Terms & Conditions

Whittlesey Insurance Services Ltd
12 Queen Street
Whittlesey
Peterborough
PE7 1AY


Telephone: 01733 208117
Email: customer.services@whittleseyinsurance.com
Website: www.whittleseyinsurance.com
Fax: 01733 350118


Registered in England: No. 2155691
Registered Office : C/O 6 Manor Mews, Bridge Street, St.Ives, PE27 5UW 

Terms of Business 

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 ‘Use of personal data’, and specifically the paragraph explaining how ‘sensitive personal data’ will be used; and the section headed ’Handling Money’ which explains how monies received are dealt with. 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 any questions regarding our relationship with you, please contact us at the above address. 

The Financial Conduct Authority

Whittlesey Insurance Services Ltd. is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Our FCA Register number is 310586. Our permitted business is advising, arranging, dealing as agent and assisting in the administration and performance of general insurance contracts and you may check this on the FCA’s register by visiting the FCA website, www.fca.gov.uk/register/ or by contacting the FCA on 0845 606 1234. 

Our Service

Our role is to advise you and, after we have assessed your needs, to make a suitable recommendation. In situations where we are able to arrange insurance for you but do not provide advice, we shall confirm the position to you in writing in separate documentation before finalising your insurance(s). In providing our service, we may sometimes act as the agent of the insurer. We will confirm that if this is the case we will inform you before any arrangements are finalised. We may use another intermediary to help us place your business and if we do we will confirm this to you before any arrangements are finalised. We will not in any circumstances act as an insurer nor guarantee or warrant the solvency of any insurer. 

Personal Insurances

We select motor and household products from a range of insurers. Insurance for travel, motorhomes, motorcaravans, touring and static caravans, special, ‘classic’ and/or modified vehicles are selected from a limited number of insurers. You may ask us for a list of the insurers we deal with for these products. We use a limited panel to provide cover for trikes, quads and buggies : you may ask us for details of the insurers we use for these types of vehicle.

Commercial Insurances

We select commercial insurance products from a range of insurers, but, for certain products we may only deal with a single insurer or a limited panel of insurers. You may ask us for a list of the insurers we deal with in these circumstances. We would remind all commercial clients that where an Employers Liability certificate is issued, whilst it is not a requirement, it is prudent to retain evidence of the cover arranged. 

Complaints & 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 Whittlesey Insurance Services Ltd. 12 Queen St. Whittlesey, Peterborough PE7 1AY. by telephone 01733 208117 by fax: 01733 350117 by email to customer.services@whittleseyinsurance.com 
 
When dealing with your compliant we will follow our compliant handling procedures, a summary of these procedures are available on request. 
 
Access to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is available for complainants within one of the following categories: Consumers (e.g. private individuals) Businesses employing fewer than 10 employees and with a turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding €2 million Charities with an annual income of under £1 million Trustees of a trust with a net asset value of under £1 million 
 
We are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). 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. Until 31/12/2009 insurance advising and arranging is covered for 100% of the first £2,000 and 90% of the remainder of the claim without any upper limit. From 1/1/2010 insurance advising and arranging is covered for 90% of the claim without an upper limit. For compulsory classes of insurance (such as Third Party Motor or Employers Liability), insurance advising and arranging is covered for 100% of the claim, without any upper limit. Further information about compensation scheme arrangements is available from the FSCS on 020 7892 7300 or www.fscs.org.uk. 

Payment For Our Services

We normally receive commission from insurers or product providers and make charges for handling your insurances as follows: 

Fees & Charges

All non-motor policies and renewals : £27 Adjustments and alterations : £27 (including instalment payments collected on behalf of a premium funder) Cancellations : £27 + the amount retained by the insurer to a maximum of 25% of the return premium. Payment by Credit or Debit Card : Debit cards + 1%. of premium debited. Credit cards +3% of premium debited. Failed payments or payments returned as unpaid, including instalment defaults : £27 Copies of personal data we hold about you : £10 Payment by instalments : If we agree to accept the premium being spread over more than one payment, we will confirm the charge for this facility before you commit to cover. Insurance cover will not be granted until we receive payment of the premium in full (or in part if we have agreed to your premium being paid by instalments). Some of the products we recommend attract a reduced commission or no commission at all. Where this is the case, we may charge a higher fee than listed above. Additionally, trikes, quads, buggies, motor caravan/motorhomes and ‘specialist’ vehicles will be subject to an additional £10.00 charge in view of the more complex nature of searching for these policies. On some trike policies this charge is £20.00. Some policies are subject to a minimum premium which will be clearly indicated in our correspondence. You will receive a quotation which will advise you of the total price to be paid, including any fees, taxes and charges, before your insurance arrangements are concluded. You have the right to be informed of the level of commission (if any) which we receive from the insurer and you are entitled at any time to request information regarding any commission which we may have received as a result of placing your insurance 

Other Income 

An over-rider is paid to us by the premium funder when we provide instalment facilities. If you are provided with a hire car or receive assistance in recovering uninsured losses including personal injury compensation we may receive an introducers fee from the service provider. Optional Legal Expenses/Uninsured Loss Recovery Legal Expenses/Uninsured Loss Recovery (including Claims Management Facilities) are provided by Integrity Claims Management. It is an optional cover that can be included on certain policies &/or each individual vehicle subject to a non-refundable charge as follows:
Motor: £28.95
Household: £28.95
Goods vehicles, taxis, business vehicles and motor trade policies: £38.95 
 
We also draw your attention to the sections headed ‘Cancellation of insurances’ and ‘Ending your relationship with us’.

Handling Money

Our financial arrangements with most insurance companies are on a ‘risk transfer’ basis. This means that we act as agents for the insurer(s) 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. However, if ‘risk transfer’ does not apply, such monies will be held by us in a Statutory Trust account set up in accordance with FSA rules. Interest earned on monies held in such an account will be retained by us. For the purpose of some transactions, client money may pass through other authorised intermediaries before being paid to the insurer.

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 as shown in the ‘payment for our services’ will apply. 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. Our charges are still made if the policy is cancelled within any ‘cooling off’ period provided by the insurer details of which can be found in your policy document or you can contact us at the address on the heading of this agreement. 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. 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

You are responsible for providing the complete and accurate information which insurers require in connection with any proposal for insurance cover. This is particularly important before taking out a policy and at renewal, but it also applies throughout the life of a 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. 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. 
 
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. 

Use Of Personal Data

We will process any personal information we obtain in the course of providing our services to you in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. In administering your insurances it will be necessary for us to pass such information to insurers and other product or service providers which may also provide us with business and compliance support. 
 
We may also disclose details to relevant parties, as necessary, to comply with regulatory or legal requirements. We may contact you or pass your details to other companies associated with us in order to promote products or services which may be of interest to you. We will not otherwise use or disclose the personal information we hold without your consent. 
 
Some of the details you may be asked to give us, such as information about offences or medical conditions, are defined by the Act as sensitive personal data. By giving us such information you signify your consent to its being processed by us in arranging and administering your insurances. 
 
Subject to certain exceptions, you will be entitled to have access to your personal and sensitive personal data for which you will be charged a fee of £10. If at any time you wish us, or any company associated with us, to cease processing any of the personal data or sensitive personal data we hold, or to cease contacting you about products and services, please write to us at the address shown at the head of this agreement. 
 
During the course of our enquiries on your behalf, to ensure we are able to obtain the best quotation available and to protect from fraud, we may use quotation software which might use publicly available data which will be obtained from a variety of sources, including credit reference agencies and other external organisations. Any search made will appear on your credit report, whether or not you proceed with your enquiry.

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 recommend clients use the Integrity Claims Management service, where purchased, to report any claim which occurs to assist in its settlement. We will employ due care and skill if we act on your behalf in respect of a claim. We are unable to pursue the recovery of uninsured losses ourselves. 

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