True Stories

Location: Wellington, New Zealand

Time: 11:30 AM,  27 December.

Situation: Shock Diagnosis

Elliot felt defeated by Christmas. Days of over-indulging with his family in New Zealand had been the highlight of his working holiday in New Zealand from Samoa and he was days away from going home, but his stomach just wouldn't settle and the pain in his abdomen was tremendous.

He contacted First Assistance, as advised to by his insurance company, who scheduled an appointment with his local clinic. After a few scans and tests, Elliot was informed that he had "borderline terminal" cancer. Not even sure what "borderline terminal" meant, he called back First Assistance for help and support.

First Assistance had already received the medical report from the doctor, and were working on organising a specialist appointment, and making arrangements for further treatment. Being the middle of the holiday season, many specialists were not available. To make matters more tight, the international Rugby Sevens tournament being held in Wellington made an extension of accommodation at his current hotel impossible.

By the new year, First Assistance had the client visiting hospital and receiving treatment which was not available in his home country, had booked him into new accommodation, and were extending his visa to allow him to stay for the entirety three month treatment plan.

After an arduous treatment plan, Elliot was given a clean bill of health, and First Assistance remains on his Christmas card list to this very day.

Location:          Okavango Delta, Botswana

Time:               1:09pm

Situation:         MEDICAL EMERGENCY

Robert and his brother were having the time of their lives travelling through Africa until one day in the Okovango Delta in Botswana when Robert stumbled backwards and stepped straight in to an open fire, seriously burning the base of his foot. 

They drove straight to the nearest doctor in the town of Maun who advised that hospital treatment was required so Robert and his brother headed to Victoria falls, Zimbabwe. Unfortunately the Victoria falls hospital was ill-equipped to deal with this type of injury so Robert's brother contacted the number listed on his insurance policy which put him straight through to First Assistance.  

At that point - First Assistance took control - helping the brothers out in a foreign country, and in their time of need.    

A nurse escort was organised to collect Robert from the hospital and move him to a more suitable hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.  Flights and medical costs were fully covered by his insurance policy, and were taken care of by First Assistance.

Robert and his escort were met on the tarmac by an ambulance crew, who then took him straight to hospital, where his admission had been arranged by the First Assistance doctors.  Within 48 hours of incurring his injury, Robert received the surgery and medical care he needed to get him back on the road the recovery, and back to Harare to continue his trip.

Location:          Paris, France

Time:               10:16am

Situation:         STOLEN PERSONAL EFFECTS

Veronica couldn't believe her bad fortune, when thieves broke in to her hotel room in Paris, stealing her credit card and airline tickets - leaving her with less than 100 euros to her name.  She was due to fly to Germany in two days time, and didn't know what to do next.  Language barriers between herself and the hotel staff weren't helping matters.

One phone call to First Assistance set the wheels in motion.  Direct contact was made with the hotel reception, to explain the situation, and organise payment for the following two night's accommodation and meals.

Emergency funds were also arranged, and within 3 hours of her first phone call, Veronica was able to collect enough emergency cash to keep her going until a new credit card could be delivered to her. 

Finally, First Assistance worked with her airline to arrange replacement tickets, so that she could continue on her travels as planned.  A trip she won't forget quickly! 

Location:          Hokitika, New Zealand

Time:               7:32pm

Situation:         VEHICLE BREAK DOWN

John was touring the South Island of New Zealand with his wife and two kids during the Christmas holidays, when their car broke down on the outskirts of Hokitika at 7.30pm on a Tuesday night.  Using his mobile phone John called his roadside assistance number.  His call was answered by an automotive technician who asked a few questions to gauge the nature of the problem, and to more accurately establish John's location.  John didn't know exactly where he was, only that he was South of Hokitika, and not far from Lake Mahinapua.

Using the electronic mapping system to pinpoint local landmarks, the assistance co-ordinator quickly located John and his family, and despatched the on call technician located most closely to the broken down vehicle.  The technician arrived 15 minutes after the call was placed, and quickly ascertained that there was a problem with the vehicle's transmission.  The vehicle needed to be transported to Hokitika to have the repairs completed the following day. 

Knowing this, First Assistance quickly arranged for John and his family to be driven by taxi to Hokitika and arranged accommodation for the night.  The next day the family's vehicle was repaired and delivered to them so they could continue on their journey all the while thanking themselves that due to their roadside assistance programme they had suffered minimal disruption to their holiday.

Location:          Wellington, New Zealand

Time:               03:01am

Situation:         STORM DAMAGE TO PROPERTY

Ingrid didn't know what to do next.  It was 3.00am and she had been woken by the noise of smashing glass.  A huge storm outside had blown a branch through her living room window, and now the rain was streaming through the hole and soaking the glass covered carpet.  Her husband was away on business, and she didn't want to wake her neighbours.

She phoned her 24 hour help line, which was answered by the team at First Assistance.  A calm and experienced professional quickly took charge of the situation, and helped Ingrid through the immediate steps she could take to protect her belongings and herself.

Within 25 minutes, a glazier had arrived to clean up the broken glass, and temporarily board up the window to ensure that Ingrid and her house were secure, as well as to stop further water damage.

First thing the following morning, the glazier returned to fit a brand new window and the carpet cleaning company turned up to dry out Ingrid's carpet, and assess whether it needed to be replaced.

Throughout this event, First Assistance remained in touch with Ingrid, letting her know what would happen next, and checking in to make sure that she was okay and was happy with the outcome.  They had checked her insurance cover, and were able to arrange payment for all the work that was done, so that Ingrid did not even need to worry about finding her cheque book.