therealting Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 I’ve made a petition – will you sign it? Click this link to sign the petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/304282/sponsors/new?token=vwkEfHvmH3GV3zLziKvN ——— My petition: Formally ban mass gatherings in Theatres, Venues, Restaurants and Bars, etc The Prime Minister has asked people to stay away from mass events including entertainment, cultural and hospitality venues; however by making this voluntary rather than mandatory, these venues are unable to claim insurance for closure, making their situations untenable. By formally closing venues, they can claim insurance meaning employees, casual workers and others dependent on their operation can receive compensation for their loss of work, allowing them to survive in these difficult times. Encouraging customers to boycott them means empty venues, no income for owners, and therefore no way to pay workers. Click this link to sign the petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/304282/sponsors/new?token=vwkEfHvmH3GV3zLziKvN 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Signed and I would urge everyone to do likewise. What they are doing to the entertainment industry, pub trade etc. is disgraceful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irvined Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 signed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealting Posted March 17, 2020 Author Share Posted March 17, 2020 The petition is now being checked, so it may take a little while before people can sign again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger2611 Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 1 hour ago, therealting said: The petition is now being checked, so it may take a little while before people can sign again. Will you monitor it and let us know when it is back up and running? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stingray5 Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Ready to sign once the petition has been checked and back online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Doesn't matter. Association of British Insurers have announced this morning that standard Business Interruption cover does not apply when the business is shut by government action. https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/2020/03/statement-on-business-insurance-and-coronavirus/ Basically - if the business didn't tick the box for the add-on that said "Government shutdown" then there is no cover. I can't imagine many businesses bought that extra bit. Insurers are shitheads. They will deny payouts and then still increase the premiums because of this. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon. Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) First action of any insurer is to try and work out how they can avoid paying out. So many businesses are going to go to the wall as a result of the current situation. Livelihoods (and quite probably lives) lost as consequence of the virus and the government's poor handling of it. Edited March 17, 2020 by Simon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Steve Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 1 hour ago, fretmeister said: Basically - if the business didn't tick the box for the add-on that said "Government shutdown" then there is no cover. I can't imagine many businesses bought that extra bit. then it's a bit much to expect the insurers to be paying out for cover that the businesses were offered and chose not to take out 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bam Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) I run an events business. Today alone, I've had £4k of business cancel. Our business is slow until April every year then improves for the rest of the year. Weve got through to April fine, but if all our bookings for the foreseeable future cancel - through sheer media fear - I really dont know what will happen. As above, insurance wont pay. Some have even quoted it being an act of god. It's not just the venues and their staff that things like this affect, it's also the external suppliers. Also, people who have Weddings booked etc will lose all their money if the venue wont reschedule, and they havent taken out specialist insurance. Edited March 17, 2020 by la bam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 40 minutes ago, Monkey Steve said: then it's a bit much to expect the insurers to be paying out for cover that the businesses were offered and chose not to take out Under normal circumstances I'd agree with you. These are not normal circumstances. I am of course aware that forcing insurers to pay out everything would just move the job losses to the insurance industry away from the arts, but there has to be a middle ground somewhere that allows people to eat and heat our homes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrickJ Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 10 hours ago, therealting said: The petition is now being checked, so it may take a little while before people can sign again. Hmmm, so a petition hosted on a Goverment run website that raises concerns about Goverment decisions has been taken offline "to be checked", for days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Last Saturdays gig, this Saturday and Sundays gigs all cancelled. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassfinger Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 I'm not signing. You buy cheap insurance, you get a cheap response when you really need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 5 minutes ago, Bassfinger said: I'm not signing. You buy cheap insurance, you get a cheap response when you really need it. You buy expensive insurance and you still get stinky poo service as I’ve found out this week to our cost. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 Insurers outed as rogues, imagine that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 I'm not signing, it's by no means certain that insurers will pay out even if the Government orders closure, even if the businesses have this type of insurance, if pubs stay open and a few people go for a drink it might just be enough to keep them from going bust and keep a few folk in jobs, if it's ok for kids to go to school it's ok adults to go for a quiet pint, I'm not talking about manic Saturday nights in big cities here but the local, centre of the community, boozer that might never reopen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Steve Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 18 hours ago, fretmeister said: Under normal circumstances I'd agree with you. These are not normal circumstances. I am of course aware that forcing insurers to pay out everything would just move the job losses to the insurance industry away from the arts, but there has to be a middle ground somewhere that allows people to eat and heat our homes. forcing insurers to pay out for a risk that they did not insure simply won't happen, nor should it. If you chose to insure your car for third party only you wouldn't expect to get a pay out if somebody stole it, and it is exactly the same position for this There is a very good argument for affected businesses to be helped out, and the position seems to be evolving from what the Chancellor said yesterday, but it's not insurers who should be footing the bill for businesses who chose not to cover this Keep in mind that investments in large insurers will be part of most of our pensions, so it is in all of our interests for insurers to only pay out what they have actually insured 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 I deeply regret that anyone will be affected by this development and very much hope that the mitigating measures announced in the last couple of days will support those individuals presented with financial difficulties. That said, between protecting either the leisure / ents industry or the insurance companies there's just no choice. If the insurance sector were to collapse (and let's face it, the banks nearly did) we'd all be royally f*cked, private individuals, companies and institutions alike. There are no happy outcomes in a situation like this; we have to hope the shutdown is brief in duration and the bounceback is sustained. Again, commiserations to those affected 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 (edited) No I won't sign. Who are you to demand that everyone be imprisoned in their homes and that businesses are forced to the wall? The fact is that it's small businesses which will be worst affected. The larger ones will be better placed to live off their reserves (or will have friends in high places who they can ask to protect them - like Branson, who is calling for £billions in state subsidy whilst living in a tax haven and not contributing to the public purse). Nobody has the right to destroy peoples' lives because of their fears. Edited March 18, 2020 by Dan Dare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bam Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 Heres a response from the insurance company (I believe Aviva but dont quote me) showing just how they weasel out of paying even if you have taken out cover.... "The Business Interruption cover is based on a specified list of diseases and has been since the SARS outbreak in 2003. These policies exclude business interruption due to new and emerging diseases, like COVID-19. Our policy wording clearly identifies the diseases we offer cover for and, in addition, highlights that new and emerging diseases like COVID-19 are not covered." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bam Posted March 18, 2020 Share Posted March 18, 2020 Another £1k of cancellations today too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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