INSURANCE FEATURE
cases, a frustration of not being paid out. But, as one of our
insurance experts pointed out, claiming wasn’t a simple process.
“Our job is to get you up and running again as soon as possible,
but this can take time (depending on the claim). It’s often not as
straightforward as people think. Patience is the key!”
When asked what could be done to improve things, some of our
panellists felt insurers should spend more time talking to tattooists, to
find out what their needs were and to discover more about tattooing
and how it is to run a studio, whilst one made the very fair point that
tattooing is still somewhat “closed” and that insurers therefore have
to “play a guessing game”.
In short, nobody wants anything bad to happen, but it makes sense
to ensure that you are covered, should the worst happen. Insurance
companies may seem like an unnecessary part of tattooing, but it is
in their interest to protect you, and it should be yours too.
Here are some handy tips from our insurance experts. Follow these
and, should you need to make a claim, you could greatly reduce any
inconvenience to yourself and get back to working with the minimum
of stress:
- Ensure your locks, alarms
and security comply with
the insurer's requirements. - Fit a roller shutter over your
front window if possible. - Keep a copy of your
appointment book, designs,
etc, on a USB stick in a
separate place from your
laptop or computer. - Ensure you maintain your
customer consent forms and
always keep a copy. - Always advise the client as
to how to look after their
tattoo before and after the
procedure, and give them a
leaflet to take home with
them detailing the
instructions you have told
them as well. - Do not leave the reception
area unoccupied. - Check the whole studio for
any loose carpet, flooring,
wires, or other items that
anyone could trip over.- Make sure all taps are
turned off and all electrical
appliances that are not
needed overnight are turned
off and unplugged. - Try to keep all electrical
equipment at least three feet
off the floor. This will help
keep damage to a minimum
in the event of a minor flood
or water leakage. - When leaving the premises
at night ensure that all the
accessible windows are
locked and also all doors
leading to the outside are
locked securely.- If you can take any portable
equipment (laptops, tattoo
machines, etc) home with
you then do so. The same
applies to money. If not,
keep these locked away. - Security mark all your
equipment by writing your
name and postcode on them
using an ultra violet pen.
- If you can take any portable
What's the benefit of using a
specialist insurer?
Literally, nobody else will offer treatment risk cover. A few
non-specialists will offer Public Liability or salon cover WITHOUT
treatment risk, but our experts advise against these policies.12%
of claimants were
unhappy with how the
process went