The benefits explained
- Civil liability coverage in the event of an event: The Hartford’s commercial liability coverage is written on an event form, which means you will be covered for as long as the incident occurred while your policy was in force (even if it is no longer active). ). This is the preferred form of coverage in the industry.
- Customizable bundle policy: You can combine several different coverages into a single policy that meets the various needs of your business.
- Coverage for businesses with employees: The Hartford offers coverages that may be needed for businesses that have employees, such as workers’ compensation insurance.
- Superior financial strength: The Hartford received an A+ (superior) from AM Best for financial strength. This is the second highest rating given by the agency. Of the top esthetician insurance companies we reviewed, only one received a higher financial strength rating.
Disadvantages Explained
- Must provide personal information to get a quote: Although some other beautician insurance companies offer transparent pricing, you will need to provide your personal details to get a quote from The Hartford.
- Professional liability coverage is claims-based: Like many insurers, The Hartford offers tailored professional liability coverage. This means that the incident must have taken place and be declared during the active insurance period to be covered.
Index of complaints
The Hartford is made up of several subsidiaries that issue a range of coverage, including life, auto, and commercial insurance. Hartford Fire Insurance Company issues commercial property, liability and business insurance and has received far fewer complaints than expected from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) over the past three years.
Each year, the NAIC reports a complaints index for each insurance provider. An index of 1.00 indicates an expected number of complaints given the size of the company. An index above 1.00 indicates more complaints than expected and potential customer satisfaction issues. Over the past three years, the average complaint index for the Hartford Fire Insurance Company has been just 0.29, indicating that customer service issues are generally not serious enough to warrant complaints. .
Third-party reviews
The Hartford has an A+ (Superior) financial strength rating with AM Best, an agency that rates the creditworthiness of insurers. AM Best ratings are important because they predict the likelihood that a company will be able to meet its financial obligations to policyholders and pay claims.
But while The Hartford holds the second-highest rating for financial strength, the company received the lowest score in the JD Power 2021 US Small Commercial Insurance Study. The study assessed factors such as small business interactions with insurers and the claims process. The Hartford received a score of 803 out of 1,000, while the top-ranked provider, Allstate, received a score of 848 out of 1,000. The Hartford was ranked last out of 10 insurers.
Competition
| The Hartford | Next Insurance | Three insurances | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Types of coverage | Professional Liability, General Liability, Commercial Property, Workers Compensation, Commercial Automobile, Business Income, Cyber | Professional liability, general liability, commercial property, workers’ compensation, commercial automobile, business income | Professional Liability, General Liability, Commercial Property, Commercial Automobile, Workers Compensation, Business Income, Cyber |
| Online application | Yes | Yes | Online quote only |
| AM Highest rating | A+ (Superior) | A- (Excellent) | A++ (Superior) |
| Price (minimum) | Varied | $220 | Varied |
| NAIC Complaint Index (three-year average) | 0.29 | 0.30 (average over two years) | 1.22 |
Policies available
Business Owner Policy
The Hartford’s Business Owner’s (BOP) Policy combines business property and business liability in one policy. You can also purchase them as standalone covers. The BOP can also be customized to include the covers below, or you can purchase these covers separately.
workers compensation insurance
This coverage helps replace lost wages and pay for medical treatment if an employee is injured on the job, while protecting the employer by helping to pay the legal costs of a lawsuit brought by an employee or their family.
Depending on your state and the size of your business, workers’ compensation insurance may be necessary for your business to operate legally. Do your research and consult with a legal professional to ensure you know the coverage you need.
Commercial auto insurance
Although availability varies from state to state, commercial auto insurance generally covers bodily injury liability, property damage liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage for vehicles owned, rented, or borrowed from commercial purposes. You can also add rental car coverage and rented and non-owned auto insurance. Depending on where you live, you may need personal injury protection, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, or medical expense coverage.
Commercial auto insurance is required for anyone who drives for business – commuting doesn’t count, but driving between clients does.
Cyber liability insurance
If your business suffers a cyberattack, this broad coverage can help pay for lost revenue due to network outage, legal services, expenses to notify customers, judgments for privacy and security lawsuits, ransomware attack paid extortion and regulatory fines. This is generally appropriate for larger companies.
Data Breach Insurance
This helps pay for notifying customers, hiring a public relations firm, and providing credit monitoring services to victims in the event of a data breach.
Professional liability insurance
General liability insurance does not cover all types of lawsuits. Professional liability insurance helps pay for legal defense and judgments against you in claims related to negligence, misrepresentation, injury or incorrect advice given in the performance of your professional services.
Runners available
Endorsements are additions to a policy that help you customize your coverage. The policies listed above can all be added as endorsements to The Hartford business owner policy or purchased separately.
Customer service
The Hartford has an online portalI you can use to view your policy documents, make payments, and even file a claim. If you need further assistance, you can reach customer service at one of the phone numbers below.
| Reason for call | Phone number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation | 855-440-1078 | 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET weekdays |
| Customer service | 866-457-8730 | 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET weekdays |
| Complaints | 800-327-3636 | 24/7 |
Is Hartford insurance right for me?
Beauticians and solo employers can get coverage from The Hartford, but The Hartford will likely be most helpful to business owners who need a solid policy with multiple lines of coverage to meet their business needs.
If you don’t need business income or property insurance, you may be able to get cheaper liability insurance elsewhere. And if you prefer a company that provides quotes without your personal information, look elsewhere.
Our Methodology: How We Review Insurance Companies for Beauticians
To determine the best insurance companies for estheticians, we collected 20 data points on the best insurance companies for estheticians by premium. These data points include:
- Financial solidity
- Cost
- Policy Types and Features
- Exclusions
- Consumer Complaints
- Online tools
- Billing Options
- Coverage limits
We gave preference to companies with high AM Best ratings, a low rate of customer complaints, and those that offer coverage based on the date of the event rather than when the claim was made. Companies with high aggregate coverage limits, monthly billing, low premiums, online shopping options, and those that offer property coverage received improved ratings. To rank the companies we studied, we applied the following weightings to each customer-focused category:
- Types of coverage and features: 40%
- Financial stability: 20%
- Consumer complaints: 25%
- Online purchase: 10%
- Billing options: 5%
We dug deeper into product and company specifics to determine which companies were best for which types of consumers. Through this research, we determined which companies offer the best esthetician insurance.