Insurance

Enilorac

Hi all

I'm a very small start-up business....and I mean very small. I'm expecting part-time hours and part-time money, and that's fine by me.

I have bought all my equipment, my first set of clients are all queued up and waiting...but I can't get insurance...at all.

I've tried almost a dozen underwiriters, and as many again of pure insurance companies. I've tried companies who's UK branch *would* cover me (if I was in the UK), but who's Irish branch won't touch me with an enormous barge pole.

I've taken advice from the Irish Pet Dog Groomers Association, who I understand also had a mare trying to get insurance, but were able to get a polciy written when all the members clubbed together.

I've contacted other people who do *similar* dog-related services, and they've all come up against similar problems in getting insurance cover. The trouble is, no-one seems to have done what I'm doing before, microchipping...and the very few people that are doing it are simply not insured.

The majority of insurers are refusing to quote me, and the one or two who will quote me have quoted such truly ridiculous prices that I wonder if they think I will be making my money as a dog butcher? They have said to me I'm a much higher risk than a dog groomer, and as such my premium will be at lest three times higher than the average grooming parlour premium...but I don't know how they work that out. On average I will spend at most 30 seconds with my hands on a dog, as opposed to a groomer spending several hours attending a dog using very sharp scissors and clippers at very close contact.
A company in the UK who specialise in insuring business such as dog grooming, microchipping, dog care, walking etc state that approx 90% of their claims are coming from the grooming sector, wheras the claims from their micrchipping clients are virtually zero....so why are the Irish insurance companies being so stubborn about this.

Is there an insurance ombudsman or similar in this country? Can an insurance company refuse to quote me? Is there an organisation I can appeal to if I think the quotes given to me are extracting the urine?

All help/pointers/advice gratefully received

RainyDay

There is an Insurance Ombudsman but I'm not sure if they will be of much help. Can you clarify what your business will be doing and what risks you are seeking to insure?

Enilorac

I will be microchipping dogs. A very simple procedure I am more than qualified to do. Involves injecting a microchip into the dog. On average will take less than 30 seconds to do. if the dog is playing up, or won't settle then you don't do it, its as simple as that. You wait until the dog relaxes, or come back another time. There's certainly no wild stabbing at an unsettled or moving dog. The risk is absolutely minimal.

I'm looking for:
Public liability (incl. legal liability for accident or injury caused by animals in my care, custody or control)

and what they call Care Custody Control Extension, which translates to:
Legal Liability to animals in your care, custody or control (including vets fees).

The UK insurance company offered all this for £137...up until they changed their company policy and stopped covering the RoI (within 2 weeks of my orignal quote)

The smallest quote I've received here has been 4 figures!!!!!