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"Our mission is to create peace of mind and build enduring relationships."

Bob Lancaster Insurance's mission statement is the core of our culture. Our customers always come first, and we strive to provide them with the products and service that best respond to their needs. Building trust and fostering loyal, long-lasting relationships are the essence of who we are and fundamental parts of our company values.

Putting our mission statement to work

Our employees work hard to connect with our customers on a very real and personal level. Find out what Bob Lancaster’s mission means to them and how they carry it out every day.

Bob Lancaster Insurance, serving Florida's insurance needs since 1964. Contact us today at 321-725-1620 - see what we can do for YOU and YOUR BUSINESS!

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Thanksgiving Travel Tips

Happy Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is upon us. One thing we are thankful for: getting to spend time with our families and eat a lot great food. One thing we aren’t thankful for: holiday travel better known as bumper-to-bumper traffic.

According to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, 91% of holiday travel between Thanksgiving and New Years is by car. And the busiest days of all? The Wednesday before Thanksgiving through that Sunday.

So if you are among one of the many who will be traveling this holiday, follow some of our tips to make your trip one full of blessings.
  1. Plan ahead. If possible, plan on leaving Tuesday night or even first thing Thursday morning to avoid the crazy Wednesday rush.
  2. Do a home check. Before leaving, make sure everything is turned off or unplugged in your home, and you have locked everything up. Keep curtains closed so people can’t look in, and consider asking a trusted neighbor to keep an eye out for you.
  3. Don’t Spread the Word. With the popularity of social media, people freely put information on the web. Making posts about being out of town for a couple days is asking for trouble. So as excited as you are and as much as you want to brag, keep it on the down low.
  4. Tip off the police. You can, however, inform your local police department that you’ll be leaving the area and ask them to do drive-bys if they are in your area.
  5. Hide the Spare Key. Your hiding place under the doormat is not that great. Remove your outdoor spare keys or leave them with a relative or trusted friend.
Thanksgiving is a time to be with family, watch football, overstuff yourself with delicious foods, and count blessings. Keep your mind at ease knowing your home is safe.

Happy Thanksgiving from Bob Lancaster Insurance!

Contact us for all your Insurance needs! (321)725-1620
Bob Lancaster Insurance
Serving Florida since 1964

Posted by Bob Lancaster Insurance at 9:57 AM No comments:
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Labels: Homeowners, Safety tips, Travel tips

Monday, November 17, 2014

Marketing Monday - Lights, Camera, Smartphone!

There's no need for a studio budget, or expensive equipment to film your big debut for your website or YouTube channel. Use your smartphone. Be sure to keep your phone stable, and monitor the audio and lighting to capture quality video. You can film from your office, while you're on the go, or with a client.
 

When it comes to filming video on the fly, your smartphone is your best bet. Here are some quick tips to capture great footage:

1. Audio

One of the most important aspects of filming is being able to hear your subject. To set the tone for your video:
  • Film in a quiet location, where the background noise won’t drown out what you’re trying to communicate to your viewer; and be aware of the location of the microphone on your Droid or iPhone. While filming you want to be sure you’re not blocking the sound with your hand. If the sound still doesn’t come out clearly enough, you may want to use an external mic.

2. Stability

When using your smartphone you want to make sure your video is smooth and visible:
  • Use both hands to hold your phone. If you have shaky hands, make sure you anchor your phone against a table or something steady. When holding your phone, make sure your hands aren’t covering the microphone or the camera lense!
  • You can also purchase a tripod for your smartphone if you’re worried about your video being wobbly.

3. Form

Try to make your video easily viewable for your audience:
  • For video, you want to hold your smartphone horizontally. That way the video can be easily viewed on your computer or television. Vertical footage wouldn’t provide the widest view of your subject.
  • Keep consistent in the format that you choose. If you start filming horizontally don’t cut the take then move your phone to vertical view. Stay with your original idea.

4. Zoom

Not a lot of smartphones a zoom feature when they’re in video mode, so here are some ways to overcome this:
  • Be within reach of your subject when you film. Keep the distance in mind when you map out what you want to do.
  • If you want to ‘zoom in’ while filming, or just get a closer look make sure your shots are in focus and your transitions are smooth. Keep your smartphone stable during any movement to prevent a shaky video.

5. Storage Space

Before you start to film, make sure you have enough free memory space to capture your entire video.
  • When you film, make sure you know how much memory you can use for your video. If you’re unsure you can check your smartphone to find out how much memory you have left. You can also get an additional memory card so you don’t run out of room.
  • After you upload your video to YouTube or your computer, you can delete the file from your smartphone to free up more space.

6. Lighting

Nothing affects a video more than the light in your shot.
  • Film with the light behind you to ensure your subject isn’t too washed out or isn’t in the shadow.
  • Try to catch the best daylight, either early in the morning, late afternoon or early evening. Never film directly at noon, since the sun is directly overhead. This creates shadows that won’t work on camera.
By using your Droid or your iPhone to capture video you can share some great content with your customers as well as the small business community!

Contact us for all your Insurance needs! (321)725-1620

Bob Lancaster Insurance


Serving Florida since 1964

Posted by Bob Lancaster Insurance at 10:23 AM No comments:
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Labels: Marketing Monday

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Thanksgiving Guests

With Halloween just behind us, you know Thanksgiving is not far behind. Is your home ready for holiday guests?

Family at Thanksgiving
Your family may be used to those little quirks around your home like the hallway rug that’s quick to slide or the bathroom faucet that runs too hot, but your guests may not.
To help your family and holiday visitors stay safe, do a quick home inspection and make minor changes as needed. Here are tips to get you started:
  • Secure throw rugs using sticky padding or double-sided carpet tape.
  • Make sure electrical cords are out of the way or taped down.
  • Add night lights to your guest bedroom, bathroom and hallways.
  • Use stick-on non-slip strips in showers and bathtubs, plus consider adding a grab bar.
  • Adjust the thermostat lower on your hot water heater, if the water runs too hot.
  • Tell your overnight guests if you set your home alarm when going to bed. Then they will know ahead of time what not to do, such as open their bedroom window for a breath of fresh air at midnight.
    Contact us for all your Insurance needs! (321)725-1620
    Bob Lancaster Insurance
    Serving Florida since 1964
Posted by Bob Lancaster Insurance at 9:50 AM No comments:
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Labels: Homeowners, Safety tips

Monday, November 3, 2014

Does a "Duties after Loss" provision Obligate the Insured to Produce Documents to the Insurer Unsolicited?

When a loss occurs, policyholders must always be mindful of their property insurance policy’s section titled “Duties after Loss.” A policyholder is required to perform specific duties after a loss and failure to meet the obligations may jeopardize a claim.

In a recent case before Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal, an insurer argued that a policyholder was precluded from recovery of damages because they withheld an expert report until after they commenced a lawsuit and this was a breach of the requirement in the policy’s Duties after Loss section. In Herrera v. Tower Hill Preferred Insurance Company,1 the insureds submitted a claim to their insurer, Tower Hill for damages resulting from a sinkhole at their home. Tower Hill retained an expert who concluded that a sinkhole was not the cause of damage to the home. Tower Hill told the insureds that they could participate in neutral evaluation. They also advised the insured that if they demanded additional testing, Tower Hill would continue its investigation subject to a reservation of rights pending a determination of sinkhole activity.

The insured did not notify Tower Hill of any objection to the insurer’s expert report, and did not demand neutral evaluation or additional testing. In the meantime, the insured retained its own expert to review Tower Hill’s expert’s report, to perform testing and to investigate further the damage to their home. The insured’s expert concluded that sinkhole activity caused the damage to the home. The insured commenced a lawsuit for breach of contract against Tower Hill. In opposition to Tower Hill’s motion for summary judgment, the insured attached their expert’s report as an exhibit, which Tower Hill had never seen before. Tower Hill alleged that the insured breached the following policy provision:
SECTIONS I AND II- CONDITIONS

* * * *
2. Concealment or Fraud.
a. Under Section I - Property Coverages, with respect to all “insureds” covered under this policy, we provide no coverage for loss under Section I - Property Coverages if, whether before or after a loss, one or more “insureds” have:
(1) Intentionally concealed or misrepresented any material fact or circumstance . . . .
The trial court granted Tower Hill’s motion for summary judgment and held that the insured’s failure to disclosed their expert’s report to Tower Hill before filing the lawsuit constituted a concealment precluding coverage. On appeal, the Second District reversed the trial court’s ruling and held that the policy did not require the insured to provide the report to Tower Hill “unless they had the report at the time of the claim but before insurer denied it” and that the “Duties After Loss” provision of the policy required the insureds to respond to requests but it did not obligate the insureds to produce documents to Tower Hill unsolicited.
Contact us for all your Insurance needs! (321)725-1620
Bob Lancaster Insurance
Serving Florida since 1964
Posted by Bob Lancaster Insurance at 8:19 AM No comments:
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Labels: Claim examples, Claims, Homeowners claims
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