gutter cleaning insurance

ANGLICANPAT

Have just had a quote from a door knocking firm for gutter soffitt and facia plastics cleaning. Ive told them to come back later after Ive thought about it. Re insurance - what are my obligations beyond just asking if they have it? Do I have to demand to see their policy or is that going too far - is it normal just to take their word for it ?

southcoastrgi

i very much doubt that someone who goes door to door & just cleans gutters & facia boards has any kind of insurance, i wouldn't be surprised if they don't ask to borrow your ladders, bucket & a sponge
Don't employ anyone that knocks on your door, if you want something done you contact them plenty of cleaning companies that will do what you need.

Stompa

southcoastrgi wrote: »

Don't employ anyone that knocks on your door, if you want something done you contact them plenty of cleaning companies that will do what you need.

Agreed. There are no circumstances whatsoever where I'd buy from, or use the services of, somebody who randomly knocked on my door.

ANGLICANPAT

Im a bit torn. Im one of the people who believes that to a great extent, if you want to work and make your way, you have to go out and make it happen, but you must do it properly of course.
Properly, doesnt necessarily mean though that you have to have the office, full office equipment, receptionist, fancy van and flash brochures. In this economic climate , young people dont have a lot of start up money to set up a small business , and we all know how difficult banks have made borrowing.
Now this young man is saying he didnt want to be on the dole, so he and a friend saw a gap in the market, got together and started this business last year on a shoe string. He was able to do it because it didnt require a lot of equipment or premises, and the insurance against self injury and 3rd party damage, is a large part of their expenses.

Now if we dont support our young people who are trying to do something useful for themselves - where does that leave them?
I feel its a dilemma really . My head is telling me 'sod the circumstances, dont buy at the door' and my heart and softer side is saying put your money where your mouth is - ask them to write on the written quote that they are insured, and give them a chance.
Alan Sugar was an enthusiastic advocate of door knocking to get yourself going in the beginnings of a business, and he didnt do too badly!

southcoastrgi

i do see where you are coming from & yes i agree to a certain extent, but you are thinking with your heart not your head, ok if you still want to help out these young lads ask for some of their previous customers details & contact them if they say they are fine then you will have made an informed decicion, i'm all for helping out people that want to help themselves however things have moved on a tad from Mr Sugar's days & you can't be too careful.

ANGLICANPAT

OH and I discussed asking for a reference, but then decided that if they are 'bent' then the reference will be a set up one anyway , and as we wont be paying them if they dont do the job properly, we wont have lost anything . Our main issue was the insurance for both their sakes and ours. We have decided to go with it, but insist on them putting it in writing that they have the insurance .Fingers crossed now for a job well done. At least with white guttering etc, they will either get it looking reasonable again, or they wont, and if after the first metre or so its obvious whatever stuff they are using isnt working, I can stop them and that will be the end of it.

tonyh66

ANGLICANPAT wrote: »

OH and I discussed asking for a reference, but then decided that if they are 'bent' then the reference will be a set up one anyway , and as we wont be paying them if they dont do the job properly, we wont have lost anything . Our main issue was the insurance for both their sakes and ours. We have decided to go with it, but insist on them putting it in writing that they have the insurance .Fingers crossed now for a job well done. At least with white guttering etc, they will either get it looking reasonable again, or they wont, and if after the first metre or so its obvious whatever stuff they are using isnt working, I can stop them and that will be the end of it.

Aye good luck with that one, if you insist on them doing it, get a photocopy of their public liability insurance certificate and check up on the details, phone the insurer using a website phone number not one on the certificate.

adonis

I watched a proper roofing company clean a gutter a while ago, they made sure they didn't make a mess by moving all the crud in the gutter to the downpipe and pushing it in.

Whether they had insurance or not I don't know.?

Stompa

ANGLICANPAT wrote: »

Now if we dont support our young people who are trying to do something useful for themselves - where does that leave them?
I feel its a dilemma really . My head is telling me 'sod the circumstances, dont buy at the door' and my heart and softer side is saying put your money where your mouth is - ask them to write on the written quote that they are insured, and give them a chance.

Indeed, but I'm afraid I've heard enough horror stories that in my view it just isn't worth the risk these days. It's sad I know, but I'm now sufficiently cynical that I simply wouldn't believe any story that a 'door knocker' told me unless they could somehow prove it.

Innys

adonis wrote: »

I watched a proper roofing company clean a gutter a while ago, they made sure they didn't make a mess by moving all the crud in the gutter to the downpipe and pushing it in.

????? Is this what a "proper" roofing company does? And what happens when the was downpipe or the piping it feeds into gets blocked?

I clean my own gutters by going up on a ladder. I take the crud out of the gutter by hand, put it in a carrier bag and then dump it in the bin. Is that really so difficult for a proper roofing company to do?

Maybe I should set up my own gutter clearing business.

ANGLICANPAT

ANGLICANPAT wrote: »

Im a bit torn. Im one of the people who believes that to a great extent, if you want to work and make your way, you have to go out and make it happen, but you must do it properly of course.
Properly, doesnt necessarily mean though that you have to have the office, full office equipment, receptionist, fancy van and flash brochures. In this economic climate , young people dont have a lot of start up money to set up a small business , and we all know how difficult banks have made borrowing.
Now this young man is saying he didnt want to be on the dole, so he and a friend saw a gap in the market, got together and started this business last year on a shoe string. He was able to do it because it didnt require a lot of equipment or premises, and the insurance against self injury and 3rd party damage, is a large part of their expenses.

Now if we dont support our young people who are trying to do something useful for themselves - where does that leave them?
I feel its a dilemma really . My head is telling me 'sod the circumstances, dont buy at the door' and my heart and softer side is saying put your money where your mouth is - ask them to write on the written quote that they are insured, and give them a chance.
Alan Sugar was an enthusiastic advocate of door knocking to get yourself going in the beginnings of a business, and he didnt do too badly!

UPDATE.
Well, Stompa and the others --Im now a dedicated member of your club!!!
Thats it! Out with this sentimental philanthropic rubbish! Never again will I allow my heart to rule my gut and head !
The young men duly arrived this morning - one was up on the extension before I even reached the door. I got outside and nicely asked where the chap was that I spoke to yesterday who had promised yes I would have a written quotation, yes they were insured and yes they would put boards on the flat roof.
He was down the road - I asked them to ring him and ask that he pop back and talk to me .
To cut a story short, he came back , I asked him for the quote and asked that he include on it , the short wording I had prepared which was just a confirmation that he and his colleagues (as discussed the day before) had accident and and public liability insurance.
Well , in a nutshell, he turned really nasty, verbal abuse, swearing, shouting, name calling, and finally storming off calling to the one person left on the extension roof , to 'chuck the sh*t he had collected from the gutter back all over the roof before he came down '-- (he thought the guy had already started, not knowing I had stopped the proceedings at the onset ). I stood my ground , politely , till he finished ranting and left.

LESSON LEARNED !!!!!!!!!!