Different Life: Company Bio
Different Life is a life insurance company that was founded in 2014 and is privately owned by the Different Group. This is obviously a relatively new insurer on the South African market, but all policies with Different Life are underwritten (financially backed) by Old Mutual, which is much senior and a well known company in the South-African insurance market. The idea behind Different Life is also quite new, that by having life insurance you can make a difference to somebody else's life. All Different Life policies feature at least one month's premium being donated to a charity or cause of your choice. The current CEO of Different Life is Philip Tomlinson.
Where is Different Life Located?
Different Life provides full electronic services, meaning everything to do with your policy can be handled online. However, they do have a physical address at: Unit 4 Gateside House, Cnr Cedar Road and Gateside Avenue, Broadacres, Johannesburg 2021.
What Services Do Different Life Provide?
Different Life focus on life insurance and associated products, such as salary protection, disability and critical illness cover.
Different Life Insurance
Different Life offer basic life insurance policies that can be customised with add ons which fit your personal needs. As mentioned, the first monthly premium of each year is donated in full to a charity or project that you choose from the Different Life website. Additionally, if you recommend or refer anyone to Different Life a second monthly premium will be donated to the cause of your choice.
In terms of their actual policies, this is what you can expect to see from Different Life:
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Basic coverage ranges from R100,000 to R10 million;
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Basic coverage is paid out in full upon death, except in cases of suicide which will not be covered;
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Basic coverage has no term limit and expires only upon death;
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Basic coverage can be personalised by choosing any of several add on policies which include:
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Accelerated Funeral (up to R50,000 of coverage paid out immediately after death to pay for funeral costs);
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Terminal Illness (full coverage paid out if a terminal illness is diagnosed and life expectancy is less than 12 months);
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Double Accident (paying out more than the coverage amount if death is caused by an accident);
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Guaranteed Insurability (allows you to increase your coverage amount every three years should you wish).
This information isn't especially specific, but again, Different Life policies are said to be designed based on your needs, so it's probable that you'll get more specific information as you're inputting your details into the online forms provided on the Different Life website. It is a pity though that one cannot see this information in advance.
Other Optional Policies
As well as add ons to a main life insurance policy, Different Life also offer a range of extension products. Your options are:
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Salary Protection, which will pay you a monthly salary should you become disabled through injury or illness and unable to work, amounting to 75% of your original salary up to a max of R90,000 per month;
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Disability Cover, which pays out a lump sum between R100,000 and R10 million should you be permanently injured or disabled and unable to work;
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Critical Illness Cover, which pays out a lump sum between R100,000 and R5 million should you be diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer or suffer a stroke or heart attack.
What Do Customers Think of Different Life?
The consumer review website Hellopeter, which lets customers review service providers, does not have any listings for Different Life at all. This is probably because the company is new, and most customers haven't had to make claims yet, so they cannot comment on the procedure. That means that it's tough for us to say how consumers rate Different Life, but we'll keep an eye on things and get back to you should any reviews appear!
How User Friendly is the Different Life Insurance Website?
Navigation on the Different Life website was easy, and finding what we needed was simple, with a nice menu bar that appeared at the top of every page making it simple to switch between options. We also found the information to be easy to read, with few technical life insurance terms and definitions. The information we found was a good overview of Different Life products, though it wasn't too detailed. However, in many cases the website did say that more information would be given when personal details were entered into the website, which makes sense given that Different Life want to tailor a policy to you specifically. Nevertheless, providing such information upfront, would save time both for the company and for potential customers. The website also gives an overview of the different charitable projects that are being funded by premium donations, which is a nice touch. The only small issue we have is that there is an instant messaging chat available to discuss options with a customer service representative (which is quite convenient). However, we did find that the messaging window popped up every time we switched pages, covering some of the text we were reading, which was a little annoying.
Different Life in Summary
Different Life offers flexible life insurance policies in order to try meet your needs. We can't say for now how customers feel about Different Life's service since Hellopeter listed no reviews of the company seeing how it is still very new (2014). The obvious upside of Different Life is the donations part but it is still important to compare other offers because if they turn out to be substantially cheaper (whilst still providing the same coverage) the then the difference in the cost could be donated and you could still be left with some change. .
* Disclaimer: We do not represent any of the companies, products and/or services reviewed, published or advertised on this website. Nor are we financial, health or insurance professionals or services provider. If you request a quote or purchase a product/service, it will not necessarily be given by the company reviewed on any specific page. Any decisions you make based on the information presented is at your own discretion and we advise that before doing so, you consult with the relevant professional.
Main subject: Different Life
