Terms of Business

Version 3 - effective from 1st October 2010

The Financial Services Authority (FSA)
The FSA is the independent watchdog that regulates financial services. It requires us to give this document to you. Please use this information to decide if our services are right for you.

Our Service
In arranging Insurance for our customers we act as an independent intermediary advising you on your Insurance needs, arranging cover with Insurers to meet your requirements and any ongoing changes you make. We will advise when you need to renew your policy in time to allow you to consider and arrange continuing cover.

Who Regulates Us?
John Lane (Insurance Consultants) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority under reference number 305048. Our permitted business is advising on, arranging, transacting and administering general Insurance contracts. You can check this on the FSA register by visiting www.fsa.gov/register or by contacting the FSA on 0845 606 1234.

Charges and Return Premiums
We are paid commission by your Insurer, details which are available on request. The following charges will apply: New policies and renewals £5.00, mid-term cancellations £10.00, duplicate documents £5.00. On a return premium due we will not issue any refund less than £10.00. This amount can be held to credit and utilised against a future Insurance policy with us.

Premiums and Financial Aspects
We are registered under the Consumer Credit Act and our licence number is 243929. We normally accept payments by cash, cheque and certain debit/credit cards. You may be able to spread payments through Insurer’s instalment schemes, a credit scheme with a 3rd party finance provider or a facility we have arranged ourselves.

How We Handle Your Money
Our client bank account has been set up in accordance with the rules laid down by the FSA. In arranging your Insurance we may employ the services of other intermediaries who are also regulated by the FSA and your premium may be passed to theses intermediaries for payment to Insurers.  We are agents for the Insurer for the collection of certain premiums. We retain interest earned on the client account and by accepting these Terms of Business you give your consent to this.

Your Duty to Disclose Information
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. It is important that you check that all statements you make on proposal forms, statements of fact, claims forms and other documents are full and accurate. If a form is completed on your behalf, you should check that the answers are true and accurate before signing the document. Failure to disclose any material information to your Insurers could invalidate your Insurance cover and could mean that part or all of your claim may not be paid. If you are in any doubt as to whether information is material you should disclose it.

Claims
We do not have authority to handle claims on behalf of Insurers. In the event of an incident occurring which may give rise to a claim under your policy, you should notify your Insurer directly as soon as possible using the contact details in your policy document. If you are ever in any doubt as to what action to take in the event of a claim, please contact our office. We will advise you promptly of your Insurer’s requirements or information requested concerning claims including information required to establish the extent of a loss.

Complaints
It is our intention to provide a high level of customer service at all times. On occasions when we do not meet your expectations, please contact a member of staff in the first instance. Please address any complaint in writing to Mr J Lane at our address and we will respond in writing within 5 working days of receipt of your complaint. If our investigations take longer we will provide a full response with 20 days or explain our position and provide time scales for our full response. You will be advised of any redress available to you, should you believe the matter has not been resolved to your satisfaction. If you cannot settle your complaint with us you may be entitled to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service. We will advise you if you are able to refer any complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
 
Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)
We are covered by the FSCS. You may be entitled to compensation if we cannot meet our obligations. This depends on the type of business and the circumstances of the claim. For Compulsory Insurance (Insurance required by law) 100% of the claim is covered with no upper limit. For Non-Compulsory Insurance (such as property damage) 90% of the claim is covered with no upper limit. Further information about Compensation Scheme arrangements is available from the FSCS @ www.fscs.org.uk or by calling 020 7892 7300.

Cancellation Rights
The mediation contract is an agreement between you and us for the mediation services that we provide. Once you have entered into the mediation contract you have a period of reflection in which you may decide whether to proceed with the purchase. The duration of this cancellation period is 14 days. To cancel your policy within the required period, please write to our office. You may be subject to a proportion of our fees that you have incurred. The Insurance policy may be cancelled by either party giving 7 days notice.

Confidentiality and Data Protection
All personal information about you will be treated as private and confidential. We will only use and disclose information about you in the normal course of arranging and administering your Insurance. We may pass information about you to credit reference agencies for the purpose of arranging payments via instalments. We will not disclose  information about you to any other parties without your consent, unless required to do so because we are authorised by the FSA, it is in the public interest, or we have to by law. Under the Data Protection Act 1988 you have a right to see personal information about you that we hold in our records. If you have any queries please contact our office. If you do not wish to receive any marketing information from us please let us know.

Claims and Underwriting Exchange Register and Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud Register
Insurers are legally required to pass details of Motor Insurance Policies to the MIIC. Motor Insurance details are also added to the Motor Insurance Database (MID) which has been formed to help identify uninsured motorists and may be accessed by the police to help confirm who is insured to drive. In the event of an accident, this database may be used to identify relevant policy information. Other Insurance related databases may be added in the future. Insurers also share information with each other via the Claims and Underwriting Exchange Register and the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register. The objective is to check the information provided and to prevent fraudulent claims.

Applicable Law
Our Terms of Business document is subject to English Law.

Please contact us if you have any queries with regards to any points mentioned in our Terms of Business Document.

John Lane (Insurance Consultants) Ltd.
1 High Street, Gosport, Hants PO12 1BX
Tel: 02392 510000 - Fax: 02392 511277
E-Mail: mail@johnlane.biz