Public liability insurance
Public liability insurance is essential for anyone who makes part (or all) of their living from a vending business. It can cover you against claims that your business activity caused injury to a member of the public or damaged their property. This insurance can offer between $5 million and $20 million worth of coverage.
What it covers:
- Third-party personal injury claims
- Damage to a third party’s property
- Legal fees to defend yourself
Product liability insurance
Product liability insurance can cover you against third-party claims that a product you sold in one of your machines was faulty or caused material loss, sickness, injury or death. This type of insurance is important to protect you against any liability claims arising from the products which are dispensed from your machines, including any food, drinks or confectionary. Cover starts from $250,000 and can be bundled together with public liability into a business insurance package.
What it covers:
- Claims that a product you supplied caused sickness or injury
- Third-party damages claims
- Legal fees to defend yourself
General business insurance
General business insurance may also be worthwhile to cover your valuable machines against vandalism or theft. It may be compulsory to take out insurance to protect your machines if you apply for finance to assist with their purchase or the vending business itself. However, a common exclusion with business insurance is glass breakage, so you may need separate glass insurance as part of your insurance package.
Another aspect of insurance to consider as a vending machine operator is the safety of the cash you use to stock your machines and the money you collect regularly. In some business insurance policies, cash is excluded if there is a break-in, so you may also require specialist business theft insurance which may cover you in some cases where your machines are vandalised and have money stolen from them.
Commercial vehicles aren’t included, so you may need separate commercial vehicle protection for any vehicles or trailers used to transport your vending machines.
What it covers:
- Fire, storms, theft, vandalism
- Collisions and impacts which cause damage to your machines
- Limited business interruption insurance
Cyber liability insurance
As vending machines become more complex and sophisticated, the risk of cybercrime increases. Cyber liability insurance can protect your machines in case they are hacked or illegally re-programmed. They can also protect you if skimming devices are illegally attached to your machines, resulting in financial or identity theft from a third party.
What it covers
- Data breaches including theft of client information
- Forensic investigation into the cause of the breach
- Data recovery costs
- Cyber extortion and denial of service threats
- Crisis management costs
- Advertising and communicating with clients
- Legal costs, including any fines and penalties imposed