HOWELL INSURANCE SERVICES LTD - TERMS OF BUSINESS
Island House, Colhugh Street, Llantwit Major, CF61 1RE
Tel: 01446 792505 Email: info@howellinsurances.co.uk
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. 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 Services Authority
Howell Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Our FSA Register number is 313688. Our permitted business is introducing, advising, arranging, dealing as agent and assisting in the administration and performance of general insurance contracts You may check this on the FSA’s register by visiting the FSA website, www.fsa.gov.uk/register/ or by contacting the FSA on 0845 606 1234.Our service
Helping you to decide
Our role is to advise you and, after we have assessed your needs, to make a suitable recommendation.We will not in any circumstance guarantee the solvency of any insurer.The capacity in which we act for you
In providing our service, we may sometimes act as an agent of the insurer. Well will confirm the capacity in which we will act for you before undertaking any relevant transactions on your behalf.Our product range and the range of insurers used
We select personal and commercial insurances from a range of insurers, but for certain products, we only select products from a limited number of insurers or only offer products from a single insurer. We will give you further information about this before we finalise your insurance arrangements; where we select products from a limited number of insurers you may ask us for a list of the insurers we deal with for these products.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... Write to, Howell Insurance Services Ltd, Island House, Colhugh Street, Llantwit Major, Vale of Glam, CF61 1REby phone... Telephone 01446 792505by email…. info@howellinsuranceservices.co.uk When dealing with your complaint, we will follow our complaint handling procedures; a summary of these procedures is available on request. If you are still not satisfied, you may be entitled to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service. 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. If you are eligible to claim from the FSCS, compensation is available as follows:- Insurance advising and arranging is covered for 90% of the claim, without any 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
Payment for our services
We normally receive commission from insurers or product providers. On request, we will be pleased to provide information about any commission received by us in the handling of your insurance. We also charge the following to cover Administration costs:-- Duplicate Documents £10.00
- Mid Term Adjustments £15.00
- Cancellations £25.00
- Short Term Credit Agreements 2% charge for credit card payments.
Handling 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. 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 a Statutory Trust 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 will apply in accordance with the ‘Payment for our services’ section. 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.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 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 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 Howell Insurance Service Ltd, Island House, Colhugh Street, Llantwit Major, Vale of Glam, CF61 1RE. Credit Checks To make sure you get our best deal and to ascertain the most appropriate payment options for you and to protect you from fraud, we use public and personal data from a variety of sources, including a credit reference agency and other organisations. Our search will appear on your credit report whether or not your application proceeds. By agreeing to the terms and conditions you agree to these uses of your information.Conflict of interests
Occasions can arise where we, or one of 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. TOB1 05/2010
