Huckleberry Insurance Review: A 2023 Small Business Must-Have?

Last Updated on January 20, 2023

Gone are the days of piles of paperwork, salespeople phoning you to sell their solutions, and weeks of waiting just for insurance. Many companies are revolutionizing how insurance is delivered to clients, and, with the rise of small businesses in different industries, we are seeing more brokers provide these enterprises with the options of where to get insured.

Among these providers is Huckleberry Insurance from Santa Ana, California. They harness developments in technology such as customer management and payment processing to give quick and straightforward insurance solutions online. In this review, we will take a further look into the coverages Huckleberry offers and put it to the test as we compare it with other insurance companies.

Table of Contents

Coverage
Get A Quote
Customer Reviews
Alternatives
FAQs

Huckleberry Insurance Overview

If there was one word to describe Huckleberry Insurance, it would be insurtech. Its founders Bryan O’Connell and Steve Au launched the company in 2017 to streamline business insurance sales through an online portal.

They claim no need for paperwork and a completely online policy purchasing process, as they claim other companies who offer online insurance still require clients to get on the phone with an agent. Huckleberry is powered by technology and is backed by multiple venture capital firms.

Why is insurance necessary?

No business is safe from risks, whether it is from property damage, liability claims, or even data breaches. While some risks can be mitigated through preventive measures, there are others that are impossible to foresee or control. This is where insurance comes in to protect your business from these perils.

Moreover, business insurance is required in most states so it would be best to get it just to avoid getting into trouble. Workers’ compensation insurance is required for those who hire employees, and commercial auto insurance might be mandated for your business if you use vehicles in your operations.

In sum, insurance is just a precautionary measure to protect you, your business, and your assets, as well as the people who do business with you from a long list of hazards that could turn into disasters and take up a lot of resources.

Small Business Insurance Coverage from Huckleberry

Huckleberry offers four main insurance coverages, and some additional coverages if your small business has specific needs. Particularly, these are:

Workers’ compensation insurance: Workers’ compensation insurance provides protection from occupational hazards for your employees. If they ever do get sick or ill from doing their work, this insurance will help pay for medical diagnoses, treatments, rehabilitation, as well as lost wages while they recover.

General liability insurance: General liability insurance is vital for your small business as it anticipates the most typical risks. If someone else were to make a claim against you due to injury or property damage, this type of insurance would cover the costs.

Business Owner’s Policy: Also called BOP, this consolidates general liability insurance (from property damage, bodily injury, and advertising injury), business property insurance (for your building and assets within it), and business interruption insurance to help recover lost income if your business runs across an unfortunate (but covered) event that halts your operations.

Commercial auto insurance: Business car insurance, AKA commercial auto insurance or commercial vehicle insurance, is a form of coverage that protects vehicles used for work-related purposes. This can include both automobiles you own as an individual and those owned by your company.

Meanwhile, some additional coverages offered by Huckleberry are:

Employee dishonesty insurance: Employee dishonesty coverage, also known as employee theft coverage, is a type of insurance that protects small businesses in the event that an employee steals from the company. Whether that’s intellectual property, tangible assets, or finances, this type of coverage will reimburse you for those losses.

Employment practices liability insurance: EPLI will cover legal costs and financial settlements charged to you and your business from any legal claims filed by employees for things like discrimination, harassment, retaliation, emotional distress, or wrongful termination.

Huckleberry Small Business Insurance Availability

Huckleberry offers small business insurance in 46 states. Huckleberry does not service North Dakota, Ohio, Washington, or Wyoming.

Getting a Quote

Huckleberry asserts they can get you an estimate for your insurance policy in as fast as 60 seconds. (What a bold claim!) But you may probably be more concerned with how rather than how quickly you can do this.

You can get a free and online quote from Huckleberry by heading over to app.huckleberry.com/apply or simply clicking “Get Started” or “Instant Estimate” from their website.

You will then be taken to a page wherein you will be able to get a policy with five steps: starting with your industry, selecting your coverage, providing your business details, getting your quote, and checking out.

Do I need a Business Owners’ Policy?

A Business Owner’s Policy is not required by law, but it does provide small business owners with the combined protection of general liability coverage, business property insurance, and business interruption insurance which may be quite beneficial. This policy will safeguard you from third-party lawsuits, damage to your property, and temporary shutdowns following a break-in or forces of nature such as floods or fire.

So, if these are things you believe your business is at risk for, it would be a good idea to obtain a BOP as it could save you tens of thousands of dollars in expenses and/or losses.

Huckleberry Insurance Price and Factors

It may be worth noting that Huckleberry is an insurance broker, not an insurance provider. However, on their site, they write that they do not charge broker fees, so your premium will depend on things such as your annual payroll, business type and size, and, of course, the insurer you choose, among other factors. They also provide a calculator on their site to give you a better idea of how much your insurance might cost with them.

Reporting a Claim with Huckleberry

Because they are an insurance brokerage, Huckleberry does not provide resources for filing a claim as you are to report these to your direct insurer. You may find the contact number for your insurance company at support.huckleberry.com/#claims.

Customer Reviews

After providing an overview of Huckleberry as a company and the types of coverage they offer, we can now explore some testimonials from previous clients.

Positive Ratings

This customer is satisfied with the turnaround from the Huckleberry representative assigned to him and was able to get insurance coverage for his small business in a short period.

Getting a quote and purchasing a policy was also easy for this customer who got her Certificate of Insurance (COI) on the same day.

Poor Ratings

However, this customer was dissatisfied with account servicing. This is a common problem when it comes to brokers.

This customer has the same complaint when it comes to customer service regarding issues and complaints.

Huckleberry Alternatives

Now that we’ve taken an in-depth look into all there is to Huckleberry, it’s time to compare them with other insurance providers to weigh pros and cons.

What is biBERK?

If you’re looking into direct providers, biBERK might be one you could consider. It is a company specializing in simple business insurance for small business and offers relatively similar coverages as does Huckleberry.

Among these are general liability insurance, BOP, commercial auto insurance, cyber insurance, and umbrella insurance for additional coverage for expenses that fall beyond your policy limit. Read more about these coverages and biBERK’s background by visiting our full review.

biBERK vs. Huckleberry

Both biBERK and Huckleberry may give some peace of mind to customers because of their financial stability. biBERK is part of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, a known conglomerate, while Huckleberry has 7 partners.

However, they have a few differences. As mentioned, biBERK is a direct insurance provider. As such, it may be easier to process claims with them.

On the other hand, Huckleberry offers more customization as you can mix and match policies from various insurers depending on your business needs.

Huckleberry is also more transparent when it comes to pricing as they provide a calculator on their website for you to get an estimate of what your premium might be.

What is THREE?

THREE is another direct insurance provider and a Berkshire Hathaway company as is the previous alternative. It offers comprehensive coverage for small businesses and the typical risks they face in their operations in a single policy that could be as short as three pages. You may take a look at our full review of THREE and “The Policy” by clicking this link.

THREE Insurance vs. Huckleberry Insurance

Huckleberry, as they are partnered with multiple insurers, allows you to design policies if you have more specialized demands given the industry you’re in. On the other hand, THREE focuses on providing a single policy for customers that offers protection against common business risks.

Therefore, if you wish to purchase additional coverages, then you may want to go with Huckleberry as these may not be offered by THREE.

What is Embroker?

In contrast to the previous two, Embroker is also an insurance brokerage that offers unique coverage selections for small businesses.

They provide insurance for startups that are venture capital funded, tech companies, law firms, and aviation and aerospace enterprises.

Embroker vs. Huckleberry Insurance

With this, both are great options for innovative businesses that may need additional insurance coverage beyond those usually offered by most companies. For instance, Embroker offers errors and omissions insurance for companies focusing on technology products and services.

Then, at the end of the day, the better option for the two would boil down to your industry. For instance, if you run a restaurant, Huckleberry’s spoilage coverage may be something you need more than Embroker’s commercial crime insurance.

The Bottom Line

To sum it all up, Huckleberry is a great option for small businesses as they offer comprehensive coverage and are transparent when it comes to pricing. However, if you’re looking for a direct provider, then biBERK and THREE could be better alternatives.

On the other hand, if your business is focused on technology or you need more specialized coverage, then Embroker could be the better option.

Your business’ needs should be your top priority. We hope that this guide has helped you in deciding which insurance company to go with.

FAQs about Huckleberry

Is Huckleberry reliable? Should I get insurance from a new company?

Huckleberry’s policies are underwritten by Markel Corporation, a publicly-traded company with an A (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best. Therefore, you can be assured that they are financially stable and can pay out claims when needed. Huckleberry has been in business since 2017.