Boston Insurance Services, 134 West St, Boston, PE21 8QZ, is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Our Firms Registration Number is 304939. We are permitted to arrange and advise on insurance, deal as an agent of insurers, and assist in claims handling with respect to non-investment insurance policies. You can check this on the FSA Register by visiting the website www.fsa.gov.uk/register/ or by contacting the FSA on 0845 606 1234.
Disclosure of Material Information: Your insurance is based upon the information provided to the insurance company and you must ensure that all such information is complete and accurate, and that any facts that may influence the insurer's decision to accept and pay a valid claim are disclosed. Failure to disclose material information may invalidate your insurance cover and could mean that part, or all, of a claim may not be paid.
Protecting your information: All personal information about you will be treated as private and confidential (even when you are no longer a customer), except where the disclosure is made at your request, with your consent, in relation to administering your insurance or where law requires us. As part of our duties to the FSA, we may be asked to provide them with access to our customer records in order that they may carry out a review of our activities. Some or all of the information you supply to us in connection with your insurance proposal will be held on computer and may be passed to other insurance companies for underwriting and claims purposes. Under the Data Protection Act 1998 you have a right of access to see personal information about you that is held in our records, whether electronically or manually. If you have any queries, please write to Michael Cox at the above address.
Protecting your money: Prior to your premium being forwarded to the insurer. For your protection, we hold your money as an agent of the insurer (in which case your insurance is treated as being paid for). We may need to transfer your money to another intermediary in some cases. However your money will be protected at all times because of our requirements under the FSA rules. We also reserve the right to retain interest earned on this account. By accepting these Terms of Business you are giving your consent for us to operate in this way. We do not guarantee insurer's solvency, and will not monitor the solvency of insurers on an on going basis. We do not accept the liability for any losses that might be suffered by a client if an insurer becomes insolvent.
Claims: Please refer to your policy summary or policy document if you need to notify a claim. In most cases you should contact your insurer's claim line. If you need assistance or advice please call our office on 01205 357357.
How to cancel: You may have a statutory right to cancel a policy within a short period usually 14 days. Please refer to the policy summary or policy wording for further details and conditions. Please contact us if you wish to exercise your right to cancel. The insurer will make a charge for the cover provided and we will charge an arrangement fee of £25. This is subject to no claims occurring during the period of cover. Different conditions apply to cancellations outside the period mentioned above. Practises vary between insurers, but be aware that cancellation refunds are not normally given after a claim, and are otherwise calculated on a short period scale weighted in favour of the insurer as their costs are similar whether a policy has run for one month or twelve. We do not refund commission, since this was earned for arranging the policy (unless you are replacing the policy through our Agency). In all instances, Instalment charges and Legal Expense policies are not refunded. We do not issue refunds of amounts less than £20 after the deductions mentioned above.
Charges & Policy Fees: In addition to the premium, at our discretion, we make the following charges to carry out your instructions. Policy Fee £5. Other charges are to cover our administrative costs for these specified activities: Mid-term adjustments £5 plus the extra premium, with a minimum cost of £10.50, Replacement of Lost Certificates or cover notes issued for taxation £10, Referred or cheques not met for payment £15.
Quotations and Cover: Our quotations are guaranteed based on the information provided at the date given. We reserve the right to withdraw quotations before they are taken up. Cover in all instances is subject to the insurer's acceptance of the proposal form.
Credit Terms: Premiums are due for payment in full, prior to the start of the policy or the renewal date. We can arrange for premiums to be paid over 3 payments, and charge a 7.5% service charge based on the gross cost of premiums, with a minimum service charge of £15. Alternatively, payment by Direct Debit, via a Credit Agreement, this should be regarded as a loan. Written details are available on request.
Credit Checks: To make sure you get the 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 referencing agency and other organisations. Our search will appear on your credit report whether or not your application proceeds. As well as these searches, insurance companies may use a credit check to ascertain the most appropriate payment options for you. This credit check will also appear on your credit report whether or not your applications proceed. By agreeing to the terms and conditions you agree to these uses of your information.
Complaints: It is our intention to provide a high level of service at all times. If, however, you have reason to make a complaint about our service you should contact Michael Cox at the above address or ring 01205 357357. If we are unable to satisfy your complaint, you may be entitled to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service. You can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service by telephone on 0845 080 1800 and further information is available at: http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/
Compensation Arrangements: 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. Most insurance contracts are covered for 90% of the claim, without any upper limit. Further information about compensation scheme arrangements is available from the FSCS on 020 7892 7300 or by visiting http://www.fscs.org.uk/
