Insurance joke

[DDM]

- $1000 premium, $1000 deductible for $1 million liability. So long as its just me alone(no employees),and I don't make over $10,000.@ year! For $20 more a month, I can get $2 million liability with the same terms. Part time biz/hobby only!

Your Paying 10% Thats a little Steep For part time....

 

[hobby climber]

DDM, I know but after shopping around with other insurance companies and insurance brokers, its the best price I could find. Only two companies were willing to insure me...the rest of them said no. The other company that would, wanted double the amount so long as I agreed NOT to work on ash trees,(EAB)! Around here I know of only one other individual who has insurance! Everyone else opts not to be insured or is unable to get it for what ever the reason. I forgot to mention that I also have fire & theft with the policy as well so if I drop a saw out of a tree or if my equipment is stolen, I'm covered for the replacement value. Thats a $500 deductible. You can just bet that the premiums will go up after the first claim! HC

 

[old dude]

insurance

guys---
just don't buy it. It's a ripoff.
Old Dude

 

[Ekka]

guys---
just don't buy it. It's a ripoff.
Old Dude

I just can't get over the fact that this is the Commercial forum and getting this sort of advice is just not on. I carry copies of my insurance in the truck to show quotes and customers ... I tell customers to physically sight insurance papers of competitors as many run the gauntlet without cover subjecting you to great risk. If the contractor says they're insured don't believe it until you see it because many lie, and you can even check the authenticity of the document by ringing the insurance company.

We are supposed to be professionals here, and the cost of business overheads has to be absorbed into your pricing. If you cannot afford insurance you have to put your prices up or get more work or whatever. In some instances stop thinking that your turnover is your profit and run a propper business.

 

[old dude]

just too contrary

To my austrailian friend--
You are right. Please everyone out there go ahead and buy that insurance. at the very least it's great peace of mind. I'm just too contrary to sit still and get ripped off by something that I am not required by law to submit to (like taxes) for instance.

 

[Tree Machine]

Part of my first year in business I didn't have insurance. I sorta felt like a skank, like I was skirting the edges of the profession. I felt irresponsible in a way. I hoped no one would ask for proof. It was a dark existance.

Once I got insured, the feeling totally changed. I was playing by the rules the other professionals were playing by. That elevated me to a more professional level, at least in my mind.

Years later I was looking over my policy and they had me listed under Lawn and Landscape. I called and told them they had me in the wrong category. They said, "No, that's the category you're supposed to be in." "But I do NOTHING related to lawn or landscape. I climb trees, I'm an arborist, a tree care professional. Arboriculture, are you sure there's no classification for that?" "Nope, you're OK."

This bugged me. All I could think is, if I have an accident, they're going to tell me I'm not insured for working in the tree industry because I'm listed as a landscaper, even though my certificate SAYS Arborist. I called them again. I was insistent, and guess what? Magically they found the classification Tree Care - Arborist. I really felt I was being deliberately staged. Bastages.

 

[Tree Machine]

Just by concidence, it's time for my yearly policy review. My agent is coming over tomorrow morning at 8:00 am. If I learn anything of substance I'll report back.

Sincerely,

The Lawn and Landcape Machine

 

[Stumper]

Hey, I was listed for several years as a "Nurseryman" . I didn't cultivate trees and shrubs for transplanting or run a children's daycare center but that was the best that my agent could come up with-He assured me that I would be covered. I had no claims.

 

[Tree Machine]

I will explore this job title issue with my agent. It's morning now and my agent will be here in 15 minutes. Gotta grab some coffee.

 

[old dude]

well?

Well----
What did you learn? We await with baited breath.

Just by concidence, it's time for my yearly policy review. My agent is coming over tomorrow morning at 8:00 am. If I learn anything of substance I'll report back.

Sincerely,

The Lawn and Landcape Machine

 

[Tree Machine]

Baited whaaaa? You been eatin' worms again Old Dude?

 

[Tree Machine]

OK, since I'm probably the slowest keyboard pecker, let me just post the forms. This could really help the guys who are looking to get insurance.

You give me a minute, OK?

 

[Tree Machine]

You still there? Good.

 

[Tree Machine]

You mind if I go get a bowl of ice cream?

 

[Tree Machine]

OK, I'm back.

Uhhhh, I forgot the chocolate sauce, hang on.....

 

[Tree Machine]

You still there?

I have to credit you with patience.


Can you hang on while I scratch myself?

 

[Tree Machine]

Ahhhh. There! Now I'm ready.

Oh crap. I need to copy the certificates.


OK, all right, I'm one of those attention deficit kids. What were we talkin about?

 

[Tree Machine]

The first thing Elizabeth said when she saw this was, "Hey, he's climbing above his tie-in point.... where's his flipline? He's not on rope!" Pretty funny for an INSURANCE company to use a picture such as this.

Anyway, I was quite surprised to learn that an insurer has a specialty program specifically for tree trimmers.

 

[Tree Machine]

Here's liability

This is my liability certificate. It is for a milion dollars in coverage. It has a $500 deductible. The cost for this was $498. This covers me for the entire year. This comes to $1.37 per day. I had absolutely no problem with this whatsoever.

 

[Tree Machine]

Equipment insurance

Here's the coverage for my gear. I've circled one item here on the certificate. This is an important point. Insurers will want to pay you based on current value. Elizabeth said "No Way!" (she's a smart babe.)

<b>Current value</b> is the estimated cost of what it's current worth is. That's basically the depreciated value, or the cost of it as market value is sold today. Taking a chipper, for example, they would go looking for one the same model and age, and that's what you'd get. I had to point out that mine is a custom chipper, and that there would not be another one like it ANYWHERE. To replace it would mean starting with a new chipper and customizing it from it's birth. We went around on this, and they agreed to insure it not for current value, but for REPLACEMENT COST. They slapped a thousand dollar deductible on it, but with that, I'm OK. It's better than getting bent over if the moment of need were ever reached.

My tool organization system and chip dump system is also a custom build, estimated at 7 thousand replacement cost. Then there's 8 thousand worth of ropes, saws, biners, all the way down to spare equipment parts and bar nuts, every tree-related part and piece I own. This carries a $250 deductible and the cost for covering my empire (chipper and all other gear) totalling $29,850 cost $736.