Applying to General Insurance customers By accepting these Terms of Business, you are giving your consent to the actions described in the following sections. Please read this document carefully.
Company DetailsHowell Shone Insurance Brokers Limited Station Walk House, 13a King Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 1EH Telephone: 01782 629211 Fax: 01782 717351 Howell Shone Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Our Firm Reference Number (FRN) is 305629. You can check this on the FSA register by visiting the FSA’s website www.fsa.gov.uk/register or telephone the FSA on 0845 606 1234.
Our service
We will offer a wide range of insurance products and have access to leading insurers in the marketplace. For some types of insurance we deal predominantly with a single or limited number of insurers which we have selected as offering value for money and quality service. We will give you details of these arrangements before you make any commitment on any product we offer you and a list of the insurers used in these cases, will be available on request. We will make a recommendation for you after we have assessed your needs, or advise you if we are unable to place your insurance. Confidentiality and Data ProtectionAll information about you will be treated as private and confidential and kept secure. We will only use and disclose the information we have about you in the normal course of arranging and administering your insurance. We may pass information about you which may include details of your payment record to credit reference agencies for the purposes of arranging payments by instalments. As a member of the Broker Network Ltd, the products and services we can offer may be enhanced. We may pass information about you to the Broker Network Ltd as part of our required management procedures. Information may also be shared with Howell Shone Independent Financial Advisers with whom we share a common IT system and management controls. We may also use the information we hold about you to provide you with information on other products and services we can offer which we feel may be appropriate for you. If you cancel or lapse your policy we may contact you the following year to provide a quotation. If you do not wish to receive marketing information from us, or for us to disclose information about you to other parties for marketing purposes please write to us at the above address. Under the Data Protection Act 1998 you have rights of access to any personal information we hold about you in our records. If you have any queries or requests in this regard please contact us. At your request we may provide information to your personal representative. We will however only do this on completion of our Data Protection Authorisation Form, details of which can be obtained from us. Your Duty to Disclose InformationIt is your responsibility to provide complete and accurate information to insurers when you take out an insurance policy, throughout the life of the policy, and when you renew your insurance. It is important that you ensure all statements you make on proposal forms, claim forms and other documents are full and accurate. Please note that if you fail to disclose any material information to us and your insurers, this could invalidate your insurance cover and could mean that part or all of a claim may not be paid. You should take particular care to check the accuracy of all information you provide. Solvency of Insurers
We cannot guarantee the solvency of any insurer with which we place business. This means that you may still be liable for any premium due and not be able to recover the premium paid, whether in full or in part, should an insurer become insolvent. Notification of Incidents/Claims
It is essential to notify us immediately of all incidents that may result in a claim against your insurance policy. You must do so whether you believe you are liable or not. Any letter of claim received by you must be passed to us immediately, without acknowledgement. Only by providing prompt notification of incidents can your insurance company take steps to protect your interests. Your policy summary and/or policy documents will provide you with details on who to contact to make a claim. Claims payment will be made in favour of you. If you require a payment to be made to a third party then you must confirm the required payee name and details and provide a brief explanation for your request. Please contact us for guidance on claiming under your policy. Cancellation
Your policy documents will detail your rights to cancel your insurance once you have taken it out. Depending on the type of policy you have purchased, you may be entitled to cancel within 14 or 30 days of either conclusion of the contract or receiving your policy documentation, whichever occurs later. Where you cancel a policy before renewal you will be responsible for paying a charge to meet the cost of cover provided and administration expenses. Please see the Charges section. To enable your insurer to process the cancellation, you will need to return certificates and any official documents to our office within 30 days of your notice to cancel. ComplaintsIt is our intention to provide you with the highest possible level of customer service at all times. Should we not meet your expectations, we have a complaints procedure, which is explained below. Should you wish to complain you may do so: • In writing to the Complaints Manager, Peter Shone • By telephone on 01782 629211 • By fax on 01782 717351 • By e-mail to insurance@howellshone.co.uk • In person by visiting our office (see above for address) Should you not be satisfied with our final response, you may be entitled to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Further details will be supplied at the time of responding to your complaint. Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)We are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and you may be entitled to compensation from the scheme if we cannot meet our obligations. Further information about compensation scheme arrangements is available from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme at http://www.fscs.org.uk ChargesIn addition to the amount charged by insurers we also make charges to cover the administration of your insurance.