Terms of Business
Advanced Insurance Consultants Ltd
Bankhall House, 7 High Street, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP1 3AA
Tel: 01442 242400 Fax: 01442 241777 Email: info@aicinsure.co.uk
Registered in England No. 4918171. FCA Licence No. 301043
Registered Office: 14 Caroline Point, 62 Caroline Street, Birmingham, B3 1UF
Accepting our Terms of Business
By asking us to quote for, arrange or handle your insurances, you are providing your informed agreement to these Terms of Business. We draw your particular attention to:
- The section headed ‘The processing of your personal data’, specifically the sub-section titled ‘Credit checks’; and
- The section headed ‘Handling money’, which explains our terms for handling client money in a Non-Statutory Trust account.
For your own benefit and protection, you should read these terms carefully. If you are unsure about any aspect of our Terms of Business or have any questions regarding our relationship with you, please contact us at the above address.
The Financial Conduct Authority
AIC, Diamond Classics, Diamond Insurance Consultants, Quote Portal Advanced & QPA are trading styles of Advanced Insurance Consultants Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Our FCA Register number is 301043. Our permitted business is introducing, advising, arranging, dealing as agent and assisting in the administration and performance of general insurance contracts and credit broking in relation to insurance facilities. You may check this on the FCA’s register by visiting the FCA website, www.register.fca.gov.uk/ or by contacting the FCA on 0800 111 6768.
Our Service
Our role is to advise you and, after we have assessed your needs, to provide you with a personal recommendation explaining why the insurance product recommended best meets your requirement. Where we can offer the availability of an instalment facility in order to pay the insurance premium by regular payments, we do not offer advice or make personal recommendations in relation to this but we may ask some questions to narrow down the selection of options available; you will then need to make your own choice about how to proceed. We act as insurance intermediary, not an insurer. We will confirm the capacity in which we act before we finalise your insurance arrangements.
We provide a personal recommendation and select personal and commercial insurances from a fair and personal analysis of the market, but for certain products,we only select products from a limited number of insurers or only offer products from a single insurer, which means we do not give a personal recommendation on the basis of a fair and personal analysis. We will give you further information about this before we finalise your insurance arrangements. We will not in any circumstances act as an insurer nor guarantee or warrant the solvency of any insurer.
On occasion we may introduce you to other working partner firms or persons who perhaps specialise in areas specific to your needs and they will be therefore better placed to advise your insurance, in these circumstances whilst we may receive payment for such introductions we revert to their terms of business and authority to handle such enquiries, and it shall be our duty to clearly identify to you when your enquiry has been passed to a third party in such a manner.
Complaints and Compensation
We aim to provide you with a high level of customer service at all times, but if you are not satisfied, please contact us in writing to ‘The Customer Services Manager’ at the address shown above If you are still not satisfied, you may be entitled to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service, specifically if you are: a consumer, a business employing fewer than 10 persons and with a turnover or annual balance sheet total not exceeding €2m, other small businesses with an annual turnover of below £6.5m, and less than 50 employees or with an annual balance sheet total of below £5m, a charity with an annual income of under £6.5, or trustees of a trust with a net asset value under £5m.
When dealing with your complaint, we will follow our complaint handling procedures; a summary of these is available on request. If you are still not satisfied, you may be entitled to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman service (FOS). For further information, you can visit the FOS website www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
We are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) for our insurance mediation activities. You may be entitled to compensation from the scheme if we cannot meet our obligations. This depends on the type of business and the circumstances of the claim. If you are eligible to claim from the FSCS, compensation is available in relation to insurance advising and arranging as follows:
- 90% of the claim, without any upper limit;
- 100% of the claim without any upper limit for
- compulsory classes of insurance (such as Third Party Motor or Employers Liability); and
- ‘pure protection’ contracts, professional indemnity insurance, and general insurance claims arising from the death or incapacity of the policyholder owing to injury, sickness or infirmity, all where the insurance intermediary has failed to pay money to an insurer, pay away money it has received from an insurer, or has failed to take steps to allow the insurer to effect the contract of insurance.
Further information about compensation scheme arrangements is available from the FSCS on 0800 678 1100 (Freephone) or 020 7741 4100 or www.fscs.org.uk.
Complaints regarding Insurers, Finance companies or any other third parties involved in regards your insurance policy arranged through ourselves, should be first directed to our Office Manager initially, and they will assist in escalating the complaint to the appropriate company utilising their published procedures.
Payment for our Services
We normally receive commission from insurers, product providers and, where applicable, finance providers.
- Any commission we receive will be paid by the insurer or product provider from the insurance premium.
- Any commission we receive from the premium finance provider will be paid from the finance repayment.
We do not charge any additional fees (payable by you) for handling your insurance or arranging premium finance unless we have agreed these with you in advance. Any fees we do charge are set out below:
- New Business / Renewal – This fee will be confirmed in your New Business or Renewal letter.
- Mid-term amendments resulting in an additional premium – £30.00
- Mid-term adjustments resulting in a refund and Cancellations – £30.00 + up to 25% of the premium refund*
- Issuing duplicate documentation – £15.00
- Cancellation – *we do not refund our proportion of earnings, commission or fees, unless by specific management agreement.
- Payments to ourselves are due immediately – late payment penalty of £50, or 10% of the outstanding balance (whichever is the greatest), will be automatically applied to your account 7 days following the due payment date if it has not been cleared.
You will receive documentation which will tell you the total price to be paid, and which identifies any fees, taxes and charges separately from the premium, before your insurance arrangements are concluded. We also draw your attention to the sections headed ‘Cancellation of insurances’, ‘Cancellation Rights’ and ‘Ending your relationship with us’.
On request, we will be pleased to provide information about any commission received by us in the handling of your insurances.
Holding Client Money
Our financial arrangements with most insurance companies are on a ‘Risk Transfer’ basis. This means that we act as agents of the insurer in collecting premiums and handling refunds due to clients. In these circumstances such monies are deemed to be held by the insurer(s) with which your insurance is arranged. You will be notified by us if Risk Transfer does not apply. Where monies are not held by us under Risk Transfer, they will be treated as client money. In both circumstances, such monies will be held by us in a Non-Statutory Trust Account. The establishment of the Non-Statutory Trust account follows FCA rules introduced to protect money held by authorised intermediaries. However, you should be aware that, under the Non-Statutory Trust account rules, we are permitted to use such monies temporarily held to advance credit to clients generally. A copy of the Deed of Trust is available on request or may be inspected at our premises during normal office hours. If you object to your money being held in a Non-Statutory Trust account, you should advise us immediately. Otherwise, your agreement to pay the premium together with your acceptance of these Terms of Business will constitute your informed consent to our holding your money in a Non-Statutory Trust account. Interest earned on monies held in such a Non-Statutory Trust account will be retained by us.
Cancellation of Insurances
You should make any request for the cancellation of a policy in writing and any relevant certificate of insurance must be returned to us or to the insurer concerned. In the event of cancellation, charges for our services will apply in accordance with the ‘Payment for our services’ section above / our Tariff of Fees (enclosed).
The terms of your policy may allow insurers to retain the premium in full or to charge short-period premiums in the event of cancellation before the policy expires.
NB. Please note that stopping payments under any agreed instalment plan does not affect the value of an insurers cancellation return premium, and you may still be liable for any missed instalments following the cancellation of your policy.
If a claim has been made on a policy then there are no refunds for cancellation of your policy offered by insurers.
Cancellation Rights (Consumers Only)
You may be entitled to cancel your insurance policy for any reason within 14 days of receiving the full policy terms. We reserve the right to withhold any commission or fees we would have earned if your policy had remained in force (See Payment for Services) and the insurer may be entitled to retain a portion of the premium (please check the policy wording). You may not be entitled to a refund of premium if a claim has been made against your insurance policy.
Ending your Relationship with Us
Subject to your immediate settlement of any outstanding premiums and fees, you may instruct us to stop acting for you and we will not impose a penalty. Your instructions must be given in writing and will take effect from the date of receipt. In circumstances where we feel we cannot continue providing services to you, we will give you a minimum of 7 days’ notice. Valid reasons may include but are not limited to non-payment of premium or fees, commission clawback by insurers where instructions are given to another party to handle the customer’s insurance(s), failure to provide requested documentation or information, deliberate failure to comply with terms set out within the TOB or insurer’s documentation, deliberate misrepresentation or non-disclosure or attempted fraud, use of threatening or abusive behaviour or language, or intimidation or bullying of our staff or suppliers.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, if our relationship ends, any transactions previously initiated will be completed according to these Terms of Business. You will be liable to pay for any transactions concluded prior to the end of our relationship and we will be entitled to retain commission received for conducting these transactions, together with all fees charged by us for services provided.
Your Responsibilities
If you are a consumer, you are responsible for answering any questions in relation to any proposal for insurance cover honestly and to the best of your knowledge, providing complete and accurate information which insurers will require. This also applies to your responses in relation to any assumptions you may agree to in the process of applying for insurance cover. This is particularly important before taking out a policy but also at renewal or if you make a mid-term amendment to your policy.
If you fail to disclose information, or misrepresent any fact which may influence the insurer’s decision to accept the risk or the terms offered, this could invalidate the policy and mean that claims may not be paid.
If you are a commercial customer, you have a duty to give a fair presentation of risk to the insurer. This means that you should disclose every material circumstance relevant to the risk being insured following a reasonable search within your business to identify and verify such information. This should include information which you and where applicable your senior management, persons responsible for arranging your insurance or other relevant third parties know or ought to know and should include all information that would influence the judgement of the insurer or that would put the insurer on notice that it needs to make further enquiries.
Examples of material circumstances are:
- Special or unusual circumstances relating to the risk
- Any particular concerns which led you to seek insurance cover for the risk; and
- Anything which those concerned with the class of insurance and field of activity in question would generally understand as being something that would be dealt with in a fair presentation of risks for this type of insurance.
The information must be presented in a way which would be reasonably clear and accessible to a prudent insurer. If you are unsure whether to disclose any information you should speak to us. You need to take into account the size & complexity of your business, and allow yourself sufficient time before your renewal date to consider and / or assess your insurance requirements.
Failure to provide a ‘fair representation’ may result in a number of remedies by the insurer. If the breach was deliberate or reckless the insurer can void the contract and keep the premium. If the breach was not deliberate or reckless the insurer can void the contract, proportionately reduce a claim settlement or amend the insurance policy terms and conditions then review the merits of a claim on this basis.
You should therefore always provide complete and accurate information to us when we ask you about the insurance risks your business faces before taking out a policy, at renewal and throughout the life of the policy. This also applies to your responses in relation to any assumptions you may agree to in the process of applying for insurance cover.
Paying by Instalments
Taking into account firstly your regular monthly income and secondly your monthly outgoings please ensure that you are able to meet the monthly repayments for any finance agreement. If you are aware of any circumstances that could affect your ability to meet the minimum monthly repayments on time for the lifetime of the agreement, please let us know immediately. (See also Cancellation of Insurances)
Documentation
It’s important you understand what documentation you should receive, and its purpose. We outline below the differing types of documents issued by ourselves and insurers along with a brief explanation for the need of them.
Proposal Form or Statement of Fact – This sets out the demands and needs you provided to us including the risk details and disclosure of information being given to the insurer for the acceptance of your risk. A copy of the Proposal Form/Statement of Fact is attached to this letter.
Insurance Product Information Document – This covers the key facts about your insurance, including key exclusions, excesses, limitations and conditions, which you should note carefully.
Renewal Schedule, Policy Schedule &/or Certificate – This is normally issued by the insurer to detail the cover being afforded by the policy.
Policy Booklet – This is normally issued by the insurer, usually issued in the first year only with the policy schedule. This details the cover precisely with the terms and conditions set out, and will outline any particular endorsements which may be referred to in the schedule. You can request a copy of your policy booklet at any time.
All customers: you must check all details on any proposal form or Statement of Facts and pay particular attention to any declaration you may be asked to sign. It is important that you read all insurance documents issued to you and ensure that you are aware of the cover, limits and other terms that apply. Particular attention must be paid to any warranties and conditions as failure to comply with them could invalidate your policy or mean that claims may not be paid.
You must inform us immediately of any changes in circumstances which may affect the services provided by us or the cover provided by your policy. If you are unsure about any matter, please contact us for guidance.
Important Information
It is essential that you understand the terms of the cover you have purchased and in particular the sums insured/limits of cover, excess amounts, the terms and conditions of policy and any special conditions within the policy that you must meet. Please refer to the Statement of Fact and check this is adequate to meet your requirements.
The following information is in relation to the insurance you have asked us to arrange:
- In sourcing the policy, we act as agent of the customer;
- In placing the policy, we act as agent of the insurer;
- In the event of a claim, we act as agent of the customer.
The processing of your personal data
In your dealings with us you may provide uswith information that may include data that is known as personal data. Where we process personal data we comply with statutory data processing requirements as set out by the Data Protection Act 2018. The personal data we will collect will include information relating to your name, address, date of birth, contact details and health or criminal convictions data.
We will process your personal data to allow us to provide you with our services as your insurance broker in quoting for, arranging and administering your insurances (and in arranging insurance premium finance where applicable). Your personal data will also be used to manage future communications between ourselves. Where you have agreed, or in circumstances where to do so will be in our mutual interests, your personal data will be used to provide you with further information about our wider products and services. You can opt out from receiving such communications by e-mailing our Data Privacy Representative at the e-mail address quoted.
In processing personal data for insurance purposes about health or criminal offences, we will only do so to enable us to provide our service to you and on the basis of it being in the public interest.
We will only use your data for the purpose for which it was collected. We will only grant access to or share your data within our firm or other firms associated with us, with other authorised third parties and product and service providers such as insurers and premium finance providers where we are entitled to do so by law under lawful data processing.
The Data Protection Act 2018 provides you with Access Rights that allow you to gain an understanding on the data being processed, who we share it with, for what purpose, why we need to retain it and retention periods, to object to the processing and to place restrictions on the processing, to request copies of your data and to request the deletion of your data.
If you require further information on how we process your data or you wish to exercise your rights, please contact our Data Privacy Representative using the contact details provided above. How we process your personal data is detailed further within our Privacy Notice. www.aicinsure.co.uk/privacy-policy
Credit checks
We, and other firms involved in arranging your insurance, insurers, other intermediaries or premium finance companies may use public and personal data from a variety of sources including credit reference agencies and other organisations. The information is used to help tailor a price, to ascertain the most appropriate payment options for you and to help prevent fraud. Any credit reference search will appear on your credit report whether or not your application proceeds. If you have any questions about this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Conflict of Interests
Occasions can arise where we or one of our associated companies, clients or product providers may have a potential conflict of interest with business being transacted for you. If this happens, and we become aware that a potential conflict exists, we will write to you and obtain your consent before we carry out your instructions and we will detail the steps we will take to ensure fair treatment.
Claims Handling Arrangements
You should take note of the required procedures in the event of a claim, which will be explained in the policy documentation. Generally, insurers require immediate notification of a claim or circumstances which might lead to a claim. We will employ due care and skill if we act on your behalf in respect of a claim.
Law and Legislation
This Terms of business is constituted under English law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
Version Control: March 2024 CJM
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