Case Study

Susan has been a client of Greg’s since 2005 and truly understands the importance of having personal insurance. Here’s Susan’s story.

My husband and I have had Life Insurance and Income Protection Insurance through Greg for many years. I can’t even remember how we first found him – he’s been with our family so long that he’s a bit of a fixture!

In October 2016 the worst thing imaginable happened. My husband, John, passed away unexpectedly, leaving myself and our son, Dylan, who has a disability, all by ourselves. Losing John was utterly devastating but Greg was fantastic – I simply can’t sing his praises enough.

Let me go back to the beginning… John hurt his back in January 2016 whilst working fly in fly out as a sheet metal worker on a mine site. He had worked all over the state and even on an oil rig.

Greg was marvellous at following up with the insurer and advocating for us to receive our Income Protection Insurance payments. The insurer was quite difficult to deal with – drawing the process out, really dragging their feet and making us jump through hoops because we also had Income Protection through John’s Enterprise Bargaining Agreement – but Greg was really on the ball with it all and got us what we were entitled to.

Not long after this, John developed a compressed nerve and bulging disc because his sciatic nerve had been affected by the accident. We spent a lot of time seeing the specialists that were organised through his work and getting MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans. 

We were referred to a surgeon, but John didn’t want surgery because of issues that had befallen some of his colleagues who had had surgery but were unable to return to work.

Instead, John had a lot of physio. He hadn’t been able to return to work yet because his job was very hands-on and he wasn’t yet back to 100%, but he was improving.

In September we went on a weekend trip to see the wildflowers in Dalwallinu. That night John tried to get out of bed but he was in great pain. When we got back to Perth, we rang the surgeon, who admitted him to St John of God Hospital in Subiaco for monitoring and pain relief. 

At this stage, John didn’t qualify for Workers Compensation because it was hard to tell whether it was due to the accident or a pre-existing, underlying condition. He was recovering quite well though, and being assessed to return to work. 

John then contracted a virus and the doctor told him he needed to rest and stay home. He had a turn for the worse so I called the ambulance and they came to take him to hospital. I went with them and our son went across to our neighbour’s. On the way, John had a cardiac arrest and passed away. 

Greg was fantastic after that. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him. He helped with all of the financial side of things, like the paperwork for the superannuation and insurances. He knew all the different types of coverage we had and who to contact to get everything moving smoothly. He made many phone calls for me and followed up on my behalf. He didn’t need to step up like that, but he did.

John hated paperwork too. Whenever we had to fill in any forms, his eyes would roll in anticipation! It became a running joke between us all. Greg always came round once a year to check up on us and was always there to make sure we had the best deal, which was especially good because as you get older your premiums keep getting more expensive. 

Greg also stayed in touch throughout each year and we ended up all becoming fast friends. John loved helping Greg to fix his car and helping his son choose one. Greg and his wife, Steph, even came to Dylan’s 21st birthday! They are such lovely people.

When I lost John, Greg just went above and beyond to ensure I was okay and had everything I needed. He knew exactly what to do. If you don’t have an insurance broker you’re left to your own devices when something happens. You wouldn’t know all the pitfalls and you definitely wouldn’t be able to find the best deal for yourself. He knew exactly what he could do and how to apply the right pressure to the companies to get the outcomes we needed.

Greg’s so understanding and caring too. Such a good listener. He’s been through quite a few things in his own life that he’s able to draw on. I think that’s definitely one of his strengths. He knows insurance inside and out and you just know he’s looking after your best interests.

I have no doubt that if we hadn’t have had Greg and our insurances, Dylan and I would’ve been up sh*t creek without a paddle. I had enough to pay off the mortgage on the house and invest a little for the future. I still have to work, but thankfully not full-time as I have my own health issues.

With personal insurance, you’re protecting yourself against the ‘what ifs’ of life. I’m thankful every day that John and I did. I’d hate to think where Dylan and I would be without insurance – or Greg.