Re: Insurance companies

[Jim <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

On Mar 9, 6:47=EF=BF=BDpm, tourman <robercampb...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Mar 9, 11:11=EF=BF=BDam, "Bite Me" <nos...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > I have noticed a very strong upsurge in insurance companies demanding
> > letters regarding client alarm systems. =EF=BF=BDEnough so that its act=
ually taking
> > a significant portion of my time to deal with. =EF=BF=BDLooks like just=
 the next
> > wave of insurance companies trying to push liability off on others and =
/ or
> > drive up rates for clients. =EF=BF=BDThis just seems like the latest ro=
und of buck
> > pushing by big insurance. =EF=BF=BDWe can just hope they will collapse.
>
> > I first noticed it getting bad a few years ago, right after Hurricane
> > Katrina, and again after the court rulings about having to pay claims t=
hey
> > thought they would get out of. =EF=BF=BDBack then it was at the proffes=
sional level.
> > All the generals were demanding all kinds of things they never asked ab=
out
> > before. =EF=BF=BDNot just proof of insurance, or even additional insure=
ds. =EF=BF=BDOne sent
> > me a seven page document of demands they said their insurance company w=
as
> > insisting on from all their subcontractors. =EF=BF=BDThe killer for me =
was the
> > clause stating that they right to tell me to fire an employee. =EF=BF=
=BDIt was not
> > worded to say they could tell me not to allow a particular employee on =
their
> > job sites. =EF=BF=BDThe way it was worded I had to terminate them on th=
eir say so.
>
> > Driving up the cost of doing business is not they way to rebuild the
> > economy.
>
> Dunno how you do it but when I put a client on line, I give them a
> folder containing a copy of the contract, the written call list, my
> warranty and the insurance certificate filled out describing their
> system (plus their system user manual). They can then forward it to
> their insurance company themselves. Years later when they change
> insurance companies, and want another certificate forwarded to their
> new company, I retrieve it from their file, scan it and email it to
> the insurance company for them..
>
> Simple and certainly not much trouble. Anything beyond that, as you
> describe could be a real pain though.
>
> It also makes me wonder what right these guys have to ask for all that
> stuff that has nothing to do with a simple alarm installation....??-

I try not to give the certificates to the home owner. I get the fax
number of the insurance agency and fax it to them direct. Now I've got
the name of the Insurance company and this allows me to notify them
should the client cancel their monitoring. The way I figure it, if the
client cancels monitoring, some/many will never tell their insurance
company and continue to receive the discount. If the insurance company
never asks them for an up date, they will reap the benefits of having
a monitored alarm system without actuall being monitored. As far as
I'm concerned, that's ok with me as long as there isn't an incident.
However, if there IS and incident, and the insurance company thinks
that I monitor the client, I can be drawn into having to prove that I
don't monitor the account. I don't have time for that kind of
possibility as remote as it might be. It's also nice to have the
advantage if you should have a client that has to be cut off for non
payment.