“Thanks a Million!” from Small Commercial

The Hartford’s Small Commercial has made it a policy to offer top products and cutting-edge technology, provide access to industry-leading professionals, and continuously strive to improve our ease of doing business model. Now, thanks to your loyalty and support, we’ve almost reached one million small commercial policies.

What does it take to reach 1,000,000?
• Ease of doing business for agents and policyholders. We provide quick, easy access for quoting and submitting business, and in the event your customers need to file a claim, our service is fast and efficient.

• First-rate products. Our Business Owner’s Policy, Spectrum, is the industry gold-standard.

• Broad appetite. The Hartford has a clearly defined appetite for a variety of industries. And, we offer a robust line-up of other small commercial products & services including commercial auto*, umbrella, international protection, and worker’s compensation.

• Cutting-edge technology. Our Electronic Business Center provides access to a full suite of technology capabilities. ICON 2.0, our on-line quoting and submission tool, is an award-winner, providing quick, easy access from anywhere with an Internet connection.

• Strong relationships. It’s our relationships with you – our independent agents – that will lead us to this milestone!

But don’t just take our word for it. Agents and policyholders have told us time and time again that The Hartford is a strong, stable company that stands by its values and is committed to offering quality products and efficient service. In this edition of AGENT, we’re featuring the story of “Rags and Riches,” the first in a series of testimonials from policyholders and agents.

Rags and Riches
"Rags and Riches is one of the largest upholstery fabric outlets in New England, if not the largest," says Jon Rosenberg, co-owner of the South Burlington, VT store. "At the time of the fire, we had over one-half million yards in stock, making us one of the largest of our kind... We have people who come here from out of state once or twice a year. We've provided fabrics for [movies and TV shows].”

On November 9, 2005, the Rags and Riches store was destroyed by an arson fire. Damage was estimated at almost two million dollars. All of the fabrics were destroyed in the fire, along with the entire 12,000 square foot store.

“The day after the fire, everyone was concerned – [we didn’t know if we] were covered for everything and if jobs would be secure,” says Rosenberg, who employs 12 people. “At the first meeting with Jon Rose [Senior Property General Adjuster at The Hartford], he said all the right things, but he had two strikes against him because of my fear that The Hartford was so big and I was so small, and that they had an unfair advantage. I needed to see something concrete.”

He continues, “I wasn’t sure when I first met Jon what his goals were going to be; whether his goals were to help me or help The Hartford. Within two weeks of meeting him, it became very clear that his goals were to get my store back to where it was and he was truly there to help me out. [Jon and The Hartford] gave us hope and the opportunity to make a comeback.”

With the support of The Hartford and The Winfield Group agency, Rags and Riches was back up and running in a temporary store within five weeks after the fire. “Everyone I have mentioned the fire to always says immediately that it’s very difficult to deal with insurance companies,” says Rosenberg. “And every time I tell someone how easily the claim was handled, they don’t believe it!”

In the first days after the fire, Rose walked Rosenberg through the claims process, including physical inventory of damaged materials, contractor estimates, and explaining his coverages. Rose explains, “I knew I had a business owner that was devastated by fire, and I knew after talking to him very briefly that he had a sincere interest in getting his business back as quickly as possible so that he could provide for his employees as well as get his business back up and running.”

Rose continues, “It’s our policy to, as quickly as possible, explain all the steps. I told Jon that we could bring in people to help count inventory… if he was comfortable with a local contractor, we would negotiate with that person. I explained what his policy provided including Business Interruption Insurance, Business Income and additional Stretch endorsements that would come into play in this case, specifically for fire.”

“I didn’t [understand] all my coverages,” says Rosenberg. “I didn’t necessarily understand all the terms of the policy. I would call Jon constantly anytime I had questions… many times I’d ask the same questions over and over again because I wanted to be sure I understood, and he’d explain it to me each time and it was always done in a friendly manner.”

Rosenberg’s coverage included Personal Property of Others, which was used to replace furniture and other items belonging to upholsterers and custom designers that worked out of the store. “We try to pay what we owe as quickly as we can,” says Rose. “I explained that we would advance funds as quickly as possible while we were sorting out the devastating damage. In Mr. Rosenberg’s case, I looked at his policy and tried to put him at ease, saying that we were going to be able to put him back to the situation where it would be like the fire never happened.”

Rosenberg explained that working with Jon Rose and The Hartford was a true partnership that helped his business recover from what could have been a devastating blow to his business.

“There is no question about it, I would definitely hire The Hartford… I wouldn’t want anyone but them,” says Rosenberg, now working in a fully functional Rags and Riches store built back at its original location. “We more than came back after the fire. We came back very strong.”

*Availability based on state approval.

This document outlines in general terms the coverages that may be afforded under a Hartford policy. All policies must be examined carefully to determine suitability for your needs and to identify any exclusions, limitations or any other terms and conditions that may specifically affect coverage. In the event of a conflict, the terms and conditions of the policy prevail. All Hartford coverages described in this document may be offered by one or more of the property and casualty insurance company subsidiaries of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.