Fish Insurance and Rehasense partner up to offer power add-on cover for customers
Mobility equipment supplier Rehasense has partnered with Fish Insurance in offering an insurance policy on manual wheelchairs fitted with its Power Assisted Wheelchair Systems (PAWS) range of power add-ons.
In the last few years there has been a significant growth in the sales of power add-ons for manual wheelchairs, according to Fish Insurance, which has given users of manual chairs all the benefits enjoyed by powerchair and mobility scooter users whilst maintaining the comfort and practicality of their often-custom built wheelchair.
The insurer also noticed a significant increase in the number of people enquiring about insurance for their power add-on, based on its discussions with retailers.
The powered add-on market is predominantly served by products which are manufactured in Europe and beyond, states Fish Insurance. In the UK, the speed limit for mobility vehicles is 8mph on public highways and any machine that exceeds this speed is not insurable in the UK.
According to Rehasense, its PAWS product will have the ability to be permanently fixed at a maximum speed of 8mph. This is not a requirement when purchasing the machine, it says, but customers will be made aware that should they wish to insure the item this would need to be done.
Going forward, Fish Insurance will now consider the PAWS and manual wheelchair as one product and will offer insurance on the same basis as a normal powerchair. The price of a standard powerchair policy (up to £7,000) is £79 and an extra policy (£7,001 – £10,000 including roadside recovery) is £107. Full details and policy wordings can be found here.
Fish Insurance states that it can offer scooter and powerchair insurance up to £40,000 when purchasing over the phone and £30,000 when purchasing online.
Jordan Day, Sales Manager, Rehasense UK commented: “This is fantastic news for our UK retailers as it will provide increased peace of mind for them and their customers when purchasing a PAWS.”
John Traynor of Fish Insurance says: “These machines provide wheelchair users with increased freedom, and we are pleased to be able to help protect their investment.”
Distributors and dealers can contact Mike Holborn, Fish Insurance’s Mobility Business Partnerships Manager, at mike.holborn@fishinsurance.co.uk for more information.
