by Downey Insurance Group | Aug 10, 2011 | Blog
If you have a farm or mini-farm on your property we may have a product to fit your needs through Co-Operative Insurance Co. of Vt. They have farm and mini- farm product for farm hobbyist, specialty farmers, and part time farmers that can fit the needs of any farm.
Small operations can have special coverage needs. The Mini-Farm policy can provide you with the same important coverage as a regular farm policy just on a smaller scale. Some of the mini-farm coverage’s include:
The Mini-Farm policy also has an Identity Theft coverage that will cover recovery services if your identity is stolen. Co-Operative Insurance also has convenient payment plans available that can fit everyone’s needs.
If you would like to explore Farm or Mini-Farm Insurance coverage or any other tyoe of Vermont Insurance please call our office at 888-895-3608.
by Downey Insurance Group | Aug 8, 2011 | Blog
Equipment breakdown is not always included on your Commercial Property Insurance or Business owners policy but can usually be added by endorsement, or in certain circumstances it can be covered under a separate policy. If you have machinery or equipment that would cause substantial damage or loss to your business if they failed you may want to consider Equipment Breakdown coverage. Here are some of the coverage that may be available on a Equipment Breakdown policy.
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Property Damage – Listed or scheduled equipment that is damaged.
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Expediting Expenses – The cost incurred to speed up the process of replacing or repairing the damaged equipment.
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Business Income and Extra Expense – The lost income of the business or any extra expenses due to a equipment breakdown.
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Spoilage – A loss due to a breakdown that causes spoilage to a product due to a lack of heat, refrigeration, excess power, light or steam.
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Utility Interruption – Usually only covered in conjunction with Business Income or Spoilage, this coverage will pick up a loss due to a loss of utility service.
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Newly Acquired Premises – Covers newly acquired premises for the number or days stated in the policy usually 30 or 60 days.
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Ordinance or Law Coverage – This coverage will pay for any increase in cost necessary to bring the damaged property up to code at the time of the breakdown.
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Brands and labels – This coverage covers some of the expense to re-label its salvaged merchandize.
Any and all of these coverage’s may be included in an Equipment Breakdown policy. Please be sure to speak with one of our knowledgeable Insurance agents to discuss what coverage you would need to secure for your business.
by Downey Insurance Group | Aug 4, 2011 | Blog
According to the Insurance Institute for Highways Safety collisions involving deer have increased by 20% over the last four years. Why? No one can say for sure. These heartbreaking collisions can cause thousands of dollars in damage to your vehicle. They also have resulted in thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths. These collisions statistically happen at dawn or dusk, but they can happen anytime.
Our roadways especially for our VT and NH Auto Insurance clients are thatched through the fields and forests that deer call their home. Deer having no understanding of the danger of a moving vehicle will not always move out of the way, but sometimes stand transfixed by the large shiny object that swiftly approaching. Avoiding the crash is ideal but anyone who has hit a deer, or had a near miss will tell you that it is a unpredictable situation.
Here are a few suggestions that might help you avoid an accident:
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Reduce your speed and watch out for deer and other wildlife while you are traveling through fields or forests, especially around dawn or dusk.
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If you find that a deer is caught in your headlights try turning them off and on (if you can do so safely) this may break their gaze enough for them to move on.
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Blasting your horn in with long horn blasts can aldo be effective, for deer or any other wildlife that may cross your path.
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It is recommended that if a crash is imminent that you maintain your path or travel, while braking firmly. Swerving might seem like a good idea but it may confuse the deer more casing it to leap into your path anyway. If you serve you are also more likely to hit an off-road object or another vehicle.
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Deer usually do not travel alone, so if you see one there may be more.
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Lastly as always, wear your seat be and avoid distracted driving at all cost!
The chances of hitting a deer increase from October through December during hunting and mating season. If you do have a deer collision stay calm and call for emergency assistance.
by Downey Insurance Group | Aug 3, 2011 | Blog
We were proud to present our Social Media Overhaul to Breathe Wellness of Marlborough, MA. They were the luck winners of our drawing that took place at our Social Media learning event that we co-sponsored with the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce. Catie Downey Potenza our resident Social Media Marketing Manager prepared a complete analysis of their current web presence and identity. She then offered recommendations for additional efforts and ideas and to bolster their current social media strategy.
The Overhaul went over wonderfully and Breathe Wellness was very thankful for our efforts to help them improve their efforts. They know that this is the future of Marketing and to be on the cutting edge is very important. Any business would be smart to be getting to know the workings of these Social Media sites and building their Social Media Identity. The reality is you already have a Social Media Identity, Facebook has indexed businesses from existing business listings. If you have not claimed your Facebook page do you know what people are saying about your Business?
If you need help with your Social Media Strategy, e-mail [email protected]. She is working with our Commercial Partners free of charge as part of our Community outreach efforts to help our clients. We also would love to help you with your commercial liability insurance or your business insurance.
by Downey Insurance Group | Jul 28, 2011 | Blog
Many businesses’ routinely have employees run errands using their own vehicles. But what if there is an accident? Would your business be protected in the case of a law suit? Commercial Auto Insurance typically only covers vehicles owned by the business. There is a ‘non-owned’ and ‘hired’ endorsement that every businesses owner should have if there employees drive their own vehicles for work related purposes or rent vehicles for business use.
Unless the endorsement is added to your commercial auto policy your policy it will only cover your employees driving auto’s listed on the policy. The employee’s personal auto insurance policy may exclude business use, so there may be a gap in coverage.
After it is determined that your business needs this protection the next thing to consider is how much coverage is necessary. This limit will cover over and above the primary policy (the employee’s personal auto policy) in the event of a lawsuit. Non-Owned is a Liability only coverage so it would protect against property damage or bodily injury caused by your employee, not damage to your employees car. So you would need to discuss with your agent the coverage options that would be right for you.
There is also a stand-alone ‘non-owned and hired’ policy that would protect your business even if you do not have any vehicles owned by the business. An example of when this would be necessary would be a Pizza Parlor with delivery. The business would need non-owned coverage to cover the delivery exposure.
If you think that you may have non-owned and hired exposure you need to talk with you agent to make sure you have this important coverage.
