Terms Of Business Agreement
Also trading as POTTERIES INSURANCE BROKERS, SPEEDY INSURANCE BROKERS & CAB INSURANCE BROKERS
Head Office: MEM Insurance Brokers Limited, 521 King Street, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST3 1HD Tel No. 01782 315181 Fax No. 01782 598248
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the independent watchdog that regulates Insurance Brokers. It requires us to give you this document. Use this information to decide if our services are right for you.
We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and our Register Number is 302160. This can be checked on the FSA Register by visiting their website www.fsa.gov.uk or by contacting the FSA on 0800 111 6768. Our permitted business is to arrange personal and commercial lines none investment insurance.
ABOUT US AND THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE
In arranging insurance for our customers, we act as an independent intermediary. Our services includes advising you on your insurance needs, arranging your insurance cover with insurers to meet your requirements and helping you with any ongoing changes you have to make. We select products from a range of insurers for motor, household and commercial insurances, but for caravans, travel, marine, pet, taxi, and breakdown insurances we only select from a limited market. You may ask us for a list of insurance providers we use. We also offer a Legal Expenses Policy underwritten by Ageas Insurance Limited and as we receive no commission for this product we charge you £24.99 to cover our administration costs and this includes Insurance Premium Tax.
BROKERAGE CHARGES
All our premiums are inclusive of brokerage administration charges on the following scale - New and Renewal policies - £27.50 min. Policy amendments, additional or return - £27.50 min. Duplicate certificates - £5.00. For any policy cancellation which results in a return premium a charge will be made equal to 20% of the return premium subject to a minimum of £27.50. You will receive a quotation which will tell you about any other fees relating to any particular insurance policy.
We accept payments by CASH, by CHEQUE with a Bankers card or by various CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS. Credit cards are subject to a 2% surcharge, this amount is charged by your card issuer.
OUR OWN INSTALLMENT SCHEME
is available - choose the plan to suit you.- Plan A - 2 Instalments - add only £22.50 to the amount payable - pay half now the other half within 30 days.
- Plan B - 3 Instalments - add only £37.50 to the amount payable - pay one-third deposit followed by 2 equal monthly instalments 30 days apart.
- Plan C - 4 instalments - add only £47.50 to the amount payable - pay one-third deposit followed by 3 equal monthly instalments 30 days apart.
You are responsible for paying the premium by the due date. We have no obligation to fund premiums for you and have no responsibility for any financial loss you may suffer as a result of the insurer cancelling the policy due to none payment.
You will be charged an additional amount for late payments.
In order to be able to offer you credit facilities, we are registered under the Consumer Credit Act and our Licence Number is 197058. You may be able to spread your payments through insurers' instalments schemes, or a credit scheme with a third party financial provider. We may keep certain documents, such as your insurance policy documents or Certificates, while we are waiting for full payment of premiums. In these circumstance, we will ensure that you receive full details of your insurance cover and will provide you with any documents that you are required to have by law.
PROTECTING YOUR DATA.
Under the Data protection Act 1998 you have the right of access to your personal records on our files, and we will tell you what the fee is if you ask for a copy of your information. We may disclose information to other companies for the purpose of cross selling. They may contact you about your insurance or other insurance or other products or services. If you wish to opt out of this clause please advise us. Confidential data will not be shared unless there is a regulatory or legal requirement.
DUTY OF DISCLOSURE
It is your responsibility to provide complete and accurate information to insurers when you take out your insurance policy, throughout the life of your policy, and when you renew your insurance. Failure to disclose information pertaining to your insurance, or any inaccuracies in information given, could result in your insurance policy being invalid or cover not operating fully. It is important that you ensure all statements you make on proposal forms, claim forms, and other documents are full and accurate. If a form is completed on your behalf, you should check that the answers shown to any questions are true and accurate before signing the document. You are advised to keep copies of any correspondence you send to us or direct to your insurer.
Insurers share information with each other via the Claims and Underwriting Exchange Register, and the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register, to aid the prevention of fraudulent claims. In the event of a claim, the information you supply on the claim form, together with any other information relating to the claim, will be put on the Registers.
Insurers are legally required to provide details of motor insurance policies to the Motor Insurance Information Centre. The information describing your insurance cover will be added to the Motor Insurance Database, to which the police and other government agencies have access. This helps the pursuance of claims following accidents and aids detection of those who are in contravention of the law by not taking out insurance.
COMPLAINTS
It is our intention to provide you with a high level of customer service at all times. If there are occasions when we do not meet these standards, please contact us:
In writing: to Managing Director, MEM Insurance Brokers Limited, 521 King Street, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 1HD
By e-mail: to meminsureuk@btconnect.com
By telephone: 01782 315181
By fax: 01782 598248
If you cannot settle your complaint with us you may be able to refer to the Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9SR.
CANCELLATION ARRANGEMENTS - “COOLING OFF PERIOD”
Retail clients have the right to cancel their policies within 14 days of receiving it. If you exercise this right then the Insurer will charge you for the cover you have had (although there may be a small charge for the administration costs involved as well). Full details will be contained in the policy summary you will receive. This right is in addition to any other cancellation right you may have after this 14-day period has expired. You need to note also that our charges mentioned above are separate from the Insurers and if the policy is cancelled at any time, these will not be refunded.
ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES
Premiums that we collect from you are held in an insurance broking account specifically used for the purpose of holding client premiums. If we have a risk transfer agreement with the insurer, this means that the premiums we collect from you will be deemed to have been paid to the insurer and this money will be banked where the insurers instruct us to bank. Premiums that we collect from you will be segregated into and held in a Client Money Bank Account. We will hold the client money as trustee on your behalf. The Client Money Bank Account is set up as a trust governed by FCA rules. We will retain any interest on this account. We only take our commission when we pay the insurers.
In accordance with FCA Regulations we have to inform you that in managing and/or arranging your insurance requirements, we may transfer money that you have paid to us, in payment of an insurance premium, to another insurance intermediary. By accepting these Terms of Business, you are giving your consent for us to act in the manner described in this section.
THE FINANCIAL SERVICE COMPENSATION SCHEME
We are covered by the FSCS. You may be entitled to compensation from the scheme, if we cannot meet your obligations. This depends on the type of insurance and the circumstances, for example Motor Insurance is covered 100% by the scheme because it is a compulsory type of insurance. You can find out more from the FSCS.
CLAIMS
In the unfortunate circumstances of you having to make a claim you can contact your branch or alternatively contact your claims helpline (see your policy booklet for more details).
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
All quotations are subject to change in respect of the amount of premium indicated, and/or the terms and conditions that are applied. Quotations are guaranteed for 30 days.
Prior to the conclusion of each insurance contract, or upon renewal, we will remind commercial customers of their right to be advised of the level of commission we receive from underwriters. You are entitled at any time to request information regarding commission we may have received as a result of placing your insurance business.
The laws of England and Wales shall govern this Agreement and the parties agree herewith that any dispute arising out of it shall be subject to the exclusion jurisdiction of the English Courts.
