Toyota Sells More Cars After Accelerator Recall

Florida Toyota Dealer Sells More Cars the Week After Accelerator-Related Recall

North Palm Beach, FL, February 01, 2010 -- Toyota dealer Earl Stewart Toyota of North Palm Beach (FL) reports that his dealerships sold more cars this Friday, Jan. 29, than on Friday, Jan. 22 before the Toyota accelerator pedal recall was announced. The dealership sold 15 cars on Friday. "That's actually three more cars than we sold one week ago Friday," Earl Stewart said. "We've only had one bad day since the recall hit last Monday night. That was on Tuesday when we sold only six cars. But on Wednesday we sold 11 cars, on Thursday we sold 12 cars and on Friday we sold 15, better than what we normally sell on a Friday."

Stewart said the continuing good business at his dealership, which is one of the top 12 dealerships in the nation and enjoys the highest customer satisfaction rating in the entire country, is "because human beings naturally gravitate toward those companies and institutions they find they can trust during a crisis."

Earl Stewart Toyota, upon learning of the recall, immediately decided to provided free loaner cars to its customers who were experiencing trouble with the accelerator involved in the recall. Further, the dealership released to the public, through the media, a photo of the accelerator in question so that Toyota owners could easily determine for themselves if their accelerator was involved in the recall -- saving their customers from unneeded worry and from taking time off from work or leisure to bring the car to the dealer unnecessarily. The dealership also invited customers with the recalled accelerator to bring their cars into the dealership for a free inspection to determine if there was any need for concern related to their specific vehicle.

"Earl Stewart Toyota has earned the reputation of a car dealership that can be trusted and that's why we are actually thriving during this recall," Stewart said.

To interview Earl Stewart, contact Margie Yansura, Wordsmith Communications, at 561-313-5028 or call Earl Stewart directly on his cellphone at 561-358-1474

Contact Information
wordsmith communications
Margie Yansura
561-313-5028
mywordsmith@bellsouth.net

Anyone who would like to report information related to the Toyota Recall is urged to become a Toyota Whistleblower and share their story with authorities.
 

Health Insurance 2.0

Health Insurance 2.0 -- Social Media Resurrects Old-School Values

HCC Medical Insurance Services, LLC - Online leader striving to provide world-class customer service via Social Media.

Indianapolis, IN, December 19, 2009 -- There was a time when customers had to make personal visits to receive assistance. To make these tasks more convenient and cost-effective, companies developed automated systems to support customers 24/7. However, as popular radio host Clark Howard frequently comments, the result has been "customer no service."

With this development, companies are forgetting that customers are the critical element to business success.

HCC Medical Insurance Services, LLC (HCCMIS) was recently featured in the article, "Old-line Companies Turn to Social Media for Marketing," as a leading company in the insurance industry that develops strong business and customer relationships through social media.

Muhammad Yasin, HCCMIS Client Relations Manager explains, "Our goal is to enhance the insurance experience with a deeply personal and timely communication style people have become accustomed to through social media."

For companies focusing on Health Insurance 2.0, this means proactively monitoring consumer sentiments and responding in a way that makes customers feel secure. Yasin states, "With the advent of internet and mobile technology, the world is shrinking rapidly. Resurrecting community-style relationships as people travel through their life adventure is something we are passionate about."

Recently, HCCMIS found a dissatisfied customer by monitoring the internet. They discovered that a medical center billed the customer twice. HCCMIS contacted the facility, arranged for customer reimbursement, and followed up with the customer via Twitter.

This is only one example of many where HCCMIS is striving to provide world-class customer service via Social Media.

About HCCMIS
HCC Medical Insurance Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HCC), a leading international specialty insurance group with offices across the United States and in the United Kingdom, Spain and Ireland. HCC has assets of $9.0 billion, shareholders' equity of $3.0 billion and is rated AA (Very Strong) by Standard & Poor's and AA (Very Strong) by Fitch Ratings. In addition, HCC's major domestic insurance companies are rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company.

Contact Information
HCC Medical Insurance Services, LLC
Bryant Tutterow
317-221-8037
btutterow@hccmis.com
www.hccmis.com

Personal Property Insurance Coverage Expands

Independent Mutual Fire Insurance Co. Launches New Website to Expand Personal Property Coverage

Independent Mutual Fire Insurance Co., a leading personal property insurance company, recently launched a new website, expanding personal property coverage to a wider range of agents & policyholders.

Baltimore, MD, January 02, 2010 -- Independent Mutual Fire Insurance Company, a leading personal property insurance company providing fire and smoke insurance, tornado insurance, hurricane insurance and more, has recently launched its new website, http://www.imfco.net.

The launch of the new website marks two important milestones for Independent Mutual. Not only does it allow Independent Mutual to experience more accelerated growth on a national level, but the new website also gives Independent Mutual the ability to offer its products and services to both captive and independent agents.

"Our top priorities at Independent Mutual have always been flexibility and fairness towards policyholders and agents alike," reports Scott Sauls, Vice President of Field Support at Independent Mutual. "The website will allow us to offer our personal property insurance products and services to a wider audience. In doing so, we will continue to focus on providing superior levels of customer service to both policy holders and agents."

According to Sauls, the new website offers innovative features that will enable Independent Mutual to offer an unprecedented level of customer service. "Both agents and policyholders can log into customized portals and receive 24/7 access to view the status of their claims reports and adjustments," he says. "We employ real-time claims adjustment technology and provide agents with the ability to instantly quote and issue policies right from their desktop through our AgenTreeT system."

"The new website offers an exciting opportunity for Independent Mutual to provide agents and policyholders with greater fairness and accuracy through the use of technology," Sauls says. For more information about Independent Mutual Fire Insurance Company, please visit http://www.imfco.net or call 800-248-7072.

About Independent Mutual Fire Insurance Company
Established in 1948 and headquartered in Cook County, Illinois, Independent Mutual Fire Insurance Company has been a leader in personal property insurance for over sixty years. Independent Mutual's Executive Office is located in Baltimore, Maryland and offers flexible, comprehensive personal property coverage throughout the United States.

Independent Mutual Fire Insurance Co. is rated as A- (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company. Known for its modest underwriting leverage, irrefutable market expertise, solid investment earnings and long-standing presence in the home service fire and burglary market sector, Independent Mutual provides personal property insurance to policyholders regardless of income or credit history. For more information about the personal property coverage offered by Independent Mutual Fire Insurance Company, please visit http://www.imfco.net or call 800-248-7072.

Contact Information
Independent Mutual Fire Insurance Company
Scott Sauls
800-248-7072
imfconet@gmail.com
www.imfco.net

 

Launch of National Moving Month

National Moving Month Launched in Australia

The busiest month for home moves celebrated by the launch of the first 'National Moving Month' by Citymove, with an exciting new competition to mark it.

Sydney, Australia, November 28 -- A study by Citymove has determined that December is usually the busiest month for home relocations as people rush to begin their new lives in their new home in time for the New Year, creating a fresh start across the board. With this in mind, Citymove have decided to launch 'National Moving Month'.

To mark the start of the month and to coincide with a giveaway launched in conjunction with National Moving Month, new research has been released by Citymove, discovering some of the more bizarre requests made by customers when organising removal services.

The strangest thing ever moved by Citymove was a four tonne truck full of single service handy wipes. James Wheeler, director of Citymove said: "The wipes were the kind you get when buying chicken from a fast food place, like baby wipes. Except these were being rebranded by someone and then being handed out to the prostitutes in Kings Cross for them to use after...servicing clients."

Among the many other things Citymove have relocated, customers have made requests to move:
· A small goldfish bowl (using a four tonne truck)
· 25kg of Ice cream from Sydney to Brisbane in an unrefrigerated lorry (costing $550)
· A car between states, with a dog on the backseat. (Alive, more biting than kicking)
· Australia's largest floor tiles, with each measuring 3mx2m.

However, the strangest request made to Citymove according to James was repeatedly made. "We actually had a six month period of regular phone calls from someone who always wanted to hire two 'fit and muscular men' to move one small box from one room to another. After much questioning we found out it was a drag queen looking to book herself a private show!"

The exciting giveaway Citymove is launching relates to this research. They want to find out from people, their weird and wonderful moving stories. People may visit www.nationalmovingmonth.org and send in a story, leave an email address and Citymove will be in touch to give everyone who enters a $50 voucher off their next relocation with Citymove, making sure everyone wins. For further information or interviews, contact marketing coordinator Adam Robinson either by email adam.robinson@citymove.com.au or call 1300 72 9994. Visit www.nationalmovingmonth.org throughout the month for further details on the competition, informative articles on home moves and much more.

About Citymove
Citymove have been in operation for ten years and move over 25,000 people annually. Citymove operate in all major Australian cities and handle both local and interstate moves.

Contact Information
Citymove
Adam Robinson
1300 72 9994
adam.robinson@citymove.com.au
http://www.citymove.com.au/cms/

 

Home Insurance Accident Coverage Essential

Accident Coverage Essential to Home Insurance

A recently published InsuranceAgents.com article encourages homeowners to verify their home insurance policies include accident coverage and to learn exactly what is covered.

Chicago, IL, October 29, 2009 - Homeowners insurance typically includes liability coverage, coverage for external living expenses, and contents coverage. According to an article recently published on InsuranceAgents.com, homeowners should also be sure that their policy includes home accidents coverage and know exactly what is covered and what is not covered in their homeowners insurance policy.

"Accidental damage is damage that happens suddenly as a result of a non-deliberate and unexpected action," the article, 'Homeowners Insurance: Accidents Happen,' states. "You will need to check your policy for which specific damages are covered and which are not. For example, your carpeting might be covered if it is stained but if apple juice is spilled on your laptop then you may be out of luck."

Homeowners insurance policies generally include tricky language that can be confusing and extremely specific as to what is considered an "accident." An example would be a pet dog that is not listed in a homeowner's policy and destroys some furniture. Sure, it's an accident but the fact that the dog was not included in the policy will most likely mean the damage isn't covered.

All homeowners should know their policies in and out. This will prevent filing a useless homeowners insurance claim that will inevitably get denied. Any homeowner who is confused of the language their policy contains should contact their home insurance agent. He or she will be able to answer any and all questions and provide sound advice for any homeowner.

Visit InsuranceAgents.com today to learn more about the ins and outs of home insurance quotes and the insurance industry as a whole.

Contact Information
InsuranceAgents.com
Tom Lustina
614 286 0193
tom@insuranceleadz.com
http://www.insuranceagents.com/home-accidents.html

 

Health Insurance Companies And Medical Tourism

US Health Insurance Companies/ Reinsurers Embrace Medical Tourism

West Palm Beach, FL, October 22, 2009 -- Many of the leading US health insurance companies, employers, agents, and reinsurers are attending the upcoming world medical tourism and global health congress, October 26-28th, 2009 in Los Angeles.

"Swiss Re appreciates the value of providing employers with the medical travel option to reduce health care costs for eligible operations without sacrificing quality of care," said Matt Leming, Vice President and Sales Leader with Swiss Re's Medical Expense Group. "Including coverage for qualifying medical travel expenses as a free and standard component of our employer stop loss offering helps expand the universe of those in the United States who can benefit from utilizing medical travel's high quality offerings."

The World Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress, http://www.medicaltourismcongress.com, is the official conference of the Medical Tourism Association (Global Healthcare Association) and is sponsored by the Medical Tourism Magazine, the official publication of the Medical Tourism Association, http://www.medicaltourismmag.com. The Medical Tourism Association (MTA), http://www.medicaltourismassociation.com, is the international non-profit trade association for the medical tourism industry which focuses on transparency in quality and pricing, communication and education. MTA has initiated commendable activities for growth of this emerging industry by publishing the world's leading Medical Tourism Magazine and hosting the world's largest Medical Tourism Congress.

Contact Melissa Skelton for more information in West Palm Beach, Florida. Melissa@medicaltourismcongress.com / 001.561.792.6676.

Contact Information
Medical Tourism Congress
Stephanie Falcone
561-792-6676
info@medicaltourismcongress.com
www.medicaltourismcongress.com

 

Drug Toxicity Assay Kits Increase Drug Development Efficiency

Bioo Scientific's Toxicity Assay Kits Increase the Efficiency of Drug Development

Bioo Scientific announced the launch of the MaxDiscoveryT Toxicity Assay Kits for the monitoring of toxic effects in in vivo preclinical studies.

Austin, TX, May 31, 2009 -- Since toxicity is one of the leading causes of drug failures, measuring preclinical toxicity is a critical drug development function. Accurate in vivo toxicity assays are essential to lowering attrition and increasing efficiency in drug development.

Bioo Scientific announced today the launch of their MaxDiscoveryT Toxicity Assay Kits. These kits monitor in vivo toxicity by measuring liver and heart function in serum samples. They provide simple, convenient, colorimetric determination of well-characterized functional markers of for liver and heart. They are ideal tools to monitor toxic effects caused by administration of siRNA, DNA plasmids, transfection agents or other therapeutic treatments during preclinical studies. The assays can be used in a range of mammals, including mice and rats, providing a powerful tool to assess and reduce the toxicity of drugs formulations and to improve drug delivery methods.

According to Dr Joe Krebs, Director of Protein Chemistry and Engineering at Bioo Scientific, "MaxDiscoveryT Toxicity kits are designed to provide researchers with rapid, cost-effective tools required to address the escalating challenges of drug development in today's competitive landscape."

Assays are available for alanine transaminase, aspartate transminase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, cholesterol, and creatine kinase.

About Bioo Scientific
Bioo Scientific Corporation is a global biotechnology tools company, headquartered in Austin, Texas. Bioo Scientific provides innovative products and services to academic researchers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, molecular diagnostics laboratories, and customers who perform food and feed safety analysis.

Contact Information
Bioo Scientific
Dawn Obermoeller
512-301-4094
dawn@redbridgemarketing.com
www.biooscientific.com

No Apology From Allina For 18 percent Interest Rate

 Allina Hospitals & Clinics Responds to Attorney General's Suit

MINNEAPOLIS - January 2009 -- In response to a lawsuit filed today by the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, Allina Hospitals & Clinics made the following statement:

"Allina Hospitals & Clinics is surprised by the Attorney General's action today. Allina had been analyzing various proposals to modify MedCredit's interest rate structure for some time, and prior to the filing of this suit, Allina had made the decision to reduce the interest rate on all current and future MedCredit accounts to eight percent, regardless of the size of the balance. Allina communicated this to the Attorney General in December of 2008. Allina believes that this new rate structure is in the best interests of our patients who would benefit from the ability to pay their medical bills over time.

"While Allina believes the new rate of eight percent is appropriate going forward, it should be noted that the previous rate structure, which included a sliding interest rate scale based on the balance due, was fully consistent with Minnesota law, and was clearly communicated to all patients who participated in the program. The program is considered "open-ended credit," meaning that patients can use the program on an ongoing basis for subsequent care. The rates previously charged by Allina are consistent with Minnesota law for this type of credit.

Allina believes that MedCredit remains a valuable tool to help some patients pay their medical bills and that it may be a better alternative to financing such debt through a credit card, which may charge a much higher interest rate. Allina does not deny care to anyone based on inability to pay, and works with patients to help ensure they receive all possible forms of assistance in paying their medical bills, including free care or government assistance programs. Allina offers free care to individuals and families whose income is less that 275 percent of Federal poverty guidelines.

"Allina believes the allegations contained in the complaint are without merit and that the MedCredit program is fully compliant with the law. Allina looks forward to discussing this matter further with the Attorney General, and bringing it to a timely resolution."

Allina Hospitals & Clinics is a not-for-profit health care system of hospitals, clinics and other patient care services that provides exceptional care to communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin and employs more than 22,000 people. Allina Hospitals & Clinics facilities, services and jobs can be found online at www.allina.com.

Contacts

Allina Hospitals & Clinics
David Kanihan, 612-262-4986
david.kanihan@allina.com
Cell: 612-867-2845

---

The lawsuit names as defendants both Allina Health System and its subsidiary, Accounts Receivable Services, a debt collection agency owned by Allina that does business under the name MedCredit Financial Services. It seems odd to me that they lowered the rate to 8% which happens to be the legal limit. As a non-profit perhaps they should consider lowering the rate still further, since that could only be in the best interests of their clients...

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