# General Liability insurance?



## ponderosatree (Jul 24, 2007)

What do you pay for you general liability insurance? I use The Hartford and I feel like I'm being reamed. Granted, I get very good protection but I'm paying about $4000 a month now.

I employee about 4 to 5 workers at any given time. 7 including myself and office admin guy. I pay fair wages ($15/hour ground crew, about $25/hour for two climbers plus my take home salary). I run a fully legit operation. Nothing under the table, no fudging of numbers. 

Anyone else get better pricing from insurance companies? Any other insurance companies I should look into?


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## joesawer (Jul 24, 2007)

I don't know what would make your insurance so high, but I think you feel like you are getting reamed because you are getting reamed.


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## treeman82 (Jul 24, 2007)

I'm far smaller than you are... but I too am with the Hartford. I had looked at rates from Scottsdale? They were FAR more expensive than Hartford was. My agents say that there is a third company which will write arborist policies... but they aren't good to deal with.


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## ASD (Jul 24, 2007)

ponderosatree said:


> I employee about 4 to 5 workers at any given time. 7 including myself and office admin guy.
> 
> I run a fully legit operation. Nothing under the table, no fudging of numbers.
> QUOTE]
> ...


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## ponderosatree (Jul 25, 2007)

ASD said:


> ponderosatree said:
> 
> 
> > I employee about 4 to 5 workers at any given time. 7 including myself and office admin guy.
> ...


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## STLfirewood (Jul 25, 2007)

Im just ba small weekend guy with just my father and I doing the work. I hire a climber by the day when i need him so I can't compare like that to you. But i pay $880 a year for a million dollar policy. I might only be a weekend guy but at least I have insurance.

Scott


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## mckeetree (Jul 30, 2007)

My God I don't know where those numbers come from. My brother is in the ins. bus. and he says the min. premium is about $1,200.00 for the cheapest co. there is if you are rated correctly. He says a lot of guys insure themselves as landscapers not tree service. We pay over $5,000.00 per year.


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## STLfirewood (Jul 30, 2007)

That is for tree removal. They wanted to know if i did climbing or work ut of a bucket. I told them both. 

Scott


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## mckeetree (Aug 1, 2007)

STLfirewood said:


> That is for tree removal. They wanted to know if i did climbing or work ut of a bucket. I told them both.
> 
> Scott




Nobody around here is paying that low a premium. Could be a regional thing. Auto ins. is cheaper in some states.


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## polingspig (Aug 8, 2007)

I pay $974 a year for General Liability. It's just me though. It is definitely tree insurance and I told them I climb with rope and saddle. To hire one employee will jump it up $1000 per year. When I need help I hire friends through a temp service so that they are covered. I give them more at the end of the day of course.


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## lxt (Aug 8, 2007)

I just renewed my policy, broker found another company $768.00 a year 1 million liability with a ryder for sub`s $250,000 for fire damage no terrorism insurance & some other additional coverages over & above what is necessary!! 

HOWEVER!!!! workers comp. is a different story here we have what is called SWIF(state workers insurance fund) and at $36 for every $100 it can be expensive, not to mention quarterly audits ahh what fun!!!

LXT.............


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## Can-Do-It (Aug 20, 2007)

*General Liability - Worker Comp.*

My Gen. liability runs $850.oo a year for a one million doller policy. Of course that just covers the customer from damage we might cause during the performance of the job.

The big kicker for me is the Workers Comp. Insurance. It cost me $38.70 per $100.00 of payroll. That's $387.00 per $1000 payroll. Extremely to high for me. 

It's getting hard to compete with other tree comp. in my area who don't carry Workers Comp. It's not mandatory for a small company of 4 or less here in S.C.

Anyone have any other ideas on Workers Comp.??


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## ponderosatree (Aug 20, 2007)

lxt said:


> I just renewed my policy, broker found another company $768.00 a year 1 million liability with a ryder for sub`s $250,000 for fire damage no terrorism insurance & some other additional coverages over & above what is necessary!!
> 
> HOWEVER!!!! workers comp. is a different story here we have what is called SWIF(state workers insurance fund) and at $36 for every $100 it can be expensive, not to mention quarterly audits ahh what fun!!!
> 
> LXT.............



Quarterly? Yikes! Statefund handles workers comp in California and their rates dropped a LOT from 2 or 3 years ago. Thanks Schwarzenegger!


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## seobeglobal (Aug 28, 2007)

didn't know all this.
thank for answering and let other people know.
i'm learning a lot with you


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