Public Liability certificate

[Telebass]

[quote name='five-string.co.uk' timestamp='1413484641' post='2578818']
Join the Musicians Union = FREE PLI + FREE Instrument Insurance + FREE Legal advice (Free = inclusive )

Very worthwhile joining
[/quote]
Agreed. Well worth it.

[spacey]

As with any insurance, you need to hold the actual certificate with a signature.
Do MU provide an actual signed certificate of insurance or just a letter saying you are covered by some scheme somewhere.
The two are a world apart, a legal certificate of insurance is a bond certificate, with two named parties and a signature of the entity underwriting that bond to its liability value.

If you hold the actual certificate you have something to stick down in front of a judge as to who will be Liable for the loss.

Anyone confirm if MU issue an actual certificate of insurance as a separate document ?

[Spike Vincent]

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1413479735' post='2578710']
We've been asked to provide one of these for a gig.
Never been asked before, so I don't know much about them.
Is it compulsory as a gigging band to get one?
If so, what's the best way to get one?
Any info appreciated, because as I said, I know nothing about them
[/quote]

Personally, I would be asking to see the venue's Public Liability insurance certificate.

[Raph]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1413565944' post='2579712']
... and may continue to do without, hoping to never have to need any of the services. One may hope; that's free.
[/quote]

Depends which bit you're referring to; I hope you're not listing MU merchandise as an "advantage"? Some of the more useful benefits listed such as PLI are available elsewhere for less than MU membership with PLI for free. As for advice and support I gave up ringing the MU for contracts advice years ago as I always got contradictory advice, I even charged a ridiculous sum for a session once on the specific advice of the union, then when the client told me to f-off I rang the union and got a totally different answer to the same question about how much I should have charged... tbh it's sometimes been more of an impediment than a help. The chap on the end of the phone is always super-friendly, that's nice.

Someone asked about a PLI certificate from the MU, yes you get a proper document certifying you're covered for £10m. I'm wondering about going with Ampband for £49, and losing the £40 discount on my instrument insurance. I'd be £110 better off, which is why I'm looking at that list of benefits and thinking hard about which of them actually apply to me. It might work for you, but personally I'd find it a bit late to start with careers advice and training! If you regularly do theatre work or school teaching I think it's probably more useful. If I go further into why the MU is largely irrelevant to me this'll become a whole other discussion, but in short it seems best suited to regular gigs with an employer, where "salaries" and "pensions" and such exciting stuff can be argued about; a freelance "bar rocky jazz-head" (as someone recently described me), doesn't really experience such pleasures!

The long and short of PLI is that if I did injure someone by clonking them with my bass headstock or dropping a speaker on their foot etc. I'd want to be able to do right by them, and I certainly couldn't do that out of my earnings.

[colgraff]

[quote name='Les' timestamp='1413489100' post='2578901']
we use AMPband and I know a lot of others that do.
But I don't know anyone who's put it to the test with a clam. Do any of you ?
[/quote]

I didn't know AMPBand provided cover for any sea creatures....

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='spacey' timestamp='1414139418' post='2586230']
As with any insurance, you need to hold the actual certificate with a signature.
Do MU provide an actual signed certificate of insurance or just a letter saying you are covered by some scheme somewhere.
The two are a world apart, a legal certificate of insurance is a bond certificate, with two named parties and a signature of the entity underwriting that bond to its liability value.

If you hold the actual certificate you have something to stick down in front of a judge as to who will be Liable for the loss.

Anyone confirm if MU issue an actual certificate of insurance as a separate document ?
[/quote]

Yes they do, and you get a new one every year when you renew your membership.

[Raph]

[quote name='colgraff' timestamp='1446227462' post='2897977']
I didn't know AMPBand provided cover for any sea creatures....
[/quote]
Well, when you're talking about pubic liability, the topic can stray a bit.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Raph

[ratman]

[quote name='simon1964' timestamp='1414071116' post='2585492']
Personally I get cover through Music Guard - that covers my instruments for theft and accidental damage but also provides competively priced PL cover. Two birds with one stone.
[/quote]
I got my equipment insurance from Music Guard, it came with PLI included. £14k of gear covered & £2 million PLI for £400, and I got somebody else named on the policy too. I did the deal on their website but I did make three phone calls to get some questions answered and I found their staff to be really helpful and friendly. They weren't working from scripts and I couldn't fault them.
One of my questions to them was who is or isn't covered by my insurance and PLI. The answer was this - if a punter falls into our gear and hurts himself, it's his fault, his problem, he won't get a payout on my policy. If he knocks gear over and damages/breaks it, I'm covered for the repair/replacement. If he knocks gear onto another punter/musician and they are injured, they are covered but he still isn't. I do take a lot of care at gigs to make sure leads are taped down and stands have yellow & black warning tape on them, at least I'd doing my best to not be the cause of somebody tripping over my gear. Thankfully I haven't had to make a claim, so I can't comment on payout or responsibility issues.