ARTHUR SAVAGE INSURANCE – TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1/03/2006
We are an independent intermediary acting as your agent and are responsible for the advice we give you when arranging your insurance. We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), which sets the standards and rules for insurance transactions and ensures you have sufficient information to make an informed decision. We undertake to carry out this business with you in a fair, competent and transparent way.
1.
Disclosure of Information
It is absolutely essential that you provide us with full and accurate information when requesting a quote or completing the insurance proposal. In addition, any changes that occur during the life of the policy should be communicated to us immediately. In particular, you should tell us about any incidents – whether your fault or not, and whether you claimed or not. Failure to provide full or accurate information to insurers can result in your policy being invalid and not provide protection in the event of a claim.
2.
Quotations
These are entirely based on information you provide to us, at the time of quotation. Our quotations are valid for 30 days unless you are specifically informed otherwise. Cover only commences on our confirmation of a date to you, or as shown on the cover note.
3.
Provision of Documentation
We provide all documentation necessary for you to check your policy details, confirm the period of cover and have available any certificates or documentation you require by law. We reserve the right to withhold certain insurance certificates and documentation until all premium payments have been made.
4.
Procedure for Policy Renewal - Retail Customers
a. For Annually paid MOTOR and HOME renewals - you will receive a notice at least 21 Days in advance of the renewal date. You must notify us on or before the renewal date that you wish to renew your policy. Payment must accompany the instruction to renew.
b. For MOTOR and HOME policies paid by Instalments - you will receive a notice at least 21 Days in advance of the renewal date, that your policy will automatically renew and your instalments will continue, if you do not instruct us to the contrary.
5.
Procedure for Policy Renewal - Commercial Clients
Commercial Clients will receive their Terms of Renewal ‘Within Good Time’ as defined by the FSA. As your agent, we will endeavour to obtain Terms of Renewal as early as possible from your Insurers.
6.
Right of Cancellations and Refunds and the 14 day cooling-off period for Retail Customers
a. Both you, and in certain circumstances, the insurer, have the right to cancel any insurance contract arranged on your behalf. A request to cancel must be provided to us in writing. The Insurer may levy a ‘Time on Risk’ Charge following a cancellation.
b. The 14-day cooling-off period – If you are a Retail Customer, you have the right to cancel your policy within 14 days of inception (5a. & 5c. apply)
c. Refunds following cancellations can vary and will depend on the time on cover, as defined by the insurer. Refunds are net of commission and our administration fees, as our policy administration is the same regardless of time on cover. Please also note that Insurers are unlikely to give refunds following a claim.
7.
Our Fees
We reserve the right to charge fees for services and expenses incurred on your behalf, in the course of arranging, amending, renewing and cancelling an insurance policy.
a. Basic administration fee for Motor Policy new business and renewals £5. There is no fee for arranging new business Home Insurance.
b. Stopped and returned cheques: £15
c. Replacement / duplicate documents of any kind, requested by you: £15
d. Mid-Term Adjustments (changes and cancellations): £15
e. Instalment / Direct Debit Plans attract a variable charge, for which you are advised at time of contract and included in the payments agreed
f. Credit Card transactions 2.5%
8.
Payment Terms and Debt Recovery
a. As a regulated company we are bound by rules that affect the way we account for client’s money (the premiums and fees paid by customers), which are held in a separate trust account. Subject to these rules, we request that your full payment, or agreed deposit if appropriate, accompany your instruction to go on cover.
b. Whilst we would wish to avoid taking any unnecessary action, if for any reason there is a persistence in defaulting on a payment (instalment or account balance) we reserve the right to employ a debt recovery service to collect the debt on our behalf. If the default is unrecoverable the debt recovery service may seek to have you "blacklisted" with other credit approving agencies.
9.
Claims
If you need to make a claim under your policy, you should notify your insurer or us immediately, so you can be advised on the correct claim procedure to ensure a speedy resolution. Do not admit liability or agree any course of action. Remember, whilst you insurer should deal with your claim effectively without our direct involvement, we are your agent and are here to help should there be a problem.
10.
Complaints Procedure
a. We aim to provide you with the highest level of customer service and will deal with any query promptly. If, however, you are unhappy with any aspect of our, or our suppliers (insurers) service, please contact our customer service team on 0870 165 1430 in the first instance, or, if you are still not satisfied, ask to speak to the Managing Director on the same number. Our complaints procedure is available separately from our office.
b. We will aim to resolve most problems within 24 Hours – but if we are not able to achieve this, we will provide written acknowledgement of your complaint within 5 working days of its receipt - unless a full response is possible within this time, and you confirm the matter is closed.
c. If, within 20 days, we are continuing to investigate your complaint, we will provide you with a full written response (or a partial response with an explanation of the current situation and time scales for a full response).
d. If, after exhausting our internal procedure you still remain unsatisfied, you have the right to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which is an independent body that arbitrates on complaints about General Insurance products and services. The contact details are:
11.
The Data Protection Act
We abide by the Data Protection Act and will not share your information with any other person or company except in the following circumstances. We are obligated to exchange information with other Insurers through various databases and electronic data interchange applications. This helps speed up the processing of your data by the Insurers and allows checks to be made on that information. It also helps fraudulent claims being made. You should also be aware that all insurers supply details of insurance policies to a database which the police and other Insurers access. This helps detect those who break the law, by not taking out insurance. It also helps Insurers pursue claims following incidents. The data we hold about you on our computer is considered confidential and controlled under the Data Protection Act.
