Richard Meehan is the driving force behind a well-established company which deals in cars with a certain cachet.
Winterslow Carriage Company, which is based in Timsbury, near Romsey in Hampshire, has built up a reputation in trading with the discerning driver. It specialises in prestigious vehicles including sports models, classic cars, 4x4s and cars of quality.
Proprietor Richard initially set up in business in 1975 and had been renewing his insurance cover down the years almost as a matter of course.
A few years ago he was introduced to the commercial partners of Greenfield Insurance Services. “I had been with the same provider for 16 years, so they weren’t going to make me change very easily,” he recalled.
Richard needed protection to encompass all motor trade risks, including specific insurance requirements to indemnify the business against loss in the event of a car being bought at auction turning out to be a stolen vehicle.
He was delighted with the insurance policy Greenfield tailored for him, as it met his needs – and saved him £1,700.
“Now I have been using Greenfield Insurance Services for two years and have found them to be very thorough and professional to deal with. It’s nice to deal with people who do what they say. I would recommend their services to anybody,” said Richard.
In the spring of 2007 he had first-hand experience of just how proficient the claim-handling side of the firm is when a car careered off the road outside his business premises.
“The car came to rest upside-down. Our heavy sign came crashing down and damaged three cars and another car was damaged when it was hit by a large planter. In total the damage amounted to more than £17,000,.” said Richard.
In his initial telephone call to Greenfield he was given authorisation to erect a new perimeter fence and sanctioned to engage people with lifting equipment to remove the one-ton sign.
“When you have a major upset the last thing you need is to telephone somebody up and be left waiting in a queue. This matter was dealt with immediately and the service provided by our broker was excellent,” he commented.
Richard, who followed his father Jim into the motor trade, discovered at an early age that he had a flair for finalising business deals. As a pupil at Priestlands School in Romsey he once sold a watch to a teacher, and bartered with several of his classmates.
“My father was in the motor trade since the early 1960s and as a child it seemed that every boy loved cars, so in some ways it was a natural progression for me.
“I started trading from my sister’s house and then had a small workshop. We’ve been trading from the Timsbury premises since 1995.”
Winterslow Carriage Company, now has a virtual showroom for its vehicles, and attracts customers from all over the UK as well as Ireland and France.
