Terms & Conditions
Connect Insurance Brokers Ltd is an independent intermediary. Our condition of sale of any insurance policy, is that you agree to the terms and conditions laid out by your Insurance Company in your policy and Connect Insurance Brokers Ltd.
Who regulates us?
We are regulated by the Financial Services Authority for arranging General Insurance. Our FSA registration number is 310683. You can check this on the FSA register at www.fsa.gov.uk/register or by contacting them on 0845 606 1234
Cancellation Arrangements
Retail clients have the right to cancel their policies within 14 days of receiving it, or 14 days from the renewal date in the case of renewals. If you exercise this right then the insurer will charge you only for the cover you have had (although there may be a 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 will need to note that our charges will be separate from the insurer charges mentioned above and if the policy is canceled at anytime, these will not be refundable.
Your Insurance Information
The information contained on your proposal form has been used to provide you with a quotation for insurance purposes. The information contained in your proposal form, forms the basis of your contract with the insurance company. For these reasons it is essential that the information you have provided to use either verbal, written or both is accurate.
Failure to disclose or misrepresentation of material facts entitles insurers to decline claims and may lead to your policy being completely invalidated.
You should seek our advice if you are in doubt as to whether any facts might be material.
You must be aware, if you decide to adjust/amend the basis on which your premium/policy was taken out after the commencement date of your policy, this might incur an additional premium, in some cases dependant in the circumstance could be considerable. Your insurer can reserve the right to decline the amended risk. If we quote you on a new policy and you have been a previous client and there has been a break in cover with ourselves, we do not view or use your previous details, we rely on the information given to us at the time of quoting.
In the event of any claim against your policy, or compliance with the Road Traffic Act (in case of vehicle insurance), if the information contained in the proposal form is found to be incorrect, or material facts have not been declared, this may effect the validity of your insurance policy and this means you will not be insured for your claim and you will be treated as uninsured.
Insurers pass on and receive information from various databases and the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud & Theft Register, run by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The aim is to check information provided and also to check fraudulent claims. The register may be checked to confirm your details.
We collect relevant personal information in order that we can provide you with the product or services requested. We may pass your personal information to other companies for processing on our behalf and / or successors in law. Entering into these terms of business signifies your consent to the processing of your data by us. We may also from time to time advise you of new insurance products, allied products and services.
It is company policy not to discus your policy detail with any third party unless we receive your written authority in advance.
Change of Circumstance
If any of the information you supplied to us on your proposal form changes it is important to advise us (address, removal of named drivers, convictions) etc. The change may affect your insurance cover; we also calculate your renewal premium on the last information you gave us last. Please tell us in writing, the person advising may not be authorised to do so.
Policy / Cover Notes / Other Documents
It is important whenever you receive documents that you check the detail. Vehicle, Drivers, policy excess (what you are liable for in the event of a claim) etc. Incorrect information could affect the validity of your policy, what you are covered for and / or compliance with the Road Traffic Act.
If you have been allowed No Claims Bonus pending production from your previous insurer, it is important to provide us with this document within 7 days. We are obliged to amend your premium in line with insurer’s scales if this document is not received or does not confirm your verbal advice.
Your insurance cover may be restricted until acceptable proof of a condition on your insurance has been met. An example of this condition is to exclude theft cover on a vehicle until the required security has been fitted (or acceptable proof is supplied to us that it is fitted). This condition can also apply to commercial insurance where the insurer can apply a condition restricting full cover until a condition is met. It must not be assumed that full cover is in force until it is confirmed in writing.
We reserve the right to retain certificates at this office until all payments due under the policy have been made and Cheques cleared through our bank account. By accepting this agreement you agree that delivery of any certificate of insurance to Connect Insurance Brokers Ltd d shall constitute delivery to yourselves in accordance with statute law.
We will retain all continuation cover notes on your file at our office, they can be obtained at any time by calling in the office or by requesting it to be posted to you, unless you request otherwise. We carry out this procedure as a precaution until your policy arrives because we can not backdate a cover note if the original is mislaid or lost.
Ways to pay your premium
You are responsible for paying your premiums by the due date. We have no obligation to fund premiums for you and have no responsibility for any loss you may suffer as a result of your policy being cancelled due to non-payment. We can accept cash, cheque, debit or credit card and bank transfer. We can also offer installments and direct debit (please ask for details) If you pay your renewal premium before your renewal date and have to claim against your policy prior to your renewal date, your prepaid renewal premium could be affected. It is possible that you could owe your insurer an additional premium because your renewal premium would have to be re-assessed.
Direct Debit Mandates
(Third party loan to pay your Insurance Premium)
It is important that you maintain your Direct Debit payment at all times. If you have a problem meeting your payments you must inform the relevant company of the situation, this could be an independent finance company or your insurers own scheme. We do not have access to your bank account or personal details concerning your financial position, it is important you discus any problems with your direct debit company. The agreement for your Direct Debit payments in most cases is a separate agreement/contract to your Insurance policy. All Direct Debit offers are subject to acceptance by the credit provider. We may be unable to provide credit to clients with a bad credit history.
Your Direct Debit agreement is with them and not us.
Most Direct Debit schemes carry interest charges. You will receive from the relevant company an agreement outlining the terms, conditions and interest rates you have agreed to, included will be important telephone numbers in case you have to contact the company if you have a problem or a query.
In all cases of bad debts we will pursue payment through the courts or via our debt-collecting agency
We only offer credit terms on the understanding that we reserve the right to cancel your policy in the event of non-payment of agreed premiums.
Claims
If you have the misfortune to claim against your policy, most insurance companies have claims Helpline the details are in your policy handbook. It speeds up dealing with your claim if you ring them first (have your policy number ready to give them) In the event of vehicle insurance you may have to claim through your uninsured loss recovery policy (if you have taken one out) dependent on your circumstance, please ring for advice.
Connect Insurance Brokers Ltd does not offer a claims handling service.
If you have a Road Traffic Accident you must notify your insurer or ourselves immediately giving all relevant information. You should not admit liability nor agree any course of action, other than emergency measures carried out to minimise the loss, until you have agreement from your insurer. You must not cancel your direct debit or other payments methods following a claim, the balance of your premium is still owed to your finance / insurance company. Cancellation of payments could jeopardise your claim.
Our charges
The following are our charges; please ask if you are unsure of any costs.
2% on all credit card payments except American Express & Diners which are 3% : 0% on all debit card payments. 10% on all cancellations, on the gross premium amount, minimum £10.00: Policy adjustments are subject to an administration charge of £20.00
Under certain circumstances we may make a policy charge. This will be identified to you at the time of inception. This charge is not refundable if the policy is cancelled.
Variable Direct Debit interest charges are dependent on the terms and supplier of the finance. Rejected Direct Debits, see additional leaflet.
Dishonored Cheque(s) £10.00 each cheque:
All brokerage charges are in addition to any charges the insurer may levy
To supply duplicate documents, see additional leaflet, also dependant on the insurers charge. Certain other charges or Taxes sometimes apply to insurance contracts and are outside our control and are not payable through us – for example capital gains tax. If such charges apply they will be your responsibility.
Cancellation of a policy
If for any reason you have to cancel a policy, we must have this instruction in writing signed by the policyholder, accompanied by the return of the certificate or if the certificate is lost to make a statutory declaration (swear a affidavit) confirming the certificate has been lost, accompanied by any other insurance documents the insurer may require. Cancellation will only take effect from the date all the documents have been received. We can not take verbal instructions; the person canceling your policy may not have your authority to do so. Please be aware after cancellation you may owe money against that policy. Short-term cancellation charges can be very expensive. If you decide to cancel your policy other than that you no longer require insurance, please check cancellation charges. If for any reason you are due a refund from Insurers, we can only pass this refund on to you, when it is received on our account from Insurers. We are reluctant to commit ourselves to a refund figure until it is actually received from Insurers, the amount can vary due to circumstances outside our control. Your insurers reserve the right to calculate your refund based on their cancellation charges. If you have to claim against your policy insurers may not refund after cancellation, please ask for details.
We reserve the right to take further action including cancellation of your policy, in all cases of verbal and/or physical abuse to our staff.
If you are unsure about any aspect of your insurance policy, please ask.
Governing Law
The laws of England & Wales cover this agreement and the parties agree that any dispute arising from it is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
