Dear Claudienne,
I live in St Mary. I have a problem with First Life Insurance Company. For about two years, or more, I have not received a receipt for my premiums that I have paid. I phone and wrote to the manager, asking why they are not sending out receipts and I got no reply. Please see how best you can help as another premium is due shortly.
- Hyacinth

First Life Insurance Company has now merged with Life of Jamaica (LOJ) as a result of which LOJ took over processing of your premiums in May 2004.

LOJ told Tell Claudienne that your premiums are up-to-date and promised to mail you duplicate receipts for the period May 2004 up to the current time that they have been administering the policy.

We note that they have since been mailed to you and that you have received them. We further note that you have received up-to-date information on the status of your policy.

In regard to the period before May 2004, Hyacinth, there is difficulty in providing you with duplicate receipts for those payments.

The First Life receipt books prior to that period have gone to the archives and the officer who was assigned to produce the duplicate receipts for those earlier premium payments was unable to give the archives the dates on which they were made.

A clerk who worked with First Life, however, recalls processing some of your premiums as the payments were made by postal order. She insists that the receipts were mailed to you for the premiums she processed during that period.

Dear Claudienne,
On January 6, I applied for my daughter's birth certificate using the Registrar General Department's (RGD) online application service. I requested the seven-day service. I received an email from them on January 8, which gave me the reference number needed to pay for the service.

I went to the RGD's office on Trevennion Park road on January 10 and paid for the service. I was once again told that it took seven days to be processed and then it would be delivered to me, but up to January 26, I still had not received it. I think that this type of service is pathetic and that the RGD is selling services under false pretence as they cannot provide the service.
- Jodi

Dear Jodi,
Tell Claudienne notes that you received your daughter's birth certificate from the RGD shortly after we intervened. The RGD has expressed regret for the delay and wishes to apologise to you.
The RGD said that your application for a birth certificate for your daughter was for a recent birth, registered in December.

The agency explained that birth records are usually handed in to the RGD after six weeks, as specified in the Registration of Births and Deaths Act. Because of this, the public is advised to apply for certificates six weeks after the event - either a birth or death - has been registered.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company; write to: 'Tell Claudienne', c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.

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