Last week, we discussed the definition of False Pretense Coverage. As the owner of an auto body and repair shop, it is important to know that this type of coverage is a crucial part of your garage insurance policy. To recap, False Pretense Coverage is an endorsement that is available to shop owners, designed to cover a loss that is caused when someone causes you or an employee to voluntarily part with a vehicle by trickery, scheme or false pretense.

This week, our agency would like to extend some advice to all auto body shop owners. We have put together five practices that may end up protecting your business from a false pretense claim.

#1: When notifying your client by phone that the repairs to their car have been completed, always verify that you are speaking directly with the owner of the vehicle.

#2: Be sure to ask what time and who will be picking up the vehicle.

#3: If any other individual comes to get the car, verify their identity by calling the client before releasing the vehicle.

#4: If the client is not available, either refuse to release the vehicle or ask the individual for his/her license and keep a copy in the file with the paperwork.

#5: Just before releasing the car, phone the owner (maybe you will be able to contact him/her at this point) and leave a message indicating to whom you are releasing the vehicle and at what time the vehicle was released.

At Wolpert Insurance, we want to make sure you are 100% aware of all the risks your auto body shop could face and if possible, we would like to help you avoid them. Follow the tips listed above and your business just may end up avoiding a claim in the future. To take protection a step further, contact our agents about a False Pretense insurance policy. We would be more than happy to discuss this option with you.

As the owner of a garage and auto body shop, it is critical to be aware of the risks that your business could be faced with on an everyday basis. While concentrating on hazards and possible injuries are both important, it is also important to think outside of the box at times. When is the last time you thought about the consequence if the wrong person picks up a vehicle? While this may not be AS common as an employee injury in your shop, it is still a risk to consider!

This is where false pretense coverage comes into play. Have you heard of it?

False pretense coverage is an endorsement that is available to shop owners on their garage insurance policy. It is designed to cover a loss that is caused when someone causes you or an employee to voluntarily part with a vehicle by trickery, scheme or false pretense or when the vehicle acquired from a seller who does NOT have the legal title or the right to transfer title.

Whether a customer says they will be “test driving” the vehicle and never returns or the customer pretends to be someone that they are not, your garage will be held responsible for this loss if you do not have false pretense coverage in place.

To learn more about this type of coverage, contact our agents at Wolpert Insurance. Our experts would be more than happy to go into further depth with you and of course, provide you with a free quote.

As the owner of a garage and auto body shop, it is critical to be aware of the risks that your business could be faced with on an everyday basis. While concentrating on hazards and possible injuries are both important, it is also important to think outside of the box at times. When is the last time you thought about the consequence if the wrong person picks up a vehicle? While this may not be AS common as an employee injury in your shop, it is still a risk to consider!

This is where false pretense coverage comes into play. Have you heard of it?

False pretense coverage is an endorsement that is available to shop owners on their garage insurance policy. It is designed to cover a loss that is caused when someone causes you or an employee to voluntarily part with a vehicle by trickery, scheme or false pretense or when the vehicle acquired from a seller who does NOT have the legal title or the right to transfer title.

Whether a customer says they will be “test driving” the vehicle and never returns or the customer pretends to be someone that they are not, your garage will be held responsible for this loss if you do not have false pretense coverage in place.

To learn more about this type of coverage, contact our agents at Wolpert Insurance. Our experts would be more than happy to go into further depth with you and of course, provide you with a free quote.

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As the owner of a garage and auto body shop, it is critical to be aware of the risks that your business could be faced with on an everyday basis. While concentrating on hazards and possible injuries are both important, it is also important to think outside of the box at times. When is the last time you thought about the consequence if the wrong person picks up a vehicle? While this may not be AS common as an employee injury in your shop, it is still a risk to consider!

This is where false pretense coverage comes into play. Have you heard of it?

False pretense coverage is an endorsement that is available to shop owners on their garage insurance policy. It is designed to cover a loss that is caused when someone causes you or an employee to voluntarily part with a vehicle by trickery, scheme or false pretense or when the vehicle acquired from a seller who does NOT have the legal title or the right to transfer title.

Whether a customer says they will be “test driving” the vehicle and never returns or the customer pretends to be someone that they are not, your garage will be held responsible for this loss if you do not have false pretense coverage in place.

To learn more about this type of coverage, contact our agents at Wolpert Insurance. Our experts would be more than happy to go into further depth with you and of course, provide you with a free quote.

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As the owner of a vehicle repair shop, it is critical to be aware of the type of coverage you are paying for and what the exclusions on your policies may be. If not, you could find yourself paying more out of pocket once the time comes to file a claim.
This week, we would like to focus on garagekeepers legal liability. There are two specific coverage’s when dealing with garagekeepers legal liability insurance: comprehensive coverage and collision coverage.

Comprehensive coverage will protect a business from any damages that are NOT caused by a collision with another object (for example, a fire, theft, etc.) Collision coverage will protect a shop from any damages caused by the customer’s auto collision with another object or the customer’s auto overturn. Now that you are aware of the coverage, let’s take a look at a possible scenario…

Over Labor Day weekend, your shop is broken into. You soon realize that the thief has not only taken a few of your supplies but also your customer’s 2012 Mercedes Benz. Of course, once the customer is notified, he assumes that your shop will be replacing the stolen vehicle. As the owner, you go to make a claim and feel confident that everything will be sorted out. Sadly, this is not the case. You are denied coverage.

Why?

Unfortunately, garagekeepers LEGAL liability coverage will only respond for legally determined liability. In this case, your garage must be found negligent. After analyzing the situation, the insurance company may have realized that your shop has working alarms, a fence, cameras AND lights that should have stopped the situation. The claim is denied because the case is not determined “legally liable.” Would your auto repair shop be able to replace a Mercedes Benz alone?

While this scenario may seem rare and exaggerated, this could very well happen to an auto body shop if the owner is not fully aware of what his or her garage insurance policies will or will not cover. If you have any questions about your own garage insurance policy, do not hesitate to speak with the professionals here at Wolpert Insurance. We want to make sure you understand what you are protected from, especially to avoid an unfortunate situation such as this one!

It is no secret that auto repair shops have significant pollution liability exposures. With all the different operations and techniques used, this type of business is naturally a generator of hazardous waste. Of course, garage owners will abide by EPA regulations when it comes to handling, transporting and disposing of these wastes and pollutants, but that does not mean the risk of an accident is eliminated entirely.
Let’s take a quick look at a possible scenario:

Your full service garage routinely fills and stores on-site barrels of waste. These wastes may include solvents, paints, petroleum products, etc. Every few months, a forklift loads these barrels onto trucks in order to be taken to an EPA approved facility. This sounds like the right thing to do, correct? Of course it is! Until the one time a barrel slips from the forklift and saturates the ground with solvents, oils and toxic waste. Of course, this garage is located directly next to a neighborhood. The EPA goes over the case and determines the harmful effects that this accident has on the groundwater and soil. Besides being charged for the “clean-up” costs, 50 or so residents in the area decide to sue the auto body shop for property damage, bodily injury, etc. The total cost of this accident ends up being about 1 million dollars. Does your garage have this kind of money?

The bottom line: there will always be risks. Whether you accidentally flush pollutants down a drain or cause pollution damage to another party, your business will face consequences, and expensive consequences at that. Is your garage insurance policy tailored to protect your business from pollution liability? If you are not sure, do not hesitate to ask our agents at Wolpert Insurance for some input and help. We would be more than willing to look over the exposures in your shop and provide you with a free quote. Protection for your shop is the number one priority!

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