liability insurance

I like it. It truly is a pain, they want to pay huge prices for small sized work. Kinda frustrating, I do about two jobs a year on my own the rest are for other companies which they would have to sue them before they got to me.
 
Poor customer service experience I've had:

1- taking FOREVER to get additional insureds added to our policy. It really should take 20 minutes to and hour. 24 business hours TOPS. We routinely spend days and sometimes weeks waiting for them.

2- not having our back in making sure the policy gets renewed in time. They sent policy renewal info, and the then I opened them up a few days later only to find out the policy was going to expire IN TWO HOURS. yes, they sent an email a few days ahead of time, but honestly I don't hit all my emails that fast. A courtesy call 24 hours in advance is apparently too much to expect.

3- under reporting certain numbers so that we were basically not actually paying for the right amount of work we do...but then not telling us they were doing that so that we didn't understand the risks we were taking until a few years

4- almost never getting back to us when they said they would. If you say "I'll call you in an hour" then call me at least some time today or tomorrow. Don't wait until I call YOU back.

5- telling me my E&O didn't get renewed, letting me freak out about it for a couple days, then telling me it supposedly WAS renewed.


However, they were way mega cheaper. I think


love
nick
 
I had to file a claim, took the insurance company a week to contact the party that suffered the loss. This turned out to be a small claim but would hate to see them working like this if we had something major happen. Not at all impressed with how our claim was handled. I had to renew with them, since we had an open claim no other company wanted to touch us.

Would love to hear about what good company is out there writing policies for arborist.
 
I'm just starting out, resigned a few months ago. I looked and pulled out my hair for a company and I went with Straitum. I haven't experienced Nick's complaints, generally a call back within 24 to 36 hours or so. Email much quicker. They did drop the ball when I renewed, and didn't notify the state which dropped my contractor licence. I received the states letter late, and nearly had to do the whole deal all over, but paid the fine of 50 or $60. I called my agent pissed, and asked him to fax a letter to L n I that afternoon other wise I was F*cked, and they did...
I under estimated my income, for last year, which means I need to fix that ASAP...

Do read your policy very well. The first one they sent limited me to a height of "two stories" (what ever that means). After going back and forth I finally got them to use a real measurement in feet. Then it was on to felling trees, with out any definition of a tree or stob. This back and forth took about 2 weeks or so, with the agent getting annoyed with me and the underwriter. The agent called me, and asked what I wanted to see in print, "they don't care what, but they need to fill in their blanks."

Haven't needed to use it, and really hope I don't have to. I need to add on E&O as well as commercial auto, and some sort of theft.
 
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oldoakman said:
The issue as I see it, is that most of the respondents here are either contract climbing or like me, working as a part time side gig. A couple of you are full blown companies which is a different situation. For those that are part time/contract finding someone to write the policy is a bitch. I just got a policy that I practically had to beg for even though I have 40 years in the industry with no claims or incidents. Really sucks to be small. Anyone want to start an insurance.company with me? Maybe a co op would work.
Click to expand...
You tell me where to sign and I'm game.. Can't take on another project however...
 
Evo,

I had the same thing about renewal and the Contractor's Registration. Two years running.

Additionally Insured's are around $100 with my policy through Stratum.
 
Oh I see... Like in case you cut down the wrong tree, or tell a client that a tree is not hazardous and you prune and cable the said then it falls and kills their kid. Interesting stuff... general liability is more for personal injury and property damage.
 
evo said:
I'm just starting out, resigned a few months ago. I looked and pulled out my hair for a company and I went with Straitum. I haven't experienced Nick's complaints, generally a call back within 24 to 36 hours or so. Email much quicker. They did drop the ball when I renewed, and didn't notify the state which dropped my contractor licence. I received the states letter late, and nearly had to do the whole deal all over, but paid the fine of 50 or $60. I called my agent pissed, and asked him to fax a letter to L n I that afternoon other wise I was F*cked, and they did...
I under estimated my income, for last year, which means I need to fix that ASAP...

Do read your policy very well. The first one they sent limited me to a height of "two stories" (what ever that means). After going back and forth I finally got them to use a real measurement in feet. Then it was on to felling trees, with out any definition of a tree or stob. This back and forth took about 2 weeks or so, with the agent getting annoyed with me and the underwriter. The agent called me, and asked what I wanted to see in print, "they don't care what, but they need to fill in their blanks."

Haven't needed to use it, and really hope I don't have to. I need to add on E&O as well as commercial auto, and some sort of theft.
Click to expand...

Wait- they let you expire. You totally DID EXPERIENCE my problems with them. And yeah- the tree height thing- don't get me started. I think it's a game they play. Just to get us riled up. I got snarky with them. They had me at 4 stories. I was like WTF. I told them to make it 150ft so that it encompasses every tree in our service area.

How dumb.


love
nick
 
NickfromWI said:
Wait- they let you expire. You totally DID EXPERIENCE my problems with them. And yeah- the tree height thing- don't get me started. I think it's a game they play. Just to get us riled up. I got snarky with them. They had me at 4 stories. I was like WTF. I told them to make it 150ft so that it encompasses every tree in our service area.

How dumb.


love
nick
Click to expand...
No they didn't let me expire, but never sent a new updated certificate of insurance out to me or our states Labor and Industries. Therefore the state assumed that I let my policy lapse, canseled my contractor license and sent me a letter that I had to cease all operations including bids. Other wise I would face a fine of $1000 a day or more.
I had to pay out of pocket for the sates "reinstatement fees." The state says it's the insurance agents job to send it out automatically, and the agent says it's the states job to request it.
 
I didn't realize I posted such a short message. What I meant to say was we have our liability insurance with hub international. It's general liability insurance, but no where on the documents does it specify height restrictions.
 
I got quotes and settled with a Ted bauer via Wateridge insurance services,the guy was just really on top of everything and getting back to me promptly, and the lowest price,it's through scottsdale insurance company/ nation wide insurance group. also has better looking policy than the other quotes received.
 
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