Whether you are an individual therapist or Commercial business, you have the Balens personal guarantee that you will be well looked after and you will find the service you receive from us second to none. Our "Testimonials" section incorporates comments from our clients who have experienced first hand, how good our service and products are.
I am most grateful to the Balens team for their support and excellent assistance during an incredibly difficult time.
I contacted Balens for specialised insurance - and their efficiency in organising it all within a few hours was really impressive.
The staff member I spoke to - Stacie - knew exactly what would be right for me, asked me all the relevant questions, and took the appropriate fee. In 40 minutes, all was complete, and I only had to print out the relevant documents.
Very efficient, very impressive, and a charming, intelligent person to deal with. Thank you.
Thank you Stacie.
Thank you SO much for your (and your colleagues previous) help and advice, it is such a pleasure to deal with a company who actually make you feel listened to (no faceless call centres!), are knowledgeable in their specialism and frankly provide such a valuable service. I am indebted to you all as I had been feeling as though I would have to give up my therapies due to the complexities of insurance!
Thanks again.
Thank you I have saved £933.08 on my home insurance for 2016.
Since 2005 I have been with the same insurer, the buildings and contents have not changed, though house prices have gone up. In 2005 the premium was £761.88; in 2016 they were asking for £1,604. I have just been given a quote from a very reputable insurer (Balens) for £670.92.
My premium is higher than normal because I run a part-time therapy practice from home and have four tenants – it is a big house with 13 rooms plus kitchens and bathrooms.
Thank you
I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your good-value insurance services to me, a Hand Analysis practitioner; and that I wish you all the very best in your work.
If I had to nominate someone who was the most pleasant person to talk to at a helpdesk I think you would be my number one choice! So glad you took my call this morning. Thanks again.
I really cannot praise Balens highly enough - and especially Sarah Biggs, the particular European Team member who handled my policy. Despite ludicrously short notice on my part, Sarah went out of her way to turn around my initial query and personally place my application with the right person. My policy was therefore up and running within 24 hours of my initial call to Sarah - when the advertised period is up to three days for a quote alone. On the basis of my dealings with Sarah and Dawn, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Balens to anyone. Absolutely superb customer service even when faced with a frankly unreasonable and unrealistic request - and they made it happen. Both Sarah and Dawn are a credit to your company and I am confident my wife and I will remain loyal customers thanks to their stellar customer service.
“Muchas gracias por tu rapidez en la gestión de mi póliza RC y el envio de la documentación correspondiente. Quedé gratamente impresionada por tu rapidez y eficiencia.
Saludos cordiales desde Barcelona”
English Translation
“Thank you so much for being so quick with dealing with my Public Liability Policy and sending me the corresponding documents. I was pleasantly surprised with how quick and efficient you were.
Best regards from Barcelona“
This is brilliant! For some reason I never knew you ran these CPD conferences. As a customer, it makes me feel very 'looked after'. It was recently suggested I change insurers when I was looking into changing membership of my professional body, but I explained that I feel I have a great service with you - you are always so swift, and nothing ever seems to be a problem at all and this validates it even more! I wanted to say thank you for being more than an insurer. And for your reasonably charged conference price, which makes it feel you are here to support us rather than make money out of us.
31 March 2015
I just wanted to say I feel really well looked after by you. You really have gone the extra mile to get what is a somewhat complicated insurance request sorted out and I really appreciate that.
14 Feb 15
Hi Peter,Thank you for your email and for all your help and assistance.I have now had all my shutters fitted.Once again thanks for dealing with my insurance so quickly and for going that extra mile last Friday for me. You are an outstanding member of staff and a great representation of Balens. Have a lovely day.
9 Feb 2015
Thank you for organising insurance cover for me. It really is a very good cover and lovely to speak to people who have an understanding of complimentary therapies.
Best wishes,
I just wanted to take a few minutes to
write to you both regarding Luke Smith. I have been dealing with
Luke on an unusual insurance requirement and I think you should
know what an excellent service he has provided. His bearing
has been friendly yet very professional and he has worked hard to
get the result I wanted. In fact, it is fair to say that he
has surpassed my expectations both in the speed of his response and
the savings he has achieved on my premiums (around 50% with more
cover!!!). Over the years I have dealt with many other insurance
providers and to date none have gone the extra mile that I believe
that Luke clearly has. In short, I think the man is a credit to
Balen and I believe that you should know that. I was only intending
to use Balen for one particular insurance issue, however, after the
service I have received it is now my intention to come back with
more of my insurance requirements. I was recommended Balen
Insurance by another of your clients and I now see why. I
will certainly recommend your company to other people in my
field.
Thanks Sue, you are a star, this has been a load
off my mind, Much appreciated!!!! Overall I am very pleased at how
well you handled everything and have put me at ease. You should be
commended for your diplomatic and professional approach to this
matter.
J Olivier
I would like to thank all of
you at Balens for all the help, advice and support you have given
to both me and ARCH members during my time as Chair. I have always
said that the value of insurance is only realised when you need to
use it. Hopefully our members will never need to find out, but
having seen how you deal with things and support people with a
feeling of safety support and especially taking out as much of the
fear as is possible, I would never have any hesitation recommending
Balens.
G
Edwards
I have not stopped raving about you.
I received a significant discount on my Balens insurance when I
signed up with Private Practice Hub. It goes
without saying you are amazing. I am hoping that when some of my
friends and colleagues require renewal they will go through you. I
am spreading the word!
S.
Philip, Nutritionist & Wellness
Consultant
Having worked successfully with Balens for
more than a decade I can honestly say that they are extremely good
at what they do. Perhaps unsurprisingly they have arranged
appropriate bespoke insurance cover for Pilates teachers, which is
well designed, flexible, effective and good value. What sets them
apart is the way they have delivered this essential service. From
the outset David Balen was generous with his time and experience,
offering advice and support to teachers wanting to apply a high
standard of professionalism to their work. He made sure he
understood the scope of their practice and what they needed,
enabling him to provide not only suitable insurance cover, but also
the advice and support to back it up. However, Balens are not a one
man team, they may have grown, but have always maintained a high
level of personal service. Joe Balen has been extremely helpful
monitoring the the detail of the cover provided and suggesting
possible alterations. The new website has made it simpler to renew
a policy and access some of the supporting information, adding to
the reassurance of having someone at the end of the phone to answer
questions and offer advice. On numerous occasions I have been able
to benefit from the the expertise available and look forward to
many more years of excellent friendly service.
I am taking a much needed break after many years
of practice so will not be renewing my policy this year.
Balens has served my needs as a psychotherapist with a perfect
balance of efficiency, warmth, and a clear and comprehensive policy
that I cannot fault for the years I have been with you. The cost is
very reasonable for such comprehensive cover, and, whilst this is
an important factor, it is the consistent quality of service that I
value; a service that I can trust. I remember meeting David
Balen at a conference/workshop with Ian Gordon-Brown and Barbara
Somers, ...must have been at the beginning of the 80's.... Remember
me to him. love and very best wishes to you all. I
send you a heartfelt thanks for the excellent service you have
afforded me in my professional career. You are a business with
heart! ...something that would transform the world if it caught
on!
We have used Balens for many years in providing a block
insurance scheme for our members and also having our Directors
insured with them. I cannot recommend them highly enough. I have
always found them efficient, helpful, knowledgable and they handle
queries quickly. It is nice to deal with a 'human' organisation who
are always on the end of a phone to help and seem to genuinely care
about their customers and meeting their needs.
Northwood Day Care Centre has used Balens Insurance Company for several years, and in all this time we have found them to be an excellent company to be a part of. Balens have also helped us in many areas and also many changes we have gone through over these years. Balens provide a simple but effective solution for our changing needs, we would highly recommend there professional Insurance cover and also there ongoing commitment of providing an excellent service to our charity's needs.
I just wanted to thank you for your help
regarding my policy number and insurance details, it is muchly
appreciated!
Ben
Many thanks! I should probably stop to note how
efficient and helpful I find Balens, every time I have to add
something or ask a question! Thank you
M Young-Yoga Teacher
I am sending this email to express my gratitude
of the efficient turn-over of my application. So far I am
very impressed with the level of service and the help that I have
received over the telephone. Many thanks
G. Thompson
Whenever I have called Balens, I always get a person who is friendly and efficient with quick answers/responses to any questions I have.
Many thanks
Rhian Pyart Osteopath.
Thank you so much for your prompt and efficient
service! It is so refreshing to recieve this sort of excellent
service nowadays and your afforts are much appreciated!
Alison Dalziel
I have been
insured with Balens since 2008, and I have to say they are by far
the best insurance company I have ever dealt with. They treat you
individually, listen to your needs and do their best to meet your
requirements and at a really competitive price.
Thank you for sorting out my rather complicated cover this year
ladies. Really appreciate it, especially knowing how busy you are
at the moment :). Thank you again, Sandy x
Each time I've contacted your offices by
telephone, the lady answering has always been very helpful, clearly
spoken and with a lovely telephone voice and manner. Thank you.
I just wanted to express my thanks to Luke Smith,
for his patience, efficiency and expertise in recently arranging
buildings and contents insurance for me. He explained
everything carefully and patiently in language I could understand,
which was enormously helpful, given that it was a difficult set of
arrangements involving several phone calls. I will
certainly be recommending Balens as a result of the professional
service that he provided.
Thanks a lot, good job!! I do recommend Balens
Insurance to all my students too. Excellent service and thanks
again for the speedy response.
The online renewal process was very
straightforward and I received my renewal documents within minutes
You make life so easy. Thank you
I have had professional insurance with Balens for the last 15 years and in that time there have been several instances when I've had to seek their advice. They have always been unfailingly efficient and very helpful. Recently I was required to serve on a Jury and after a swiftly answered call to Joe Balen discovered, to my surprise, my policy covered me for loss of earnings while I was on jury service. On several occasions the Ethics Committee of our professional association, CABP, has telephoned their legal helpline to clarify certain situations that have arisen and that is a very useful resource for us to have access to. I have stayed with Balens all these years because I feel they have insight into dilemmas that psychotherapists come up against in their practice. If ever a complaint is made against me, I would feel confident in their sensitivity and support.
Thank you for your very quick and responsive
actions in connection with my enquiries. 2.5 hour turn-around from
initial enquiry to full insurance certificates has got to be a
record. Well done and thank you indeed.
Thank you Beth. I've been really impressed with
your excellent customer service. I'm pleased to be back with
Balens!
I'd just like to say how brilliant everyone
at Balens has been with my questions and updating my schedule for
new techniques promptly when i get them.
My goodness how efficient! I think you are a
great company and I often recommend you. V. Champion 2012.
Sorry to make you work so hard! Thanks for being
so excellent at your job, you are truly exceptional.
I would like to take this opportunity to say
thank you for your assistance and support over the past few years
since I began practicing as a massage therapist. Your customer
service, in particular the professionalism and helpful nature of
all of your staff members I have spoken to over the phone has been
exceptional.
Dear Sue,
The blessings of God on you and your underwriters
I am absolutely thrilled, you have made me so happy I have been
singing out loud with joy. If you are ever on a holiday in
Ireland, please feel free to look me up and I'll give you a
session, so much of your energy was used in sorting this out.
I live in a beautiful part of Ireland and you deserve a treat for
all you hard work. I am glad Balen's believe in choice and my
business is still with you.
Thanks again Sue, you have made my day.
Blessings and Gratitude
Thanks Joy, i have downloaded the insurance
easily, your help is much appreciated. I think your company is very
caring!
Your care, speed and efficiency are much
appreciated.
I am greatly indebted to Balen's Insurance for going beyond the
norm and finding a way to serve me when I needed it the most. The
type of customer service and integrity that was afforded to me by
Balen's is rarely seen any more from any type of service oriented
business. It seemed to me that I was treated more like a family
member than a customer. My needs were met with proficiency and
expediency and it is my pleasure to recommend Balen's Insurance
company to you without hesitation and with my highest approval.
I'm delighted to be associated with Balens &
I thank you for your kind help today.
Dear Sue, thanks very much for this. I am always
impressed with your ability to solve these problems. I was thinking
of all the times you've helped me out! Excellent service as
always.
Thanks very much. It's perfect! I
received all support that needed to do my renewal.
I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the
wonderful help both you and David, and all your staff, have been to
me and wanted to say again that in all my 10 years as administrator
I never heard one complaint from our members in respect of their
dealings with Balens. I wish you all the best in the future
and will continue to sign the praises of Balens.
The Holistic Healers Association has been associated with Balens
for many years now. Balens has been instrumental in arranged
healing insurance for the Association and its members and has
always been very helpful. In these days of call centres, it
is a delight to be able to talk to someone and discuss what is
needed and to be given advice on what a particular member may need.
The Association and its members have always been very pleased with
the outcome.
I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you and David for
all the help and advice you have provided over the past few
years. You have always been so professional and helpful and I
am very thankful for all your support.
I first contacted Balens several years ago as I was sourcing a comprehensive good value professional indemnity insurance block for the members of AFPA (Acupuncture Foundation Professional Association) in Ireland. AFPA was the first professional acupuncture association in Ireland and I was a founding Director. Balens have been providing insurance for AFPA members and AFI senior students since the mid nineties. They have also provided for many years a comprehensive Schools Insurance for the AFI (Acupuncture Foundation Ireland) and members of the NIATCM (Northern Ireland Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine). I and my colleagues have found the service provided by the Balens team to be both professional and personable. They fashioned a common sense professional indemnity block which is good value and inclusive of practitioner needs in this current environment. When it comes to practitioner and association insurance I think first of Balens, David, Joe, Janet and the team go that extra mile for their clients and I think this would be hard to beat.
Thanks for the excellent service over the last
few years. Your staff were always professional and helpful.
We have held a customised block insurance scheme for our members through Balens for over 14 years Balens offer a personal, friendly and hassle free service and we love the fact that they are a 4th Generation ethical family run business where you will always get to speak to a Balen if required! We would highly recommend them and would not use anyone else to ensure that our members livelihoods are fully protected and are in safe hands. Well done Balens!
Members of the College of Practitionersof Phytotherapy [
www.phytotherapists.org]
have used Balen's insurance, under the company's Block Insurance
Scheme, for a number of years and are more than happy to continue
to do so. To date no Member has made the CPP aware of any
adverse comment about Balens and indeed, are viewed favourably by
our Members in view of their "care for the carers" guiding
principle.
We have held a customised insurance scheme for our members through Balens for over 6 years. The scheme has been hugely successful and grown considerably over the last 6 years with many happy members. Balens have played a huge part in the success of the scheme, due to the competitive premiums offered, extremely wide cover, flexibility and help and guidance they have given us over the years. Balens personal and friendly service should be congratulated as it is so rare in this day and age. In 6 years of dealing with Balens we have had not one complaint from any member on the level of servicing offered by them and this should be commended. A great package and support network for any organisation looking to offer an insurance package to their members.
That's great thanks! I have been really
impressed with the great service I have received, you guys have
been just fantastic, I can not thank you enough. You have been so
quick and efficient on the phone, email and post every time I can
not fault you. Thank you so much!
The Balens team have been very helpful in helping us set up an insurance scheme for our members. They provided us with all the necessary communications materials and support us with this on an ongoing basis. They have also given us their views on various insurance related matters, such as the use of disclaimers, and this personal service is much appreciated.
We approached Balen's with a request for a
tailored professional insurance policy for members of our community
of Interfaith Ministers. Their response and proposal certainly met
our needs, and the premiums were lower than another comparable
provider. This is proving to be a popular service for our
ministers.
When we set up the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths (ARH) in May
2001, we spent a long time researching where we could find quality
insurance cover for practising homeopaths. When we contacted Balens
it was obvious from the onset that this was a company who both knew
and understood the needs of the complementary sector. We decided to
'give them a go', and that was the start of a creative and
productive working relationship which continues to this day. The
package offered by Balens is comprehensive, well thought through
and represents excellent value for money. An additional bonus is
the helpful and competent team who work efficiently in the
background, ensuring than Balens delivers on what it promises. If
you have a query, you generally receive an instant response, and if
an issue is a little more complicated, requiring expertise in a
specialist area outside of Balens' usual remit, they will
investigate the matter on your behalf, and come back with an
answer. Probably the most striking thing about Balens is that they
really seem to genuinely care about delivering a quality service to
their clients, and whenever one of our members needs to make direct
contact with one of the departments, they invariably report back
saying how helpful everyone was. The fact this is a family run firm
probably helps to ensure the company maintains high ethical
standards, an important consideration because clients occasionally
find themselves facing a complaint from a patient, which can end up
being both complicated and distressing. These are the sort of
stressful circumstance when you really need correct support and
guidance from your insurance broker. Another notable observation is
that despite being very busy people, the 'bosses' (David, Joe and
Josh) are always accessible. If you need to speak to one of them
and they're out of the office, they always return your call!So, to
summarise, ARH is very happy with the service Balens provides for
us, and we look forward to working with them for many years to
come!
Balens have provided ARCHTI (Association of
Registered Complementary Health Therapists of Ireland) with a
Practitioner, Public Liability, Malpractice and Products Liability
Insurance Cover for our Members since 2005. We can honestly say
that the high quality of service, professionalism, speed of
response and personal attention we receive from all members of
staff at Balens is beyond compare. We have a dedicated, efficient
and trustworthy member of staff, Sue, appointed to take care of our
Group Scheme and she will contact any of our Members personally if
required to reassure them and look after their needs and even if
she is away on holiday another member of staff will be there to
help. We are never left alone and waiting for assistance. David
Balen is a credit to his Parents who founded the Company and he has
maintained a family tradition seldom found these days in business.
His own sons, Joe and Josh are helping him carry on that
tradition and his staff have great respect and fondness for him and
the whole company treat us with the care and attention one would
give to their own family. Balens have consistently provided our
Members with very affordable premiums over the years and the level
of Indemnity ensures that they are well protected for every
eventuality. We can heartily recommend Balens to anyone seeking the
best insurance cover for their needs and we are proud to be
associated with them. Peggy Kelly-ARCHTI (2011)
I wanted to take this quick opportunity to thank the whole team at Balens for all they have done for AIT and ABT as companies, but perhaps more importantly to me. The trust, respect and loyalty you have always treated me with. I have dealt with Balens since 2004 and a lot has changed in the last seven years....not least the AIT and ABT brands have grown and now look after over 9,000 individual clients. Clearly, a great insurance package was required first and foremost, but the growth was significantly assisted due to the support and guidance given by David.....I still remember the first trip David and I did, lecturing to colleges back in 2005 and driving the whole length of Ireland to show our support to training and education - good times! Over the last three years, Joe and Josh have helped me in the same ethical, moralistic way the business was founded on and I am sure David must be very proud of the level of expertise and service his sons provide. Brokers will always come and go, to a degree so will insurers and I have dealt with a lot over the years and can assure you, your level of service is second to none.There is no doubt in my mind that without the products, services and support of Balens my brands would not be where they are today and I have a tremendous amount to thank you for. In today's, FMCG world, we rarely take the time to offer thanks to
those who helped us at the beginning, let along supported us all the way through ....so, please accept this brief letter as my way of saying 'thanks'!
Dental Maintenance Plan Ltd has been associated with Balens as an Appointed Representative for a number of years. During that time, we have found the Company, headed by David Balen, to be a delight to work with. They are approachable, innovative, always ready to listen and show interest in what we say regarding the development of new products or the upgrading of existing ones. All this is based on a firm foundation of honesty and integrity which is refreshing in today's financial business world. Every member of the team is accessible, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. We would especially recommend that, any professional with a connection to the healthcare field who is uncertain of how, and/or where to procure insurance cover, to make contact with Balens. We look forward to many years of successful collaboration with David, Joe, Josh and the Team.
I closed my clinic a couple of weeks ago so will
not be renewing my weight loss business policy. Thanks for all your
help in the past - we are very pleased with the home insurance
policy you arranged and will keep this going, as it is very keenly
priced.
I have now retired from psychotherapy practice so
don not need this insurance any more, I have found Balens a very
good comapny to deal with and am sad that there is to be a
parting of the waves!
The Alliance of Private Sector Practitioners members have enjoyed
the many benefits and peace of mind by being insured through an
outstandingly professional insurance company, Balens, for many
years. The range of cover offered for numerous professions is
second to none, which is invaluable for our members, many of whom
are qualified in other practices. The staff are
knowledgeable, efficient and always friendly should you have the
need to speak to them. On behalf of the Alliance I would like
to take this opportunity to thank them for their outstanding
support and look forward to a continued association for many years
to come.
Balens understanding of the profession of
counselling and psychotherapy is a real bonus for
practitioners. I have always found Balens to be efficient, helpful
and competitively priced.
Many thanks to all at Balens. It must be the
fastest amendment I have ever experienced.
May I again praise Balens for your excellence in
customer service. We often find ourselves in need to contacting you
for our peace of mind and in every single occasion everyone in your
company has replied with the outmost professionalism and care.
Since being founded in 1992, the Scottish Massage Therapists
Organisation (SMTO) has been working with Balens. Balens has helped
the SMTO to control the premiums for those members utilising the
block insurance scheme, ensuring that they get the best deal for
our members at renewal time each year. I also can¹t say enough
about their exceptional customer service, when required they
address all of our concerns and immediately take care of any
problems or issues that arise, whether from the SMTO itself or its
members. Over the last nearly 20 years we have developed a great
partnership with Balens. The SMTO would highly recommend their
services and is looking forward to continued development of this
alliance in the future.
Dear Mr Balen,
Thank you so much for your amazingly speedy reply! We are
thrilled by your news! Yes please do keep us posted. We have
always been so pleased by the kindness, courtesy and personal
attention shown by Balens. In a now rather rough and uncaring
world it is a real treat and comfort to feel cared for and looked
after which is what you do so well. This may be especially so
for women and it is a great comfort to feel that there would indeed
be someone of this calibre at your back if, heaven forbid, they
were needed. We shall be delighted to be insured by you again
and look forward very much to hearing from you in due
course.
WDP is a charity committed to helping all those affected by drug and alcohol use, including families and communities. We deliver services on behalf of local authorities across London and the South East and also raise funds to develop and improve the support we give, which means that we always have to be very cost conscious, so that as much money as possible is spent where it is needed, on front line services. We are celebrating our 21st anniversary this year and have grown tremendously over the last ten years. WDP has worked closely with Balens for many years, and we have always found the service to be exemplary. Not only does the team at Balens work hard to ensure that we get the best value for money, but we have always found we receive a very personal service from the team there, which means we have managed to develop very good working relationships. Balens have always worked hard to ensure they really understand our services, so that they can provide the best advice, and have always managed to adapt to our changing needs as our services grow, develop and change. Whenever we have had to make a claim, they have been extremely responsive and helpful.
Joy you are a delight! Thank you very much. I have given your name and details to my friend. He is a Reiki Master and studying NLP at present. He didn't know who best to go to for insurance.....it's YOU!
Dear David, If I remember you correctly you
have said that you are taking more of a back seat at Balens
nowadays. However we thought you would like to know how very
pleased we are with the service provided by all there. Although we
tend to deal with Josh, Joe, Janet, Alison & Beverly, whoever
we speak to is always very helpful. We know that our specific
requirements tend to create extra work (we don't tend to fit into
boxes) but we always get the help we need. Recently Josh has done a
grand job re our swimming pool insurance, but like I say all at
Balens do.
After having been insured with another
company over the past year, I am again thinking of coming back
to Balens for my insurance, as the high customer service
standards you provide are the best I have come across
so far in your prompt responses and
helpful manner.
We have been dealing with Balens for many years and they have
always been very helpful and efficient. Their service is excellent.
I have received clear and accurate advice from
your legal team quickly when I needed it. really helped me.
We met Joe Balen at the 2011 Yoga Show, and
within two weeks, we co-created a new insurance package for our
professional members that far surpassed what we were previously
able to offer our members. It has been a real joy to work with
Joe and the Balens Team. Their personal service and customer
care are greatly appreciated!
The Chiron Association for Body Psychotherapists
has been taking out professional insurance for its members as well
as organisational insurance for itself through Balens for many
years. We have never had cause to regret this, and feel very well
looked after by Balens. Our members appreciate the good value and
the flexibility of the scheme especially altering the range of
therapies any one practitioner offers is remarkably easy. We can
recommend the company to any organisation within the complementary
health and psychological therapies field.