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Insurance is important for groomers. Your
inventory may be some retail goods, but so are
the pets you care for every day. In some
states the value of pet is set and if harm is
done you may only face paying veterinary bills
or the unfortunate cost of replacement when a
tragedy occurs. In other states you can be
sued for serious amounts of money compensating
pet owners for pain and suffering as a result
of caring for pets. Yes, pet groomers can be
sued for professional liability. Perhaps you
better understand the term “malpractice.” Too
many groomers forget to secure professional
liability coverage until it is too late. If
you are a business owner and you are unsure if
you have that specific coverage, you probably
don’t. Some companies don’t even offer it to
groomers. There are other more common forms
of liability. People can fall on your premises
(even in and around your mobile grooming van)
and that raises a potential liability problem.
We know of many cases when pet owners slipped
on pet waste not cleaned by the groomers.
There are also floods, storms and fires and
other Acts of God.
Insurance gives you peace-of-mind and
protects your finances. You may want to
consider “loss of income” insurance if you are
a small business without employees. If you
hurt yourself and cannot groom, how will you
pay your bills unless you have significant
savings? We’ve seen losses due to vehicle
accidents involving mobile groomers and shop
owners sidetracked by fires and earthquakes.
Loss of income insurance provides you with a
regular check for a specified amount during
periods where your business is disabled. We’ve heard some sad stories on our
GroomerTALK Message Board where groomers
involved in accidents couldn’t groom and had
no loss of income insurance. If they cannot
fall back on loved ones for support, or they
don’t have employees to replace them, the
hardships can be severe. Be sure your policy
covers lost pets, usually stated as “fleeing
pets.” Most business owners have experienced
the terror of a pet getting loose and
executing an escape artist route outside.
Hearts skips beats and panic sets in. If the
business is on a busy street you may hear
brakes squeal and your heart falters. Some
groomers have driven or walked blocks even
miles searching for escaped pets. It’s a
terrible experience. Can you imagine telling
the pet owner that their pet is gone? We have
floor plan designs with preventative measures
but you should still carry fleeing pets
insurance. Most career seekers don’t
understand the difference between insurance
brokers and insurance agents. The agent
represents the insurance company that employs
them. The broker represents multiple insurance
companies and searches for the best coverage
for you.
 Many insurance companies write
basic business liability insurance, including
vehicle coverage for mobile groomers or salons
or shops with pickup and delivery vehicle.
Very few companies cover professional
liability for groomers or fleeing pet
coverage. Most policies we’ve seen for our
grooming consultation clients didn’t have the
coverage they expected. Insurance prices
vary drastically, even from city to city in
the same county. You may find a lower price,
but do you really have equivalent coverage?
Have you dropped some coverage in return for a
lower price? If you are judging by price alone
you probably don’t have the coverage you need.
It may seem boring to sit down and read the
fine print of your policy, but if you are
involved in a serious incident and find out
you don’t really have the coverage you
expected, you will wish you had. |
