13. Speak about insurance in Russia, using the vocabulary of Episode 1 and Exercise 12.

EPISODE 2

Making an Insurance Claim

- Look, it’s all very well if the goods collected from the port, airport or whatever station is agreed upon are in good condition. But what if as a consignee I got my goods damaged? What am I supposed to do under these circumstances?

- The most reasonable action of yours in this situation is to make an insurance claim¹.

- What do you mean by making an insurance claim?

- This procedure includes two essential steps. The first one is to call in a properly qualified and disinterested person who will inspect your cargo.

- What kind of person is he?

- We call him an insurance surveyor². He must be employed by a company which has insured your goods.

- Why is it necessary to call in a surveyor to inspect the goods?

- No insurance company will ever pay compensation unless they receive a report on the damage³ from a surveyor. If they didn’t require such a report they would soon be out of business, because it would be very easy for buyers to say that the goods had arrived damaged and then put in a claim for compensation⁴.

- Oh, I see. And what precisely should the surveyor inspect?

- He should inspect the packing - cases, boxes, crates, bottles, etc. - and the contents and report on the nature and extent of the damage⁵.

- That’s clear. Well, what is my second step?

- You must also report the damage to the sellers. If you are not able to sell the damaged goods you may ask for replacement for which you will pay separately, setting the amount of the indemnity⁶ against this additional payment to be made.

- What about the spoilt goods? Am I to send them back?

- Not necessarily. If the articles have been scratched or chipped, that is partly damaged, you can try to sell them at a considerably reduced price. And there is one more very important thing to be done. If you consider to make a claim, do it without delay, otherwise your claim on the insurers may be jeopardised⁷.

Vocabulary Notes on the Text

¹ to make a claim - предъявить претензии, возбудить иск.

² an insurance surveyor - страховой инспектор.

³ a report on the damage - отчет о понесенном ущербе.

⁴ to put in a claim for compensation - выдвинуть требование о компенсации.

⁵ the nature and extent of the damage - характер и размеры понесенного ущерба.

⁶ indemnity - возмещение, компенсация.

⁷ to jeopardise a claim - оспорить в суде предъявленный иск.

Exercises on the Dialogue

1. Read and translate the dialogue.

2. Pronounce the following words correctly:

circumstances; procedure; nature; replacement; compensation; indemnity; surveyor; qualified; disinterested; scratched; jeopardised; reasonable; separately

3. Find in the list below the verbs close in meaning:

to damage; to agree; to inspect; to report; to spoil; to claim; to change; to demand; to survey; to state; to compensate; to replace; to indemnify; to settle

4. What do we call?

1) a person with special knowledge employed by an insurance company to examine and report on a proposed risk;

2) a demand made by an insured party on the insurer for payment under an insurance policy;

3) the description of loss of goods value caused by being broken or spoilt;

4) a payment to make good a loss;

5) to demand for compensation;

6) to lose a job.

5. Answer the following questions:

• 1) What is necessary to do if a consignee gets his goods damaged?

• 2) What are the essential steps of making an insurance claim?

• 3) Who is an insurance surveyor?

• 4) Why is it necessary to employ a surveyor?

• 5) What does the surveyor report on?

• 6) What can you demand of the sellers?

• 7) What can you do with damaged goods?

• 8) Why is it important to make a claim without delay?

6. Give English equivalents of:

a) договориться о чём-л.; предъявить иск страховой компании; вызвать страхового агента; выплачивать компенсацию; возмещать ущерб; выдвинуть требование о компенсации; делать что-л. незамедлительно; оспаривать иск в суде

b) по сниженной цене; при данных обстоятельствах; в хорошем состоянии; незаинтересованное лицо

7. Report the dialogue:

• a) on the part of an insurance agent;

• b) on the part of the consignee;

• c) on the part of the seller.

Vocabulary and Speech Exercises

8. Fill in the missing prepositions:

1) Goods are normally insured__certain risks. They are usually insured__the full amount__their value. If they are found__arrival__the port__destination to be damaged, a report__the damage should be made.

2) Details__the agreement__the client and the insurance agency are to be found__the insurance policy.

3) When a Lloyd’s agent examine a damaged consignment, he will also look__the bill__lading signed__the captain__the ship. If the bill__lading is clean, the captain has accepted the consignment as being__good condition, and so the shipowners may be claimed__the cost__the damaged goods.

9. Read and translate the following dialogue:

Customer: We would like you to discuss the insurance problem with us.

Seller: I am at your service.

Customer: How is the personnel on site supposed to be insured?

Seller: We shall insure the experts against industrial risks and accidents.

Customer: And what about the construction projects? Will you insure them too?

Seller: Undoubtedly. We shall insure not only the projects but the property as well against fire and natural hazards.

Customer: And who will pay expenses if there will be such a situation?

Seller: The expenses will be included in the cost of the projects.

Customer: And one more thing. We know that you suppose to insure the equipment but we would like to ask you to insure it against air risks too.

Seller: Well, let me remind you the context of the article of the Transport Regulations Insurance. It says that the Supplier shall insure the equipment against marine risks but not against air risks.

Customer: Well, we see that the "Regulations" really do not provide for insurance against air risks. We don’t have any more questions.

10. Give English equivalents of the following:

вопрос о страховании; персонал; строительная площадка; страхование от производственных рисков и несчастных случаев; объекты строительства; материально-имущественные ценности; стихийное бедствие; застраховать от морских/авиационных рисков

11. Report the dialogue in detail:

• 1) on behalf of the Seller;

• 2) on behalf of the Customer.

12. Translate into English:

1. Когда мы сможем получить компенсацию от страховой компании ? - Как только будут выполнены все формальности.

2. Куда мы должны обратиться по поводу страхования? - В страховое агентство.

3. В каком случае предоставляется страховая гарантия? - Если это предусмотрено контрактом.

4. Что вы хотите застраховать? - Мы хотим застраховать очередную поставку "от всех рисков". - Кто будет нести расходы по страхованию? - Поставщик.

5. У вас есть акт осмотра и экспертизы? Когда он был выписан?

6. Вам необходимо уплатить налоги по страхованию.

7. Мы освобождаем себя от обязательств по договору страхования.

WRITING PRACTICE

Complaints and Replies to Compalaints

Complaints may be of several kinds, and may arise from delivery of damaged goods, wrong goods, or too few or too many goods. Even if the right articles are supplied in the right quantities, they may arrive later than expected, which will cause problems to the buyer and, correspondingly, to his customers. Then the quality of goods may be unsatisfactory: they may be not according to the sample or description on the basis of which they were ordered, or they may simply be second-rate products.

If a customer is unsatisfied with the execution of his order, he will complain. While doing so he should refer to the articles in question, by pointing out his own order number or that of his suppliers invoice, or both. He should also specify the nature of his complaints, and declare what action he wants his supplier to take.

Below are the examples of the sentences which may be used in complaints of poor quality goods, wrong goods and goods missing from the delivery:

1. Unfortunately, we discover you have sent us the wrong goods.

2. On comparing the goods received with the sample, we were surprised to discover that the colour is not the same.

3. We cannot possibly supply our customers with the articles you have sent to us because of the poor quality.

4. We cannot accept these goods as they are not the size and shape we ordered.

5. Unfortunately we have not received from you all the goods we ordered. The following are missing.

6. You have short-shipped¹ this consignment by 150 kg.

The replies to complaints must always be courteous; even if the sellers think that the complaint is bottomless they should not say so until they have reliable grounds² on which to repudiate the claim³. If the complaint is justified, the sellers should at once apologize to the buyers and suggest a solution.

When the sellers are the first to discover that a mistake has been made they should not wait for a complaint, but should write, cable or telephone at once to let the buyers know, and either put the matter right⁴or offer some compensation.

If on making a claim the buyers have offered to keep the goods, the sellers will probably agree to this and to a price reduction. Yet, if the value of goods in question is high, it might be advantageous to have them returned, though in this case, the added risk of damage in reverse transport⁵ should be taken into account.

There is no need for the suppliers to go into a long story⁶ of how the mistake was made; a short explanation will be enough.

Further you will find the possible replies to the complaints of poor quality, bad packing and goods short-delivered:

1. We were very sorry to receive your complaint that the textile you received was not of the quality expected.

2. We think the best procedure will be to have the pieces inspected by a specialist and we are arranging for this to be done.

3. We greatly regret that you received only 3 dozen instead of 4 dozen ordered. On investigation we found that the packers misread the number, and we have arranged with them for the immediate dispatch of the missing 1 dozen.

4. There was a slight delay due to the breakdown of machinery, which held up production for 2 days.

5. We are extremely sorry about this delay, which you will understand was due to circumstances beyond our control⁷.

6. The packers do not agree that there is any defect in the material used, and there have been no previous complaints: they insist that the boxes must have been subjected to very bad treatment.

Vocabulary Notes on the Text

¹ to short-ship - недопоставить.

² to have reliable grounds - иметь серьезные основания.

³ to repudiate a claim - оспорить претензию, отказаться признать претензию обоснованной.

⁴ to put the matter right - исправить положение вещей.

⁵ in reverse transport - при обратной транспортировке.

⁶ to go into a long story - долго объяснять.

⁷ to be beyond one’s control - выйти из-под контроля кого-л.

Exercises

1. Read and translate the text.

2. Answer the following questions:

1) What may complaints arise from?

2) In what case do we complain of the quality of goods?

3) What should you mention in your complaint if you are unsatisfied with the execution of your order?

4) What formulas would you mention in your complaints? (Name some of the formulas given in the text.)

5) What should the sellers do if they find your complaint bottomless?

6) What should be done if the complaint is justified?

7) How should the sellers act if they were the first to discover a mistake?

8) What might the buyers do on making a claim?

9) What formulas should be used in replies to complaints? (Name some of them.)

3. Give nouns corresponding to the following verbs:

to accept; to agree; to apologize; to arrange; to arrive; to cause; to compare; to compensate; to complain; to damage; to declare; to delay; to deliver; to describe; to discover; to examine; to execute; to expect; to explain; to justify; to order; to refer; to reply; to return; to satisfy; to specify; to suggest; to supply; to think; to threat.

4. Find in the text English equivalents for the following:

иметь прочные основания; предложить компенсацию; отклонить претензию; предложить решение; согласиться на денежную скидку; задерживать производство; быть вне чьего-л. контроля; принимать во внимание; быть необоснованным; товары, о которых идет речь; точно определить суть жалобы, быть подвергнутым плохому обращению

5. Give sentences of your own to illustrate the meaning of the expressions from the previous exercise.

6. Translate into English:

товары второго сорта; недопоставленные товары (2 варианта); при обратной транспортировке; небольшая задержка; поломка оборудования; проведя расследование; неправильно истолковать; скидка в цене

7. Fill in the necessary prepositions or adverbs:

Dear Sirs,

The goods ordered__this number arrived today__good condition, and your invoice is checked and found correct. However, we have to point__that these articles were ordered subject__their arriving to us__the end of June. Since they did not reach us__10 July, we have been forced to have problems__our customers.

As you understand, a recurrence__this situation could result__our customers placing orders somewhere else. We are obliged, therefore, to insist that you observe delivery deadlines__future orders.

Yours faithfully,...

8. Translate into English:

Уважаемые господа!

К нашему сожалению, мы вынуждены сообщить вам, что ваша последняя поставка не соответствует обычным стандартам. Покрытие не очень хорошего качества и эмаль в некоторых местах потрескалась. С экспресс-почтой мы послали вам образцы последней и предыдущей поставок, для того, чтобы вы смогли видеть разницу в качестве товара сами.

Хотим сообщить вам, что всегда были уверены в высоком качестве вашего товара, и тем более (all the more) разочарованы, что этот товар был предназначен для нашего нового заказчика.

Поскольку нам пришлось забрать этот товар обратно, просим вас сообщить нам незамедлительно, какие меры вы собираетесь принять в сложившейся ситуации.

С уважением...

9. Write a leter of reply to the previous letter on behalf of the suppliers.

10. Reply to the letter of Exercise 7 on behalf of the producers.

11. Write a letter to your suppliers to inform them that some articles in three cases have been broken due to bad packing; you have the report of the insurance surveyor confirming this.

SPEECH PRACTICE

1. Role-play. Disagree with the following statements. Give your reasons. Use the formulas of disagreement:

Far from it. You are mistaken. I don’t think so.

1) The basic document used in insurance is a cover note.

2) General average means partial loss or damage accidentally caused to a particular lot of goods.

3) An insurance policy is issued for each shipment of goods.

4) Normally goods are insured for the CIF value of the consignment.

5) An insurance premium is the name given to the sum of money paid to the insured by an insurance company if something goes wrong to the goods.

6) If a customer is unsatisfied with the execution of his order he may sue the seller.

7) If the quality of goods is unsatisfactory, the customer sends the goods back to the seller.

8) If the supplier sends the wrong articles he asks the customer to sell them at a reduced price.

2. What do you think could happen if:

• a) imported goods were not insured?

• b) insurance companies didn’t demand the report on the damage?

3. Role simulation. Discuss in the form of the dialogue:

• 1) advantages of buying goods on the CIF terms for the seller;

• 2) the way of calculating the insurance premium;

• 3) the order of making a claim.

4. Speak on the following topics:

• 1) Main insurance documents.

• 2) Main types of goods insurance.

• 3) Main types of social insurance in the USA and Russia.

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