Goods in Transit Direct Blog

White Van Man

2011-09-16T02:34:00.000-07:00

The value of emblazoning advertising of the business all over the white van mans chosen vehicle is vital but, if that van is driven badly, if it breaks down or is involved in an accident, then displaying that corporate logo on the disaster is the worst advertisement a company could be creating.

Britain’s van drivers do not have the best reputation even if the records reveal they are safer than any other motorists but, it is perceptions that count, and the industry is now making a major effort to improve the industry to improve the view of van drivers, not just with the general public who may be consumers of the companies goods or services but, with suppliers, wholesalers and even employees who come into contact with the vans

Presentation of the van is key to gaining customer loyalty plus brand awareness using expressive vehicle graphics including eye catching emblems / logo’s to attention to important telephone numbers or website addresses. Some vans have a call to action number to encourage other drivers to report on poorly driven vehicles however; if the van is covered in fantastic graphics and the driver is not presented correctly as the viewing public / client expect them to be then, repeated sales are only a pipe dream so, drivers please ensure you have presented yourself as the paying customer wants to witness, printed logo shirts and pressed trousers are ideas, how about a clean shave and tidy hair…be very honest if a sloppy vehicle and an even sloppier driver collected your goods, would you be happy to hand over your cherished goods or more to the point would you either use them again or worse still recommend them to fellow business clients?

Poor customer service costs money so, thank the client for using your services, tell the client if you are running late, tell the client when the goods have been delivered both verbally and in writing, remember the written word is more powerful than the spoken word plus it allows you the opportunity to market your business again.

Here are some good pointers:
• How do you greet your customer?
• Do you give customers your full attention?
• Do you listen carefully?
• Are you genuinely interested?
• Do you thank the customer?
• Do you go that extra mile?

Your main focus should be the 3x P’s
1. Professionalism
2. Politeness
3. Proficiency

Many thanks for Couirer Gold for submitting the article.

The Goods in Transit Direct Team
http://www.goodsintransitdirect.co.uk/
0800 308 1093

Couriers - What they don't tell you

2011-02-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

...or maybe we should title this article "what they SHOULD tell you"..or even "what they should SELL you"

Hard as it may seem getting a correct or worthwhile courier goods in transit insurance policy isn't as easy as you think. A few factors are involved in this and not all are down to you.

Firstly, let's remind ourselves what goods in transit insurance is:
"...covers property and goods against loss or damage while in transit from one place to another or being stored during a journey."

The average policy, particularly for couriers, has a value or limit of around £10,000. This means you can carry upto £10,000 worth of items under your policy conditions and the maximum payout of goods carried will be £10,000 (minus the policy excess which is usually £250).

We've talked before in previous blog entries (see our Correct Van Useage article) about the insurance policy you take out being your repsonsibilty but more often than not, and we come across this far too often, is that many companies are more than happy to insure you knowing that some policies, for want of a better phrase 'aren't worth the paper they're printed on' This does seem a strong statement but a good and reputable company will know that couriers can carry any and every type of package.

Plus, in our opinion, why sell a policy without mentioning any important clauses or exclusions that are completely relevant to your trade? Surely the first thing any customer would do if a claim is declined due to one of these clauses is to go back and complain to the broker or company who sold it them????

So anyway, you're in need of a goods in transit policy and are looking for, or have been told by the company/contract you are looking to work for, to get cover at a £10,000 limit. Simple enough you think? Not always the case. You may phone round many companies and come across some very different prices. This is where the differences occur:

* Theft attractive items
- if a policy excludes theft attractive items then for 95% of couriers and delivery persons, forget it. There are 'economy' policies out there and these are fine if they fit your requirements, for example the pick up and delivery of newspapers from depots to retailers but many items you'll deliver could be classed as theft attractive i.e. electrical items and catalogue goods.

* Weight restriction policies "£15 per kilo"
- possibly our biggest gripe with these type of sales. Yes you've asked for £10,000 worth of goods in transit insurance but maybe you didn't read the small print and we're pretty sure the company/broker didn't inform you that it's based on £15 per kilo. The best example of this we can think of is the new iPhone. These items don't even weigh a kilo, fully boxed and packaged, yet can cost upwards of £500. Even at 1 kilo the most you'll get paid out is £15! Well actually this is still incorrect as you forgot the excess!

For another clear cut example, see our previous post on Weight Based Courier Policies.

* Dual Manned Vehicle - exactly what it says on the tin. For your items to be covered the vehicle needs to manned at all times by two people. One to deliver and one to man the van. If you hear of self employed couriers who operate, or can afford to operate like this, then we'd love to know.

* Unwitting items cover - we briefly covered this already but these days, with the massive increase in the delivery in internet bought goods (clothes, computer games, mobile phones) many items will be classed as theft attractive. Your policy may cover you for theft attractive items on an 'unwitting item' basis but a description may be on the box, invoice or delivery note. In some cases the retailer's name may be on the packaging , for example Play.com (computer games, dvd's), Next (clothing retailer). In fact many companies have the name of their company on the packaging and this will at least infer what's inside....you can't say you weren't warned!

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS:As with all and any insurance policies, check your documents and also check with the company to make sure they understand your needs and requirements.

"I'm self-employed. If I'm ill, I won't get paid" - sound familiar?

2011-01-27T02:19:00.000-08:00

In these hard times we need to know that our income is stable and fixed, something we can rely on. As a self employed person, I am sure you have said before, “I can’t be ill, I work for myself!” Joking aside though, what happens if you were ill? Even being off work for short period in time can impact on your business and in turn your ability to pay your own household bills.

Here at Goods in Transit Direct we work closely with a Quicksmart Group, an Independent Financial Services Company, who have been able to provide Accident and Sickness Insurance for our Self Employed Courier Drivers and Professional Removers.

WHAT IS ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE FOR?

Insurance if you are off work sick due to an accident or sickness
Provides a monthly payment for 12 months (also available up to 24 months in some cases)

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
EXAMPLE

35 year old
Male
Self employed courier driver
Earning £2000 per month
Wants £1000 per month cover for accident or sickness

£12.80 per month(depending on your circumstances)

So if you want more details on how you can protect your income, contact the Goods in Transit Direct Team or Quicksmart Group

Yet another furniture removers goods in transit claim declined.

2011-01-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

Why?...No Valued Inventory completed.

It's not just an excuse for the insurance company getting out of paying but will be a condition set out in your furniture removers goods in transit insurance documents.

As a remover it is vital that you get a detailed list of what you are moving and a value to the items.

Giving your client a quote to move their items which states "Furniture worth £15,000" isn't good enough. If a claim does arise then having a detailed breakdown of the items you are moving reduces the 'dubious sorts' who come along and declare that their "Furniture worth £15,000" was suddenly made up of plasma televisions and high valued electrical equipment!

If it's not on the Valued Inventory they/you have completed for the move then they can't come back with anything more items. Getting a valued inventory is not only part of your conditions but is more professional way giving a service to your customers.

In reality they don't take long to complete and this is something that you can do or even the customer fill out. As long as you both agree (make sure it's signed!) on what is being moved and a value of the goods then there should be no problems with cover.

Regards

- The Goods in Transit Direct Team

'Weight based' courier goods in transit insurance - BEWARE OF CHEAP POLICIES

2010-12-02T03:10:00.000-08:00

Some cheap goods in transit policies may state a £10,000 limit but will actually have cover based on "£15 per kilo" or "£30 per tonne". Be wary of these 'weight' rated policies as your cover is neglible.

Example - 4.5 kilo package valued at £10,000 (for example: a television or computer)
	Cheap GiT company using 'weight' rates at £15 per kilo	OUR Goods in Transit Direct Cover
Payout before excess	£67.50 (4.5 * £15)	£10,000
Shortfall YOU could be liable for...	£9,932.50	£0!

Bad Sales Techniques

If someone quotes you a goods in transit policy and doesn't inform you of the benefits, clauses or what you're covered for then be wary. First off, they're not doing a good job from a 'compliance' point of view. To sell insurance you need to be authorised and regulated by the FSA (Financial Services Authority). With this comes the quite obvious and compulsory expectation by the FSA that the policy has been sold matching your requirements and needs and that you inform the client of the any benefits or clauses. It's still worth pointing out that as a customer you need to check your documents yourself to see cover is relevant and correct but here at Goods in Transit Direct we don't see the point in selling a policy which makes us your first point of call should anything go wrong

Cheap Courier Insurance - be careful

2010-10-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

As a courier you could be carrying anything from papers to iPhones, electrical equipment to catalouge items and many things you'll carry are classed as theft attractive i.e. electrical equipment, clothes...basically anything 'nickable'.

Are you happy to settle saving a few pounds on your goods in transit insurance for the sake of a policy that doesn't really cover your business needs?

'Unwitting Items' Cover
Some companies offer cheap goods in transit insurance by having an endorsment on the policy called 'unwitting items' or goods taken 'unwittingly'. In our experience, whilst a very valid condition on some policies, many companies may use this as a bit of a devious selling point.

"...but my policy has this "unwitting items clause" and is cheaper so I'll take this one out instead"

Fair enough, but you see that big box your about to deliver with a sticker on the side stating "Printers For You Ltd"? Well that's a most likely printer and as such is classed as 'theft attractive". Also, the goods may not have anything disclosed on them but the invoice or delivery note may do and then any claim may be classed as void and in some instances, you could be held liable.

In our opinion, if your a courier, then you can deliver anything and everything so should be covered for any eventuality.

Fortunately our goods in transit cover is includes THEFT ATTRACTIVE ITEMS so if you need full cover then contact us today.

Regards

- Goods in Transit Direct Team

http://www.goodsintransitdirect.co.uk/

Freephone - 0800 308 1093

Furniture Removers - minimise your insurance claims

2010-09-30T03:14:00.000-07:00

Here at Goods in Transit Direct we insure hundreds of furniture removers for their goods in transit insurance, public and employers’ liability, commercial vehicle and van insurance as well as cover for any storage and office cover needs.

With this amount of insurance comes, of course, the inevitable claims. From our experience furniture removers are more likely to experience a claim on their goods in transit policies than on any of their other ‘business insurances’.

No matter how long you’ve been in business a claim can happen at any time. It may be your fault (you or an employee has accidentally dropped a vase or damaged some goods whilst moving them) or it might be due to a third party (a car has collided with your removals lorry and the goods in side have been damaged) but moving people goods from one place to another increases the likelihood of goods being damaged. As it is your business it’s important to make sure that it is protected so only relevant claims get processed correctly and quickly.

It’s a shame to say but not everyone is honest about the goods they are claiming for and you must remember that they are claiming off YOUR POLICY so by following some of the points we’ve laid out below not only will claims that you acknowledge go through quickly and efficiently but by having a correct moving and claims process in place for your company, it will reduce the chances of dubious people making claims for goods that you didn’t damage or in some cases, even move. Also, by following these correct procedures then not only will it make the claim run more smoothly but reduce any questions being asked which could delay the process as well as decreasing the chance of your claim being thrown out.

GOODS IN TRANSIT INSURANCE FOR FURNITURE REMOVERS

- this article is to be read on the assumption that you’re a furniture remover who has goods in transit cover is looking to get goods in transit cover. If you are a removals company who do not have goods in transit or think that you don't need it - be warned!! If you’re moving someone’s belongings or household effects and you damage some items you may think you are clear of blame but you still have a "duty of care" as the goods have been in your possession under your responsibility and you can still be pursued for the loss.

VALUED INVENTORY

- This is standard for ALL insurance companies who offer goods in transit policies and it’s amazing how many removal companies don’t actually have these! If a customer is asking you to move their goods then you need to make an inventory of what you are moving. This doesn’t have to be overly complex and you don’t have to account for each and every piece of kitchen cutlery. Instead you can group items together to get an overall value. For example: Kitchen Equipment - £400, 3 piece leather suite - £1500, stereo equipment - £500.

Taking a short amount of time to get a valued inventory and providing a copy to your customer is not only following what the insurance company require but can help on two counts (it may also be worth getting them to sign it once completed and they agree with the list):

1) you know exactly what is being moved so if the customer suddenly produces an damaged item that is not on the valued inventory which has been given to them prior to the move (and possibly signed by them) then this can only help in your defence of them trying to make a claim against you via your insurance company or other legal channels.

2) shows the customer you are serious about the move and therefore a professional business and not just quoting ‘off the top of your head’

If you don’t have a Valued Inventory then you can download a free copy:

Valued Inventory: Word Version / PDF Version.

- please note, Goods in Transit Direct has made all efforts to see that the attached files are clean and virus free and cannot be made responsible for any damage caused in downloading the file.

This Valued Inventory is a generic version we offer to furniture removers. You can use this or create your own but the important thing to note is the gathering of information on the items you are moving.

Our free Valued Inventory does have two types of cover which again is laid out in the terms of most of the furniture removal goods in transit policies:

1. Cover 1 – Professionally Packed Only:

If you are packing the goods on behalf of your customer then your insurance covers ‘All Risks of loss of or damage’ to your customers goods.

2. Cover 2 – Owner / Professionally Packed:

If your customer is packing the items themselves then cover will exclude “breakage, denting, chipping and scratching in respect of all property unless caused by fire or by the vessel or conveyance being stranded, sunk, burnt, in collision or overturned”. Why? Simply put your customers are not the professionals and do not have the experience in packing and moving household goods.

PLEASE NOTE: The above two points may be subject to further conditions or clauses laid out by your insurance company. As with all insurance policies you need to check.

PACKING THE GOODS- your goods in transit policy will protect you, the remover, for packing the items as you are seen as the professional who has experience and know how in packing and moving household items.

If your customers pack any items then it is wise to inform them that your goods in transit insurance will most likely exclude the following: "breakage, denting, chipping and scratching in respect of all property unless caused by fire or by the vessel or conveyance being stranded, sunk, burnt, in collision or overturned." (please check your own policy conditions as there may be slight variations from company to company). This clause is there because if a customer packs their own goods, they may already be damaged and so has nothing to do with any negligence or accidental damage on your part.

CONFIRM ANY 'EXTRAORDINARY' ITEMS WITH THE CUSTOMER

- make sure the customer knows to inform you about any items that should be disclosed (i.e. cannot be grouped together on the Valued Inventory) or are just particularly expensive.

IT'S YOUR POLICY

– if goods are damaged and your customer insists on making a claim remember they can’t just phone up your broker or insurance company and put a claim in. The goods in transit policy belongs to YOU. It’s in your name and any claims needed to be made need to come from yourself. You can however give the broker or insurance/claims company authority to deal with the customer directly. Please note – we’re not advocating to use this as a method of denying any and all claims. Remember, as stated above you still have a duty of care and your customer can still make you pay for any damaged goods!

THE INSURANCE/CLAIMS COMPANY ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY

– reporting a claim to the insurance company or claims company will not automatically make them sneer at you whilst writing a blank cheque to your customer! If a payment is needed to be made for damaged goods, they are the ones in line to pay out a lot more than you - potentially thousands, even tens of thousands against your excess (which is most likely around £250) so they will try and make sure that they only have to pay out once the claim has been correctly looked into and the goods your customer is claiming for are in fact the ones that are relevant to the claim. In this regard this defensive nature of the insurance company is somewhat welcome but of course, as with anything, comes a rather strange flip-side as sometimes you might actually want them to pay on a claim.

THE INSURANCE/CLAIMS COMPANY ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY

......but they do however, require a few things from you

- We’ll say that again “sometimes you’ll actually want them to pay on a claim”. This may sound ludicrous but imagine if you have a large regular contract you don’t want to lose, or a very expensive item that you have damaged and the customer is shouting about taking you to court for the damages. This is where you WANT your insurance company to step up and pay out. We all imagine that insurers are notorious for not paying out because of any loophole that they can find but with the amounts that they have to pay out then surely you can understand why they require you to follow simple procedures: valued inventory, report claim as soon as possible, making sure you don’t carry items at more than the value your insured for.

If you were the insurer would you pay out on a claim because “someone has left the keys in the van and it was stolen” or because a removal company “couldn’t provide a list simple of items they were moving for the client and now the goods are damaged”?

PHOTOS

– having the ability to make a visual record of an incident can be a key helper if a claim is needed so make sure you have instant access to either a camera enabled mobile phone or a digital camera (keep locked in the glove box is a good idea. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just as long as it takes clear pictures

AFTER THE GOODS ARE MOVED

- when you have moved the customers household belongings get them to do a quick check to see the move has gone OK and if possible get them to sign a “happy with move form”. There may be a claim reported once their goods are unpacked and this can be dealt with properly after but at least you know on the day of the move they have no issues.

REALISTIC TIME PERIOD

- Not everyone manages unpack all their goods on the day of the move so you need to give your customers a reasonable amount of time to report a claim to you i.e. 7/14 days.

RECORD KEEPING

- we understand that no one likes admin but it is vital that you keep any and all documents relating to a move and your customers such as initial quote, valued inventory, signed acknowledgment of completed move form

REPORTING THE CLAIM

– “...any happening or event likely to give rise to a claim under this insurance must be immediately notified...”

If you have any notion that a claim may be made then contact the broker or insurance company that deals with your goods in transit policy. Even if the claim never happens at least you’ve got a record on file saying you’ve come forward with a potential claim. Your broker/insurance company will make a record of this in case a claim is then made. It's also important to notify the insurance company for a potential claim as soon as possible as any delay in reporting the claim will not look good for you and may raise questions with the claim company as to why there was such a delay in reporting it.

We hope the above points will help but just to clarify, this article is not us giving advice on how not to make a claim or how to withhold a claim against your customer but just some recommendations from the many experiences we have had in dealing with removers and their claims. We also remind everyone to check their insurance policies for any clauses, endorsements and conditions that your particular insurance company may have applied.

It's also worth remembering that with the Internet now firmly a part of how customer looks for business (i.e. a removal company for their move), they will not only look for reviews of your service but many will also rate the service they have received as well.

Regards

- Goods in Transit Direct Team

ADVICE ON VAN INSURANCE - Get the correct usage

2010-09-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

This article is about van insurance and how having the correct usage can save you time, money and in some circumstances a motor conviction.

Correct Usage:

Just because you have a van doesn't mean you can take out 'normal' van insurance. Without the correct usage on the policy, you will not be insured correctly and any claim may be classed as void.

With commercial vehicle insurances there are three common types of usage and they need to be insured for the particular type of activity that they are being used for.

1) Carriage of own goods - insurance is appropriate for tradesman such as builders, plumbers, electricians, window cleaners and so on where the van’s contents belong to the owner and are being used for the work being carried out. The van’s contents will be tools and materials typically.

2) Haulage insurance
- a form of 'hire and reward insurance' and is for people using their vans typically for a single drop load carried over a long distance. You will be carrying the goods on behalf of a third party who will be paying you specifically for this. Your insurance certificate will include a phrase saying that you are allowed to use the vehicle “for business purposes including the carriage of goods for hire or reward”. A couple of drops would be acceptable, but having several drops in a small area is regarded by insurance companies as a higher risk which will require courier insurance.

3) Courier insurance
- another form of 'hire and reward insurance' and is similar to haulage, in that you are carrying other people’s goods for hire or reward. With usage as a courier though it is expected that you will be using your van in a small area in a town or city to make many drops some of which could be time critical. You might be carrying parcels to local businesses or homes for instance.
When obtaining quotes for your commercial vehicle insurance make sure that you have the correct usage. Your policy will need to state this usage as it forms part of the insurance contract so all the information or 'material facts' need to be correct.

Your insurance means your responsibility - a real life example we've come across countless time before:

A customer gets a quote for van insurance. He is a courier and gives this as his occupation to the insurance company. They do not put down "courier use" or "hire and reward" as the usage on his van insurance and put him down as either SDP (social, domestic & pleasure) or Business Use. The quote from this insurance company will quite likely be cheaper than a correct quote that the customer has gotten from other companies (who have correctly put down courier use on the vehicle).

The client then takes out this cheaper quote and is later stopped by the police (could be a random stop but note that the police do stop people to see if they have the correct usage). The police then say, as they are linked to the MID (Motor Insurance Database), that this van is insured for SDP use and you are quite clearly a courier (vehicle is sign written, you are wearing a courier uniform, parcels in the back etc). Due to not being insured properly the police issue you with a fine (can be around £200), 6 points on your licence and more importantly an IN10 (a conviction for "driving without insurance" which lasts unto 5 years on your licence and has to be declared on ALL your motor policies, even your private car which effectively puts up all your insurance premiums).

The customer's first response is, of course, that he has insurance. Remember? He got that really cheap quote before. Unfortunately this doesn't matter as it is up to you to make sure you are insured correctly. Whilst this is something you'll have to take up with the company who insured you, their only error was their ignorance in not fact-finding your needs correctly as a customer. Yes, they should have have made the link between you stating your occupation as a courier and needing van insurance and as a minimum certainly asked you about it but it's up to you to check your documents.

In the meantime you are stranded on the side of the road with the police who can either A) impound the vehicle or B) to let you drive that vehicle any further you've got to phone up another company from the roadside and get the correct insurance on it. Bear in mind that you now have to pay for a new policy with the correct usage PLUS report that you have a pending IN10 conviction (which will put the premium up).

So why is the correct usage more expensive?

As a courier you earning your living using the van and will be driving it far more than if you were, for example, a builder going to a single job for the day. Due to this increased usage comes the potential of having more claims. It stands to reason that if you're in the vehicle for considerably longer than someone who isn't, the likelihood of you having a claim increases and with this, unfortunately, so do the premiums.

All in all a very expensive lesson but if anything comes out this it's to get correctly insured. Talk to your company about what work your carrying out in the vehicle and make sure the activity requirements you have fit the policy you take out.

For more information please look at our main site, http://www.goodsintransitdirect.co.uk/ and view the following pages:

Advice on Van Insurance

Things to Watch Out For

If you require a van insurance quote (with the correct usage on!) then contact us 0800 308 1093 or 0121 457 6081.

Regards

- Goods in Transit Direct Team

Welcome to our new blog!

2010-09-21T05:37:00.000-07:00

With the recent relaunch of the main goods in transit site (http://www.goodsintransitdirect.co.uk/) we’ve now created our very own blog!

Our aim for this blog is to tell you a bit about ourselves but more importantly to offer regular updates with our news and views about the industry and issues that can affect you:

So if you're any of the following:

* courier

* haulier

* furniture remover

* looking to move house within the UK or abroad

* freight forwarder

...then check back here often!

"Our business is your business"

Yes, we know, it may sound clichéd but if we don't look after our customers then we wouldn't have any. We think that part of what makes us specialists is that taking out an insurance policy is for you, your client, your goods or to cover your business needs and we're not the type of company to sell you a policy which is unnecessary (where your sold more cover than you need) or one that offers limited cover. Which is why we'll be writing about such issues in the hope to educate and possibly clear up any concerns that people may have and also to discuss the policies themselves and their importance to your business.

In the meantime if you're after goods in transit insurance, public liability or commercial vehicle insurance then check out our site (http://www.goodsintransitdirect.co.uk/) or give us a ring on freephone 0800 308 1093 or our landline of 0121 457 6081.

Regards

- Goods in Transit Direct Team