Case Study

Macbeth help day care centre with specialist insurance cover

20/09/2011 in Case Study, Social Welfare Insurance

When Carol Williams struggled to find the right adult day care for her autistic son, she was inspired to provide a solution herself. Such were the beginnings of Tomms Care which was established in 2010 in Port Talbot, South Wales to deliver the individualised services for nine young adults with autism and related disabilities.

But the business – one of the few day centres of its kind to provide recreational and life skills learning and training, Monday to Friday – may never have got off the ground if Macbeth Chartered Insurance Brokers had not successfully resolved some crucial insurance issues.

“Our principal requirement was onsite and offsite liability cover,” said Carol. “This is quite a specific need due to the sometimes difficult behaviour of our clients and, although not strictly compulsory, it is a requirement of local social services when referring people to us.”

In all, Carol approached some nine insurance advisers and services on the high street only to draw a blank each time. There just wasn’t the sector knowledge available to deliver the cover required.

It was an internet search which introduced Tomms Care to Macbeth and, in particular, the firm’s social welfare insurance which is specifically designed to cover a provider’s employer and third party responsibilities as well as their physical assets.

“Macbeth sorted us out really quickly,” went on Carol. “We were pretty anxious by this stage but their prompt service put us at ease and alleviated our worries. Their knowledge and experience in this sector meant we secured the policy we needed and that enabled us to open as planned.”

The Macbeth solution

• High quality customer service ethic ensured expert and prompt resolution of urgent insurance need
• Secured sector-specific insurance cover not readily available elsewhere
• Renewal premium held at first year rate despite staff and turnover increases at Tomms Care

Client verdict

“Macbeth is always responsive to our requirements and that’s a strength of service we just haven’t come across elsewhere,” said Carol Williams.

“Not only has Macbeth resolved our business liability cover and kept the premium at an affordable level, but they also sourced our unoccupied buildings insurance before opening.

“Again this was at a crucial stage of Tomms Care’s evolution and freed up our time to concentrate on service provision rather than the distraction of having to search for insurance solutions ourselves.”

Shredding move poses insurance problem for Tyre Recycling Services

17/07/2011 in Case Study, Recycling Insurance

Every business needs to keep pace with changes in its market place to ensure its offer continues to meet demand and generate profits. So when Tyre Recycling Services in Fareham decided to switch from tyre baling and move into tyre shredding, it was made strictly on business grounds.

“What we didn’t anticipate was the huge hike in our annual buildings insurance premium this decision would cause,” explained Tyre Recycling’s Sam Bedford. “Quotes came in at around £20,000, three times what we were originally paying, plus there was a potential requirement of an additional £10,000 for fire alarm and sprinkler systems.

“The alternative would be the expense and upheaval of moving premises altogether.”

The proposed increase was due to evidence that large stockpiles of tyre shreds (more than three metres deep) can be prone to spontaneous combustion. Rather than the knee-jerk reaction of their landlord’s insurers who had previously arranged cover for the building, Tyre Recycing required a better informed and more considered approach that would protect the business from this risk – and at an affordable cost.

Macbeth Chartered Insurance Brokers already handled much of Tyre Recycling’s insurance business with liability and contents cover. “They’ve always proved very approachable with a problem-solving attitude,” added Sam, “so we naturally turned to them for help.

“They took the time to understand the issue we faced, and its potential for our company, and applied their experience in finding us a manageable alternative. They worked quickly, too, which was vital in avoiding any interruption to our business.”

The Macbeth solution

• Delivered specialist insurance advice tailored to the needs of the recycling industry
• Drew on an active network of insurers prepared to look at difficult or unusual risk to source quotes
• Throughout provided a pro-active, problem-solving approach to a business-threatening issue.

Client verdict

“Macbeth’s intervention was crucial to us being able to continue as a profitable business,” Sam added. “We had to swallow a premium increase but, more importantly, we avoided having to make any major alterations to the premises.

“This meant we were able to stay put without incurring any additional outlay on our building.”

Personal service focus adds value to leading Relocation Group

17/05/2011 in Business, Case Study

Service to clients is a watchword for Business Moves Group (BMG) and has seen the company evolve into one of the UK’s largest dedicated office and commercial relocation companies with offices in Reading, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Leeds.

Not surprisingly BMG looks for similarly high standards in its suppliers’ credentials when it comes to sourcing their own business needs.

“We’d been with our previous insurance broker, a national firm, for some while, but we wanted to be true to our policy of using local businesses and work with a broker who placed the same emphasis on personal service as we do,” recalled Managing Director Rachel Houghton.

The choice of Reading-based Macbeth Chartered Insurance Brokers for all BMG’s commercial insurances – from public and employers liability to goods in transit and storage – was founded largely on the dedicated account management capabilities that the company had to offer.

“Macbeth saves us the administrative burden and time of having to manage any insurance-related issues ourselves,” added Rachel. “This has included working with our own sales team to develop the right processes and documents to use when offering goods in transit insurance to customers.

“This is a complex area and had historically proved to be something of a minefield.”

The Macbeth solution

• Personal service ethic complements BMG principles and processes
• Shared specialist insurance knowledge and expertise to add value to BMG sales propositions
• Prepared to go that extra mile on all insurance–related matters to free up valuable BMG management time.

Client verdict

“Macbeth’s efficiency is fantastic,” said Rachel Houghton. “They are always ready to pop round to sort out problems and have delivered in areas way beyond what one would normally expect from an insurance broker.

“This has even extended to dealing with all the correspondence and paperwork of a car accident I had before they became our insurers. It’s been a huge relief to leave it all to them.”

Specialist cover saves the day for souvenir scanning business

19/04/2011 in Case Study, Medical Device Insurance

Setting up in business is never easy but when vital insurance cover proves difficult to source, or is too highly priced to make it affordable, the process is all the more challenging.

 This was the dilemma facing Wendy Boag of First Peek Baby Scanning when starting her family business in 2009. First Peek offers parents souvenir scans of their unborn baby via clinic appointments and Wendy required failsafe medical malpractice insurance as part of her offer.

 “As a professional  sonographer working in what is an increasingly litigious climate, I wanted to reassure customers by offering the added security of this insurance cover,” she explained.

 “Souvenir scans are not medical scans – they don’t require consultant or midwife backup and are not conducted before the 20-week anomaly scan. Nevertheless there is still a small risk that someone might try and hold me liable over some diagnostic issue.”

 Yet cover for this important feature of her business proved impossible to source at an affordable price. The Society of Radiographers, of which Wendy is a member, do not provide cover for souvenir scanning; other insurers could only offer inappropriate blanket medical liability insurance at premiums which were totally out-of-reach of a small family business. Some even refused to quote at all.

 With the prospect of her business failing before it had even started, an internet search brought Macbeth Chartered Insurance Brokers to Wendy’s attention and she asked for their help.

 The Macbeth solution

• Sourced an insurance provider from a maintained roster of specialist schemes offered by a wide range of insurers, wholesale brokers and Lloyd’s syndicates.
• Secured sensibly priced cover at an annual premium of £1800 compared to previous quotes of as much as £12,000.
• Provided single point of contact to manage the whole process, from original enquiry to start of cover.

 Client verdict

“Without resolving this issue, First Peek would never have got going,” said Wendy Eoag. “So using Macbeth has been fundamental in getting us established.

 “I found them easy and helpful to deal with especially after being turned away so many times before. Being able to speak consistently with the same contact, and build a professional relationship, has been a huge plus, too.”

Policy review improves cover and saves money for plumbing business

02/04/2011 in Case Study, Motor Fleet Insurance

For Tony Lees and Sons, a Reading-based plumbing and heating business, having just one of its nine work vans off the road at any one time is not just inconvenient, it’s potentially damaging to the business.

So when an accident accounted for one vehicle during the firm’s busiest time of year during the winter, Tony looked to his then insurers to get his team back on the road quickly. Instead securing a replacement vehicle proved a nightmare.

“They put it out to another company who couldn’t locate an exact replacement and tried to palm us off with a smaller vehicle which just wasn’t practical or acceptable,” he recalled.

“It took three days to find us a replacement vehicle and that’s a long time to be without a key part of your work fleet especially with all the re-scheduling that was involved.”

The firm’s vehicle insurance had evolved over time as vans were progressively added to the fleet and was based on single van cover each with a named driver. This in itself was limiting and, together with the valuable time he personally had had to spend on the accident issue, prompted Tony to seek a review of his insurance cover.

He turned to Paul Macbeth of Macbeth Insurance Chartered Insurance Brokers.

The Macbeth solution

• More flexible ‘any driver’ fleet insurance with one convenient renewal date replaced the previous single vans cover.
• Some vehicles switched from comprehensive to third party cover to secure premium savings.
• A nominated Macbeth account manager put in place to handle all the firm’s insurance queries and claims.
• Annual premium reduced by more than £200.

Client verdict

“Macbeth now take care of any contact with the insurance company which is a service I didn’t know was available and had never experienced,” said Tony Lees. “I thought I had to do it.

“That spells real peace of mind for me. If we have a problem we can ring Macbeth and they’ll represent our interests to the insurers without me having to take the time and trouble to get involved.

“I’m free to get on with my business.”

Specialist insurance cover pays dividends for Art Collector

02/04/2011 in Case Study

Accidents happen, even to investors in fine art whom you’d expect to take every necessary precaution to protect their paintings – from having them professionally hung to checking the security of the wall bracket.

In the case of one collector, it was the latter which failed causing a valuable nineteenth century painting to fall to the floor tearing the canvas.

Happily he was also a Macbeth client and had taken out fine art insurance cover which not only paid for the physical repair to the heirloom but also brought an added bonus – a £16,000 compensation payout for the painting’s loss of value.

Macbeth Operations Director Ben Butler explained:

“While standard household insurance will pay for the actual repair, loss of value is a feature of specialised cover, something we’d advised our client to consider when he brought his business to us.

“Although this painting was repaired to a very high standard, a professional valuation would still detect the restoration and mark down the overall value accordingly should it ever be placed in a sale.

“Thanks to our advice our client has been compensated for this depreciation even though he has no intention of selling.”

The Macbeth solution

• Specialised fine art and antiques cover and advice – not widely available elsewhere
• Tailored insurance to suit individual requirements
• Compensation for any loss in original value due to damage
• Complete freedom to source your own repair professionals and services

Client verdict

“Obviously our client was delighted with this outcome,” went on Ben, “even though the damage caused to an heirloom which had been in the family for years did cause some distress at first.

“The quality of the repair and the level of compensation paid – even though the painting was never going to sale – more than justified the responsible approach taken to its care and preservation.”

Safe in security

18/10/2010 in Case Study, Insurance Industry News, Security

The security industry has many different facets. From the installation of physical security and alarms to manned guarding, door security and close protection.

The insurance requirements will differ depending on the type of work that is being undertaken. For instance, a company that is installing alarms will need to have efficacy cover. Efficacy cover will provide an indemnity if an alarm fails to perform its intended function and as a result the customer suffers a financial loss.

A company that a providing manned guarding will also require efficacy cover in case a guard falls asleep whilst a work and fails to prevent a break-in. They may also have a requirement for fidelity cover, which covers theft by employee. Insurance against loss of customer’s keys is also recommended.

A security company that provide doormen for pubs, clubs and events will probably be more concerned about cover for wrongful address.

Macbeth have solutions for the whole of the security industry. For more information contact Tony Gibbs on 0118 9452944 or email tony.gibbs@macbeths.co.uk