Tech update

Wanted to cover off two things in this post.

First just switched from Iphone 4 to 4S - been running with the new handset for just over two weeks now (incidentally got the handset free from Orange as my 23 month contract was coming to an end - should still have been a charge of over £ 100 for the phone but they gave it me free to keep me as a client and also reduced my monthly bill from £ 37 to £ 35).
I got the original 4 at launch two years ago replacing a high end Nokia (very poor as smart phones went).
From a practical standpoint there really isn't anything between the two iphones - Siri is fun for a while and I've developed some very specific use cases for it around e-mailing and browsing whilst on the move or in the car - in the current Beta version though it's of limited use to non Californians !
The only other 'visible' change is the processors speed which really does amp up the usability of not only the web brower (Safari is literally twice as fast on a wifi connection) but also simple things like loading, playing and using the swipe back functions in the music player.
Tips - couple of iphone 4S tips - first, get that old 4 straight onto Amazon - I sold mine (in not quite perfect cosmetic condition) for over £ 280 - wiping off the initial cost of the handset in the first place.
Secondly, as an avid podcast listener I've just moved over to Pocket Cast - £ 1.49 on the itunes store - at the moment I'm running it in tandem with the iphone music player but initial indications are it runs as smoothly, looks better and offers push notifications when new 'casts are available - I'm subscribed to around 40 so this is an essential feature to keep me up to date. Probably do a full review in a couple of weeks when I've really settled in to it.
On balance the 4S is a great upgrade for me - love the OS and the phone literally goes everywhere with me - should you wait for the 5 ? Nope - I'm probably going to sell my 4S prior to the launch and pay the extra £ 100 or so to upgrade - so if you budget now the cost of entry to the new iphone shouldn't hit so hard.

Second issue I wanted to cover was tablets.

I've been running an Ipad (1) since launch and frankly have no complaints at all - great device, more useful than I ever expected and still going strong - that's my problem - Mrs Localventure now has more access to it than me for evening browsing and game playing and I'm looking to pick up a second tablet for  again light computing duties - mainly browsing, media consumption and a decent e-mail client.
I can't see the cost benefit advantages of a second ipad and frankly don't need a 9.5 inch screen - 7 or 8 will do.
At the moment I'm leaning towards a neuropad2 but wondered what else was out there in the sub £ 100 market - my critieria are fairly simple - Android 4 would be nice, decent wifi connectivity and a UK power pack should be the minimum - I know for the money I'm not going to get Apple build quality or possibly longevity but like a second car I don't need to run a top level cruising machine - I'm looking at a coffee shop run around.

Any ideas ?

Amazon Scam

Just had a Nigerian criminal attempt to scam me using an Amazon item I have for sale.
Essentially they use the buyers question function to ask a legitimate question about an item you have for sale. They ask you to reply to a generic (gmail, yahoo, hotmail) address of theirs which is set up as an English sounding persons (johnsmith1960@yahoo.co.uk for example) - in my case they queried some scratches on the back of an ipod I'm selling.
I replied with a picture of the item and then the magic begins.
They now have your e-mail address so send replicated Amazon 'sold' e-mails to your e-mail account. Along with this is a mail from the questioner asking you to send it to an address in Nigeria as a surprise gift for a friend with a birthday next week. So of course they want it posted urgently.
It's a fairly transparent ruse for a number of reasons : the e-mails don't look right and are mispelt, I don't post items outside the UK anymore so couldn't have a buyer in anywhere but mainland UK, the e-mail account I used to reply is not the one I use for Amazon and lastly of course there's no payment data on my Amazon seller account.
That final item is the rub though - a lot of people might not even bother to go in and check their seller account - when you're selling a high end item a lot of sellers might just be excited to have sold it and just want to get the item straight to the post office.
So beware - check everything - these scammers will only get better at doing this - mine was pretty amateurish but even so if they send out enough question I'm sure some sellers do get caught out.

Just wanted to update the blog with current contact information.

If you want assistance with private medical insurance - I'm an FSA registered independent healthcare consultant working with individuals, families and corporates on new and existing cover.
E-Mail : philknight@pch.uk.com
Telephone : 07792 075748

I also own a marketing business working with senior doctors and enabling them to increase income stream from medico-legal work.
Website : www.medicolegalmarketing.co.uk
E. info@medicolegalmarketing.co.uk or pknight.mlm@gmail.com
T. 07792 075 748

Lastly, I'm consulting with a firm specializing in pensions auto-enrolment for pending new government pensions legislation. We're looking to work with SME's and accountants to put in place state of the art software and employee benefit flex systems.
W. www.meridianautoenrolmentsolutions.com
E. pknight.meridianae@gmail.com
T. 07792 075748

My main Twitter accounts are :

@localventure1 (this blog and my personal account)
@philknightpch (medical insurance account)
@mlm4docs (medico-legal marketing account)

Lastly, you can find me at Lindekin, here's the public profile :

http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/philip-knight/1a/b47/58b

Looking forward to doing business !

Improving the health and efficiency of employees

Psychology Consultants www.psychologyconsultants.com and www.janusclinic.com offers a range of psychologically based solutions to companies to enable them to improve the health of their employees and in so doing enhance productivity.

We can help with as little as one session with one employee - for example :

In just one session, we can teach you how to control your Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Chaotic heart rate, usually caused by prolonged stress, can lead to serious health problems.

What’s in it for you?  – By controlling your HRV you can become less vulnerable to “the silent killer” (Coronary Heart Diseases), which in the UK kills one person every two minutes.

Why should you trust us? – Because if you do not show any progress, we will give you your money back!

How much?  One session = £150.     Your health = priceless.

For more information visit our clinical website www.janusclinic.com or call us on 07792 075748

Business Updates

Just wanted to give some quick updates.

At the moment I'm working all out in two main areas - as an independent medical insurance intermediary (authorised via Premier Choice Healthcare) i'm able to advise on all areas of medical insurance for individuals, families and corporates. This is for both brand new insurance and also if you have cover in place already I can probably save money at renewal as well as enhance benefits. If you would like a quote or assistance please call on 07792 075748 or e-mail philknight@pch.uk.com

I also co-own a business working with senior clinicians called Medico Legal Marketing (www.medicolegalmarketing.co.uk) - you can find out all about this service which is unique in its market at the website or call me on the number above.

Lastly I'm working as a marketing consultant with an eminent psychologist who is launching a new practice in the Uk call Psychology Consultants - aimed at improving workplace productivity for large corporates - again more at www.psychologyconsultants.com

You can find out all about me on Linkedin - my public profile is :

My main Twitter accounts are : @localventure1 and @philknightPCH

As my previous website (www.knighthealthcare.co.uk) is no more I will be using this Localventure blog as my main business blog moving forwards.

Yorkshire Bank problem

Haven't posted a proper business post here for a while but I'm having a problem with the Yorkshire Bank and thought a public airing might help both me and also others considering setting up an account (personal or business).

Essentially I accidentally went overdrawn when a cheque issued by the Halifax was paid into my YB current account on the 1st of July - although the cheque was against cleared funds in the Halifax account (what I still term a 'building society' cheque - the kind you can still go out and buy a car with !) and despite the fact that it appeared as cleared funds on their on-line system on the 5th my debit card was declined and when ringing their helpline confirmed the account was in debit and I'd incurred a £25 charge.

Of course I immediately paid in funds from my business account to cover the debit (the same evening) and then rang their helpline again in the morning to ask them to waive the charge on the basis that the cheque didn't need to 'clear', I've been a long term customer and that the account was only overdrawn for a matter of hours.

They were at this stage super unhelpful and apparently their charges are 'unreviewable'. Laughingly because of the FSA rules on 'treating customers fairly' - I really can't imagine that the intent of the law makers with the TCF rules was to justify charging customers more. LOL !!!

I've therefore written a standard 'snotty' letter to my branch manager (if indeed there is such a thing at the Yorkshire Bank in Yeadon, Leeds LS19 7SP) and asked them to think again - purpose of posting here is twofold - at the moment I wouldn't, couldn't suggest using the Yorkshire Bank - their attitude has been to adopt a one size fits all approach and not listen to their customer but also to point out that customer loyalty goes both ways - I've been with them over 31 years, have my business account with them and have used their services for a host of financial transactions in that time period - isn't it about time that the customer was right in banking as well as in every other industry - in 30 years they must have had their hands on upwards of £ 2,000,000 of my money (admittedly some of it not for very long!) how much interest have they earned on my money that over that time period. Surely my business and goodwill is worth far more than £ 25 to them one would have thought ?

Two thoughts to finish - on average someone with a bad experience of a business tells 10 people about the problem, compared to one or two people if the service was good. On a good month I get over 1,000 hits on this blog - so a couple more than ten people informed then.

Also, I think Halifax are offering a welcome payment of £50 for new current accounts - that looks pretty good right about now !

I will of course update if there is any news.

P.

New Network for Localventure

As part of a network building exercise I am doing for Knight Healthcare and now Medico Legal Marketing I'm now trying to formally introduce business to some colleagues of mine.

If you have any requirements for the following services I can now recommend reliable professionals to all Localventure members and readers :

Private Medical Insurance - family or group cover
Computer and IT Sales
Accountants
Building Services (West Yorkshire only)
Website design and eMarketing
Independent Financial Advisor
Mobile Phone Sales
Alarm/Security Services (West Yorkshire only)
Mortgage Broker
Commercial Insurance Broker

If you'd like to be referred or indeed have your details passed to one of these companies in the hope that they might be interested in your services please let me know.

Call for more information on : 07792 075748 or e-mail phil@knighthealthcare.co.uk

Medico Legal Marketing

A few weeks ago an old business colleague asked me to help him out with a business project that he feels he doesn't have the time or interest to devote to at the moment.

This business : Medico Legal Marketing supports medical consultants/specialists, helping them access lucrative medico legal contracts in trials, tribunal/legal work, insurance and corporates. For a one off fee we enable doctors to take up these commissions in a risk free way.

In addition we can also help medical reporting organisations access our registered medical specialists for one off or specialised contracts.

Full details of how we work are at our website via the above link.

If you are a doctor (GP, consultant, surgeon etc) interested in medico legal work or medical reporting organisation please feel free to get in touch.

Contact me on 07792 075748 for more information.

New blog at www.knighthealthcare.co.uk

If like most people who have private medical insurance you dread the renewal documents arriving through the door once a year I've put together some brief information over at my companies blog

There you'll find lots of reasons why you should do something, rather than nothing and also how a good medical insurance broker can help out.

For more info e-mail me at phil@knighthealthcare.co.uk or call on 07792 075748

Is it time to update and review your private medical insurance ?

When I tell people the fact that I am about to revealm most of them do a kind of intellectual double take and exclaim, genuinely .... “Surely Not !”

This fact is probavly one of the least understood by the public about the financial services industry.  

Here’s the fact :

INSURANCE COMPANIES TRANSACT BUSINESS, WRITE POLICIES ON THEIR CUSTOMERS LIFE TO MAKE A PROFIT

Now that this staggering piece of information is out there in the public domain I would like to examine it a little bit more. 

Let’s start by getting one thing clear, a lot of the time I don’t like insurance companies too much. As an independent healthcare specialist intermediary I have the luxury of choosing which of the insurers is the best for my clients and then I have the problem that a lot of the time they go out of their way to make my life and therefore that of my clients as difficult as possible. Not on purpose I’m sure but the very fact of their bureaucratic ways, underwriting rules and product foibles can make my life infuriating. This blog post however is not going to be a rant about insurers. Far from it. I am going to actually try and explain why they do certain and things and how it gives us the opportunity to help you, the customer get a better deal.

So if I may I would like to return to my central thesis - insurers need to make money. 

I know some people resent this (and given poor advice to customers in the past and multiple mis-selling scandals within the insurance sector I think this feeling is toally understandable) and feel that insurers should pay for everything regardless of whether it is covered or pre-existing or excluded or eligible (pick your favourite technical exclusion term from the list). But in the end just like your corner shop or Tesco or Barclays Bank or that bit of selling you do on Amazon to top up your salary the insurance companies need to take in more money than they subsequently spend on paying out claims and administration/overheads. In other words like all capitalist organisations it is a simple enough equation they need to work towards - make more money than they spend.

I think because the insurers products are complicated and non-physical (the customer just receives a policy schedule rather than when they visit the Apple shop and buy an Ipad2 where they get their brand new shiny physical piece of kit) that the feel is insurance policies are somehow less valuable than other similarly costed purchases.

So I would contend that if we deem the insurers products to be of value - which surely we must because otherwise no one would ever buy them - then by inference the insurer is allowed to make a profit to remain in business and sell more of the shiny pieces of kit to more people. 

However, moving beyond that simple point I do have a gripe and here it is : why do people buy a life or health insurance policy and then never review it again ?

To illustrate, I bought an Ipad when they first became available in February 2010 and now in April 2011 we have the new Ipad2 - I don’t need one (I really want one but that is a different issue!) but I’ve looked at the specs of the new Ipad and compared it to my current one and decided that the first iteration is fine for me for at least the next 12 months - so decision made I will wait for Ipad 3 in 2012 and review again.

We do this ‘update and review’ exercise with a range of products and services where we regularly compare current spend and service capability with our current supplier versus their competition : supermarkets, phone bills, broad suppliers, utilities, computers, cars, schools, mobile phones but we tend not to do it so much with financial products like your private medical insurance.

Imagine the scenario. You obtain quote from a medical insurer via the internet, a newspaper ad or perhaps invite a direct sales person to visit you at home. Whatever the route you buy a sparkling health insurance plan which enables you to claim away to your hearts content for say, £ 50 a month. Over time this premium will increase with medical inflation (running often three or four percent above the Retail Prices Index - 10% in the early noughties was not uncommon), how many claims you make and their value and of course prices also increase based on your age. The net result is that within five years you’ll be paying often double or more than your original premium.

It is also worth bearing in mind that just like my shiny new Ipad a year ago, medical insurance policies get old, their CPU doesn’t work quite as well and that flashy app that five years ago was the best out-patient benefit money could buy, frankly now has very little Vitality left at all (sorry, that is a medical insurance industry in-joke). 

I know I may have rambled on a little, but I’m getting to the point now - insurers like to make money - this is not a bad thing, but ..... sometimes they make money on the back of people buying an individual policy and then never reviewing it and paying far more than they need to because of a sense of inertia that doesn’t necessarily exist with other products and services as discussed above. 

When I speak to clients in their 40’s and 50’s (and often much older clients as well) who have relatively low levels of historic claims I usually find that they are paying between 35% and 70% (seriously) more than they need to. So the message I would like to put across today is that regardless of how shiny, clever or BUPA’y (sometimes people won’t switch away from BUPA because it’s BUPA - it must be the best ?) your current plan is, so long as there are no major recent health problems we can almost certainly look at transferring you across to a new insurer with no or limited extra underwriting. All you need to do is ask and we might be able to save you 70% of your premiums !!!!!

For more information contact me at :

info@knighthealthcare.co.uk

07792 075748 or 0113 3474395

www.knighthealthcare.co.uk