure
We subscribe to the NIBA Code of Practice.
The Code provides that brokers:
Act in the best interests of the Client;
Provide advice and guidance to enable clients to make informed decisions on risk and insurance protection;
Provide full and accurate information for effective underwriting;
Respect the client’s confidentiality in relation to all records and information;
Ensure the validity and accuracy of all documentation;
Make available all relevant documentation, policies and certificates, endorsements, and premium calculations as may be required;
Be professional, efficient and responsive in all dealings;
In the event of a claim, take every step necessary to ensure prompt and fair settlement;
Work towards maintaining and enhancing the reputation of NIBA and its members;
Act in the spirit of the Code and encourage others to do likewise.
KIB Insurance Brokers
Business Insurance Advice
Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers subscribes to the Insurance Brokers Code of Practice and is a member of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). Therefore, we are committed to attempt to resolve any issues promptly and fairly in accordance with our Complaints & Disputes Policy.
If you are not satisfied with a product, service, or possible breach by your broker, authorised representative or one of our team:
1. Contact your representative
Please contact your Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers representative with whom you are dealing.
2. Escalate to the Complaints Officer
If your complaint is not satisfactorily resolved or responded to, please contact our Complaints Officer Graham Koch on 0418 730 595 or put your complaint in writing and send it to:
3. If an issue has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you may seek further review by:
Contacting the Steadfast Customer Advocacy service. This service provides Steadfast Brokers’ clients with a means to obtain support, advice, and assistance regarding customer satisfaction and experience. If you are unhappy with any aspect of the services provided, and no acceptable resolution can be reached, the Steadfast Customer Advocacy service can be accessed.
Email: customeradvocacy@steadfast.com.au
Contact: 02 9495 6500
In writing to: GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001
Telephone: 1800 931 678
Email: info@afca.org.au
Online: www.afca.org.au
Family Violence, Supporting Vulnerable Clients and Financial Hardship Policy
Our Policies
Supporting Vulnerable Clients & Financial Hardship Policy
This Family Violence, Supporting Vulnerable Clients and Financial Hardship Policy (Policy) has been developed to comply with the National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) Insurance Brokers Code of Practice (the Code) and sets out how Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers identifies and supports vulnerable Clients, including those affected by Financial Hardship and Family Violence.
Client Care
Identifying and Supporting Vulnerable Clients
For the purposes of this Policy, any reference to “Clients” includes clients of Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers as well as any other individual entitled to Financial Hardship support under the Code. This could include individuals who we are seeking to recover money from as we believe they have caused damage to an insured Client.
Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers is committed to exercising greater care when dealing with vulnerable Clients.
A person may be vulnerable due to a range of factors, including:
Age;
Disability;
Mental health conditions;
Physical health conditions;
Family violence;
Language barriers;
Cultural background;
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status;
Remote location; or
Financial distress.
Core policies and procedures
1. Policy Statement
Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers has a long-standing commitment to conducting its business with honesty and integrity and remains committed to full compliance with the Code and informing Clients, and employees about information and assistance available to vulnerable people, including those experiencing Financial Hardship and Family Violence.
This policy and the Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers internal policy and training programs assist employees to:
Identify and understand if a Client may be vulnerable;
Determine how best, and to what extent, they can support a vulnerable Client;
Take account of a Client's particular needs or vulnerability; and
Engage with a vulnerable Client with sensitivity, dignity, respect and compassion. This may include arranging additional support and referring the Client to specialised people or services.
Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers may need to be flexible and vary the approach based on individual circumstances, including providing more personalised support to help navigate our processes.
2. Family Violence
“violent, threatening or other behaviour by a person that coerces or controls a member of the person’s family or causes the family member to be fearful.”
Family Law Act 1975 (Cth), section 4AB.
Family violence policy
Our Commitment on Family Violence.
Family Violence means much more than physical violence. It includes:
- emotional abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, financial or economic abuse; and
- damage to property.
The way employees deal with Clients who may be affected by Family Violence should facilitate, rather than act as a barrier to identifying Family Violence and improve the experience of those affected by Family Violence.
The aim of the Policy is to ensure that whenever Family Violence is identified or suspected, the safety of the Client affected by Family Violence and their family is protected.
Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers recognises that Family Violence is unacceptable in any relationship and Clients experiencing Family Violence will be treated with dignity and respect.
The support of Clients experiencing Family Violence and their family is the highest priority. Clients who indicate or disclose Family Violence are able to access support from Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers that is appropriate to their circumstances.
OUR SUPPORT PROCESS
3. Assisting Clients
Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers can assist vulnerable Clients, including those experiencing Financial Hardship or Family Violence by:
Ensuring safe and confidential communication in light of individual circumstances;
Helping to set up new insurance policies;
Helping to arrange access to financial hardship support; and
Referral to specialist support services.
In circumstances where the issue is complex or unable to be dealt with by the primary person who took the call, it is to be immediately referred to the Compliance Team for consideration.
The Client must be informed of this action.
Support & Advocacy
SUPPORT NETWORK
4. Third Parties
If Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers are advised or we identify that a client or potential client requires support from a third party (e.g. lawyer, interpreter, or friend) we will make reasonable accommodations to allow for this.
FINANCIAL RELIEF & RESOURCES
5. Financial Hardship
Financial Hardship occurs when Clients experience difficulty in meeting their financial obligations to Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers.
The support Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers can offer does not include support with paying the premiums under an insurance policy we have issued.
If a Client informs Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers, or we identify, that they are experiencing Financial Hardship, we will provide them with:
If appropriate, contact details for the National Debt Helpline – 1800 007 007.
CAPABILITY & COMPLIANCE
6. Training
Training is tailored to all employee roles within the business and the degree of contact they have with Clients.
Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers will aim to ensure that all employees have been trained and receive ongoing training so that they:
Are aware of Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers policies and procedures when they are engaging with vulnerable Clients;
Identify vulnerable Clients, including those affected by Family Violence;
Deal appropriately and sensitively with vulnerable Clients; and
Apply the Family Violence & Supporting Vulnerable Clients policy and related policies and procedures relevant to their role in dealing with Clients.
Training is aimed at assisting employees to reduce the impact of vulnerability and Family Violence on Clients.
KIB Insurance Brokers
7. Reporting
Any notification of Vulnerability or Financial Hardship received by a member of staff must be reported. Please email Graham Koch
Email: graham@kibgroup.com.au
Contact: 0418 730 595
HELPLINES & RESOURCES
8. Support Services & Resources
1800 RESPECT
National 24-hour Domestic & Family Violence and Sexual Assault Line.
Lifeline
National Association of Community Legal Centres
An independent not-for-profit community organisation that provides legal and related services to the public, focusing on the disadvantaged and people with special needs.
Beyond Blue
MENSLINE
24/7 support, information and referral service for men with family and relationship issues.
National Debt Helpline
Financial counselling is a free, confidential service to assist people in financial difficulty.
DATA PROTECTION & PRIVACY
Our Privacy Policy.
At Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers, we are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles. This Privacy Policy describes our current policies and practices in relation to the collection, handling, use and disclosure of personal information. It also deals with how you can complain about a breach of the privacy laws and how you can access the personal information we hold and how to have that information corrected.
What information do we collect and how do we use it?
When we arrange insurance on your behalf, we ask you for the information we need to advise you about your insurance needs and management of your risks. This can include a broad range of information ranging from your name, address, contact details, age to other information about your personal affairs including your assets, personal belongings, financial situation, health and wellbeing. We provide any information that the insurers or intermediaries who we ask to quote for your insurances and premium funding require to enable them to decide whether to insure you and on what terms or to fund your premium and on what terms.
Insurers may in turn pass on this information to their reinsurers. Some of these companies are located outside Australia. For example, if we seek insurance terms from an overseas insurer (e.g. Lloyd’s of London), your personal information may be disclosed to the insurer. If this is likely to happen, we inform you of where the insurer is located, if it is possible to do so.
When you make a claim under your policy, we assist you by collecting information about your claim. Sometimes we also need to collect information about you from others. We provide this information to your insurer (or anyone your insurer has appointed to assist it to consider your claim, e.g. loss adjusters, medical brokers etc.) to enable it to consider your claim. Again this information may be passed on to reinsurers.
From time to time, we will use your contact details to send you direct marketing communications including offers, updates and newsletters that are relevant to the services we provide. We always give you the option of electing not to receive these communications in the future. You can unsubscribe by notifying us and we will no longer send this information to you.
What if you don’t provide some information to us?
We can only fully advise you and assist in arranging your insurance or with a claim if we have all relevant information. The insurance laws also require you to provide your insurers with the information they need in order to be able to decide whether to insure you and on what terms. You have a duty to disclose the information which is relevant to the insurer’s decision to insure you.
When do we disclose your information overseas?
If you ask us to seek insurance terms and we recommend an overseas insurer, we may be required to disclose the information to the insurer located outside Australia. For example, if we recommend a policy provided by Lloyd’s of London, your information may be given to the Lloyd’s broker and underwriters at Lloyd’s of London to make a decision about whether to insure you.
We will tell you at the time of advising on your insurance if they are overseas and in which country the insurer is located. If the insurer is not regulated by laws which protect your information in a way that is similar to the Privacy Act, we will seek your consent before disclosing your information to that insurer.
Australian and overseas insurers acquire reinsurance from reinsurance companies that are located throughout the world so in some cases your information may be disclosed to them for assessment of risks and in order to provide reinsurance to your insurer. We do not make this disclosure. This is made by the insurer (if necessary) for the placement of their reinsurance program.
We may also disclose information we collect to the providers of our policy administration and broking systems that help us to provide our products and services to you. These policy administration providers and broking systems may be supported and maintained by organisations in New Zealand, the Philippines and Vietnam and your information may be disclosed to those organisations. Please note that the Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles may not apply to these organisations.
How do we hold and protect your information?
We strive to maintain the reliability, accuracy, completeness, and currency of the personal information we hold and to protect its privacy and security. We keep personal information only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or to comply with any applicable legal or ethical reporting or document retention requirements.
We hold the information we collect from you initially in a working file, which when completed is electronically imaged and stored. After which any paper is destroyed in our onsite shredder. In some cases, your file is archived and sent to an external data storage provider for a period of time. We only use storage providers located in Australia who are also regulated by the Privacy Act.
We ensure that your information is safe by protecting it from unauthorised access, modification, and disclosure. We maintain physical security over our paper and electronic data and premises, by using locks and security systems. We also maintain computer and network security; for example, we use firewalls (security measures for the Internet) and other security systems such as user identifiers and passwords to control access to computer systems where your information is stored.
Will we disclose the information we collect to anyone?
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to others.
We may need to provide your information to contractors who supply services to us, e.g. to handle mailings on our behalf, external data storage providers or to other companies in the event of a corporate sale, merger, re-organisation, dissolution, or similar event. We may also disclose information we collect to the providers of our policy administration and broking systems that help us to provide our products and services to you. However, we will take reasonable measures to ensure that they protect your information as required under the Privacy Act.
We may provide your information to others if we are required to do so by law, you consent to the disclosure or under some unusual other circumstances which the Privacy Act permits.
How can you check, update or change the information we are holding?
Upon receipt of your written request and sufficient information to allow us to identify the information, we will disclose to you the personal information we hold about you. We will also correct, amend, or delete any personal information that we agree is inaccurate, irrelevant, out of date or incomplete.
If you wish to access or correct your personal information, please write to our Managing Director Graham Koch at graham@kibgroup.com.au
We do not charge for receiving a request for access to personal information or for complying with a correction request. Where the information requested is not a straightforward issue and will involve a considerable amount of time then a charge will need to be confirmed for responding to the request for the information.
In some limited cases, we may need to refuse access to your information or refuse a request for correction. We will advise you as soon as possible after your request if this is the case and the reasons for our refusal.
What happens if you want to complain?
If you have concerns about whether we have complied with the Privacy Act or this Privacy Policy when collecting or handling your personal information, please write to our Managing Director Graham Koch at graham@kibgroup.com.au
Your complaint will be considered by us through our Internal Complaints Resolution Process. We will acknowledge your complaint within 24 hours and we will respond with a decision within 30 days of you making the complaint. If we need to investigate your complaint and require further time, we will work with you to agree to an appropriate timeframe to investigate. We will provide you with information concerning referring your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) if we cannot resolve your complaint.
Client Acknowledgement
Your Consent
By asking us to assist with your insurance needs, you consent to the collection and use of the information you have provided to us for the purposes described above.
Digital Terms & Usage
Website Information & Content.
The information provided on this website does not cover all aspects of the law on the relevant subject matter. Professional advice should be sought before any action is taken based upon the matters described and discussed on this site.
To the extent permitted by law, we make no representations about the suitability of the content of this site for any purpose. All content is provided without any warranty of any kind. We disclaim all warranties and conditions with regard to the content, including but not limited to all implied warranties and conditions of fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement.
We will not be liable for any damages or injury caused by, including but not limited to, any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, defect, delay in operations or transmission, computer virus, or line failure. To the extent permitted by law we will not be liable for any damages or injury, including but not limited to, special or consequential damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use, the materials in this site.
We believe the content of this site to be accurate, complete and current, however there are no warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the content. It is your responsibility to verify any information before relying on it. The content of this site may include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors.
We reserve the right to modify the content of this site from time to time.
Website Data & Privacy
ANALYTICS & USAGE DATA
Anonymous Data
We use technology to collect anonymous information about the use of our website, for example when you browse our website our service provider logs your server address, the date and time of your visit, the pages and links accessed and the type of browser used. It does not identify you personally and we only use this information for statistical purposes and to improve the content and functionality of our website, to better understand our clients and markets and to improve our services.
BROWSER TRACKING
Cookies
In order to collect this anonymous data we may use “cookies”. Cookies are small pieces of information which are sent to your browser and stored on your computer’s hard drive. Sometimes they identify users where the website requires information to be retained from one page to the next. This is purely to increase the functionality of the site. Cookies by themselves cannot be used to discover the identity of the user. Cookies do not damage your computer and you can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie so that you can decide if you want to accept it. Once you leave the site, the cookie is destroyed and no personal or other information about you is stored.
ONLINE SUBMISSIONS & DATA USE
Forms
Our Website allows visitors to submit information via Self-Service forms (Claim Forms, Employment and Contact request). The information submitted via the Forms is not encrypted – an option is available for claim forms to be downloaded in PDF format for faxing. Should you be concerned about confidentiality of the claim information, this would be the recommended method.
Information collected via on-line forms is sent to our offices via EMAIL (not encrypted) and is also stored on a database which is accessible by Koch Brokers Pty Ltd T/as KIB Insurance Brokers staff only (password protected).
We also use your information to send you requested product information and promotional material and to enable us to manage your ongoing requirements, e.g. renewals, and our relationship with you, e.g. invoicing, client surveys etc.
We may occasionally notify you direct marketing about new services and special offers, events or articles we think will be of interest to you. We may send you regular updates by email or by post on insurance matters. If you would rather not receive this information or do not wish to receive it electronically, email or write to us.
We may use your information internally to help us improve our services and help resolve any problems.
PRIVACY CONTACT
Tell us what you think.
We welcome your questions and comments about privacy. If you have any concerns or complaints, please contact our Privacy Officer Graham Koch on telephone number 0418 730 595 or by email graham@kibgroup.com.au