Despite the fact that I warn van drivers on a regular basis about making sure they are insured for tool theft, it seems that many are not listening.
Take the story of a builder in Stoke, who recently had a staggering £5000 worth of power tools nicked from his van. Unfortunately, when he phoned his van insurance company to ask for a cheque they told him that was…”NOT COVERED.”
He was shocked at the revelation, and even a bit annoyed, but it didn’t change the fact they were not paying out and there was nothing he could do.
“I am 100 percent I locked the van,” said Scott Holford who had his tools stolen, “I remember the lights flashing and I could hear the mechanism lock.”
As I’ve reported about before, these van criminals don’t care if your van is locked or not, they have the means to get in to almost any van with ease. How? It’s those magic keys we have been hearing about, that can be purchased on the internet for £20 and give thieves a license to steal from every van owner in the UK.
The £5000 worth of tools had taken Scott 10 years to collect, but now, he has to start again from scratch. His staff and customers are also going to be affected.
“The customer I’m working for now doesn’t have a kitchen at the moment and the apprentice won’t be able to have a pay cheque this week.”
It just goes to show how van crime has consequences beyond the owners themselves, and that is why I recommend every tradesperson in the UK to make sure they have the correct insurance.
In other words, check you are completely covered for tool theft. Don’t leave it to chance, because as we keep hearing time and time again…there is a thief at a street near you waiting to strike and rob you of everything in your van.
Another way to protect yourself is to never leave any tools in your van overnight. Many tradespeople find they don’t have the time to do this after a long day which is fair enough, but if you can do it then by all means do.
One complaint from builders and other tradespeople is that van insurance is expensive enough right now, and that adding additional tool cover is just too much for their wallet.
I agree some of the prices being quoted are silly at the moment but you can make things significantly less expensive by using a van insurance comparison website.
Many van drivers are saving a few hundred quid, and then they can use that extra cash to get cover for their tools.