The worst case scenario: you have put yourself in debts to buy a new car and at the same time you lose your job. When you have bought a Kia, you don’t have to panic. Because Kia offers next to 7 years guarantee also a job loss insurance for their customers.
The reason why? Well that is easy, in times of financial crisis the confidence of consumers have to be restored. By offering this insurance they want to attract customers. The 7 years guarantee is also a stunt to invite people to buy a KIA, but the guarantee is limited on a few models of the brand, like Cee'd, Sportage and Soul. There are some conditions you have to take in account, so it is a matter of reading the little letters in the contract.
The insurances not only covers discharge but also incapacity of work, disability and death. At that stage, the remaining payments will be taken over by the insurance company, in this case Cetelem of PNB Paribas.
Kia’s sister brand Hyundai offers a similar insurance in the United States. But in Belgium, where the Korean brand is imported by a self employed-person under the flag of the Alcopa- group, there is no discussion about giving a job-loss insurance to a customer of Hyundai.
Kia Belgium is in contrast with Hyundai a full sister of the Korean concern. Which leads to a sharp competition between the two sister companies.
I think that giving a free job-loss insurance is a good case, because the goal is to attract customers and to restore the confidence in the economy. Also giving a 7 year during guarantee is an extra reason for buying a car of the brand Kia.
But I also think that the media should not put the item of free job-loss insurance in the spotlights. Like I already said above you have to read the little letters in the contract because I think that the word free can be a little misleading.
Ruth Blommaert
http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/940/Autonieuws/article/detail/794727/2009/03/25/Kia-biedt-gratis-verzekering-tegen-jobverlies.dhtml
The concept of the free job-loss Insurance is very good because it is in the advantage of both: the (potential )customer and the business Kia. The client has certainty and that is needed to encourage people nowadays.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenKia shows that a company can try to restore by taking into account the customers. The car-industry has had already a lot of problems and I think that one of the solutions is not forgetting the clients and their difficulties in these uncertain days. People who are interested should be aware of possible misleading publicity because now Kia gives the impression that one can buy a car without any obligations.
It is a great initiative but it is like Ruth has said, read the contract carefully so that there will be no surprises in case someone comes into the situation of discharge, disablement or incapacity of work.
Sofie De Cooman