See our real-life examples to support your client conversations and find out how our protection solutions provide help and reassurance when it’s needed most. We strive to pay as many claims as we can, and we try keep our claims process as simple to follow as possible.
Real-life stories
Hear from some of our customers on why they made a claim with Royal London and why they would recommend us.
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My name's Andrew DaSilva. I live in Derby, massive Derby County fan. I've been a financial adviser for just over 30 years now.
Late last summer, I suddenly developed a really bad urine infection. On the back of the infection, the doctor said it'd be wise to be prostate checked as well, which I thought there's nothing wrong. All the results came back in. I went to see the consultant and he said, "Sorry to tell you, but you have got prostate cancer." When you're first told that, your head is absolutely spinning about a hundred miles an hour. Am I going to die? Is this the last year of my life? What about my family?
Offered two types of treatment, radiotherapy or prostate removal, and I opted to go for the prostate removal. Fortunately, I had a critical illness insurance policy with Royal London. It's a policy I'm a great believer in for all my clients, therefore, I had it myself. So as soon as I got my diagnosis, I went straight to the claims team with Royal London. Royal London were really empathetic and helpful from the moment I picked the phone up. I had a dedicated person helping me all the way through the claims process, so they made it clear really early that, yes, this will pay out. I wanted the money to be paid out pre the operation. They were really keen to help me get that payment process done quickly and they paid out the claim within two weeks.
Going into operation, you're obviously really nervous because you're scared of what else they might find, but going into operation knowing I had no financial worries at all was a really big help. I had my prostate removed at the end of January. Four weeks later, got a phone call from the nurse. She basically said, "Great news, your cancer's gone and it's not spread anywhere, so from today onwards, you are cancer free." It's one of the most emotional days of my life. It's like your football team winning the last minute away. I found the whole process of Royal London and the claims very easy. It also made the recovery process much smoother because I could completely relax with no financial stress at all. It was a big plus to have had the plan and I'm the proof that it actually does work when you need it.
Watch Andrew’s story
A story of a customer who made a claim with us when he received a cancer diagnosis.
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My name is Sally Beresford, and I'm a chartered financial planner.
I offer holistic advice, so I'll talk to my clients about what they want from life.
Then I'll recommend solutions, including pensions and protection, to help them achieve their goals. I first met Alex and Ronnie when I came to their home for an initial consultation.
To start with, we wanted Sally to give us some advice on Ronnie’s pension plans, but she also asked if we had any protection arrangements in place.
They already had some joint life cover, but Ronnie, as the main earner, had no income protection or critical illness cover. Our youngest was about to start a new fee paying school at the time. So, we had some additional outgoings to think about, but life was good, and we didn't have any money worries.
I explained some of the risks of not having cover – the dreaded “what ifs”, and with some encouragement from Alex, Ronnie gave me a budget to work with.
It was good to get Sally’s opinion to be honest. She's someone that I felt comfortable to talk openly with about family matters.
With the budget, I put together a multi benefit plan, decreasing life term assurance, with critical illness cover, and some income protection to age 60. 2 months later, Ronnie had a stroke.
You could say it was a complete shock for our family.
Of course, we were worried about Ronnie's health, and his road to recovery.
But we were also worried about how we’d pay the bills, the school fees and everything else. Thankfully, the protection plan covered Ronnie’s illness, and the family were able to pay off the mortgage in full, reducing the monthly outgoings significantly. It was the lifeline they really needed.
I'm on a phased return to work now, and I’ve not even needed to claim income protection, so it's all worked out for us, to be honest. Sally's been there for us through everything. She's helped us manage the claims process and reminded us of the extra benefits, like the second medical opinion, and the extra support services available.
I just can't imagine how we would have coped financially or mentally without her advice. It really has changed our lives. Building strong relationships with my clients is key to getting the right outcome, because when things change, I can help them keep their plans on track. It feels really good to change people's lives for the better.
How a good conversation led to life-changing advice
In this video, hear from Sally, a chartered financial planner about how her advice helped her clients Alex and Ronnie when they experienced a life shock.
Read our case studies
Use these case studies to show your clients the importance of taking out protection with these examples from customers just like them.