The Coronavirus has certainly up-ended life as we knew it. Businesses having to close, families hunkering down at home and the new, everyday phrase “social distancing” has become part of normal conversation. We are wearing masks and gloves, cleaning and sanitizing our hands until they are raw, washing down hard surfaces multiple times a day. This will definitely put the year 2020 in the history books and make the blizzard of 1978 a blip on the radar.
As I said in my last post, carriers are announcing daily their plans for premium relief for PERSONAL AUTO customers; a way the carriers are giving back to their clients in response to less driving, which means fewer accidents.
We received word this morning that Westfield will be, pending regulatory review, providing a 15% credit of eligible monthly premiums for the months of April, May & June 2020. As long as your PERSONAL AUTO policy was in effect as of April 30, 2020, full credit will be given either via a credit toward your remaining balance or refund if your premium is paid in full. Clients do not have to do anything as this will be done automatically. This will happen in the month of May 2020. Westfield anticipates returning more than $16 million dollars to PERSONAL AUTO clients.
We have also fielded many calls and emails related to BUSINESS/COMMERCIAL clients who’ve been affected by the COVID-19 shutdown; specifically BUSINESS INTERRUPTION. Business Interruption is related to direct loss of physical property; example….fire, freak accident by mother nature. When this happens, Business Interruption helps pick up extra costs of a temporary location, reimbursement of reasonable expenses and more. Because this is a “property” coverage, there is no coverage afforded for COVID-19.
Pizza delivery, newspaper routes; those are just examples of risks that need to be insured under a COMMERCIAL AUTO policy if you are using a personal vehicle for those purposes. But, what if you work for a pharmacy, restaurant (that doesn’t normally offer delivery), grocery store or another business that does not, under normal conditions, offer delivery? Well, many carriers have lifted the exclusions for certain delivery services to allow for this temporary change (Pizza, newspaper and other’s are or may not be included). If you are now using your vehicle for a delivery purpose, for which you are being paid, please check with your carrier to be sure they are offering coverage temporarily for the purpose of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lastly, we appreciate YOU, our clients, for changing the way you do business with us. Clients have called to just check in with us (that’s awesome!), using email, text and calls to conduct business and we’ve had very few walk-in’s. So, below is just a refresher of the ways you can do business with us now, and even in the future, because we all know that life will not return to what it was; we’ll have “new normal” to contend with.
PAYMENT options to consider:
1) Call US or your insurance carrier direct to make a check, credit or debit payment over the phone.
2) Make your payment online via carrier website
3) Leave your payment in the black mailbox by our entry door DON’T LEAVE CASH
4) Mail payment if time permits
SERVICING options to consider:
1) Call us (normal office hours 8:30am – 5pm)
2) Email us at hello@suttoninsurance.com
3) Visit: https://www.suttoninsurance.com/client-portal for more service options
4) Text us at 330-299-8567
CLAIMS:
1) Call us (normal office hours 8:30am – 5pm)
2) Refer to your Claims Director and Auto ID card for direct numbers
3) Visit: https://www.suttoninsurance.com/client-portal
4) Visit your carrier website
