If a Tree-Trimmer Falls in the Yard of a $23,000 House, and No One is There to See Him, Will the Insurance Pay a Claim?

Hick is re-thinking the Tree-Trimmer Guy. They had agreed upon the price, the removal of the debris, and the day to begin, but Hick insisted that he would not move forward until he had a copy of the Tree-Trimmer Guy's insurance.

That's the first thing Hick asks them, if they have insurance. No need to proceed if they don't. We have an umbrella policy, and we also have a rehabber's policy for one year on Pony House, but neither will pay for any claims is we use a HIRED worker. According to Hick, it will pay if his buddy comes over to help, and some mishap befalls him. But not if he's getting paid. Hick is pretty smart about the legal stuff.

In fact, Hick knows from his years as a manager of facility maintenance in a factory that made saw blades for butchers, that the contractor's insurance should have YOUR NAME in the policy, and be authorized by his insurance carrier, or it's just like not having insurance. He told this to Tree-Trimmer Guy, who's in his mid-30s, and used to trim trees in another state. Tree-Trimmer Guy said nobody has ever asked him for that. But that of course he has insurance. Hick explained that all he had to do was call his insurance, tell them what he needed, and they would send it to him with Hick's name on it, making him insured for the job. 

 

Tree-Trimmer Guy sent Hick a copy of the policy with Hick's name in it the next day. He said that his insurance company was in California, but that he'd figured out a way to put Hick's name in it online. Hick said, no, that wasn't right. The insurance company had to do it. And how had the insurance company rep signed it? Tree-Trimmer Guy said it was an electronic signature, so he had put the same name as the person who had signed his policy. Hick said NO. This was not a legal agreement.

Hick looked up the insurance company online. It has been in business since 2017, and had a rating of 4.8 out of 5. Hick also saw a complaint from the Better Business Bureau. I told him that doesn't mean all that much. Some people are never satisfied. That you have to read the whole thing, and see how the business tried to solve the complaint. That if it was THAT bad, the insurance company itself would not have a rating of 4.8 over four years.

Anyhoo... Hick is leery of using Tree-Trimmer Guy now, not in small part to more details revealed by Tree-Trimmer Guy himself. Like he just got this insurance last month, at a cost of $150. And that the day before, he paid his monthly premium of $75. Not criticizing the guy for just recently becoming insured, but it seems he only got a fire in his belly to get insurance AFTER talking to Hick. Also not saying Tree-Trimmer Guy is trying to pull a scam. Only that he probably doesn't understand the insurance process. I sure don't. 

 

I never would have made sure to have my name on the insurance policy before letting him do the work. Hick had seen a buddy who pours concrete while he was at Casey's buying donuts, and asked HIM about the insurance. And Concrete Man said that's right. That's how it's done. It's really simple. All the contractor does is call his insurance company, and they will issue the policy with the hiring person's name on it as the "insured" for the job.

So... Hick is pretty sure that Tree-Trimmer Guy does not have $300,000 worth of coverage for this job. I don't know where Hick arrived at that amount. Hick is going to talk to our own insurance rep on Monday, to see if they've heard anything about this insurance company, and how legal Tree-Trimmer Guy's process is, since our rep will be familiar with procedures, and the wording of insurance contracts.

I'm pretty sure we're going with the guy Hick already met with, and texted by mistake about the insurance contract while thinking he was talking to Tree-Trimmer Guy. The other one will do it for a few hundred dollars less, and says of course he can get Hick an insurance contract with his name on it, and that Hick is welcome to talk to his insurer, who is in a town about 20 miles north of us. He is so booked up that he doesn't mind if Hick hires him or not, but to please let him know if he should put us on his schedule for about 2 months in the future.