Broker Experts

Car Insurance Experts and Van Insurance Experts are trading names of Broker Experts Limited. These Terms of Business are to be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy, your insurer's Policy Wording, Insurance Product Information Document (IPID), Schedule and Statement of Fact.

Who authorises and regulates us?

Broker Experts Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Our registration number is 825483. This may be verified on the Financial Services Register by visiting the FCA's website www.register.fca.org.uk or by contacting the FCA on 0800 111 6768.

Which services will we provide you with?

We are an insurance intermediary, otherwise known as an insurance broker. You will not receive advice or a recommendation from us. We may ask some questions to narrow down the selection of products that we will provide details on. You will then need to make your own choice about how to proceed.

Whose products do we offer?

We offer products from a panel of insurers for private motor and commercial vehicle insurance policies. We also offer optional additional policies from single insurers. 

Who do we act for?

We act as your agent for sourcing and placing insurance business and in the event of you notifying a claim to us. We will act as the insurer's agent for the purposes of cancelling the policy, collecting or refunding premiums or as otherwise informed.

What to do if you have a complaint?

We aim to provide excellent service to all our customers, but occasionally things can go wrong. If this happens please let us know so we can do everything we can to put it right. If you wish to make a complaint, please contact us by email at sales@brokerexperts.co.uk, by telephone on 01344 289 201 (option 3), or by writing to: Broker Experts Limited, First Floor South, Burford House, Leppington, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 7WW.  If we are unable to resolve your complaint by close of business on the third working day after receipt of the complaint, an acknowledgement will be sent no later than 5 working days after receiving the complaint confirming who is dealing with the complaint and when we expect to respond to you. We will provide you with our final response within 8 weeks of the date we received your complaint. If you remain dissatisfied you may be able to refer your complaint free of charge to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk . Full details of our complaint handling procedures are available upon request.

Are we covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)?

We are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. You may be entitled to compensation from the scheme if we cannot meet our obligations. Further information about the compensation scheme is available from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme www.fscs.org.uk.

Validating your details

We will need to contact you to validate all the information that you have entered online, complete additional verification processes and to release your documents. We will aim to contact you within 1 working day. If you have not heard from us within that period please contact the office directly on 01344 289 201 (option 1). It is important that you have entered all the details correctly online. If you have not done so then you may find your premium is withdrawn, voided or an additional premium is required. All our premiums are subject to satisfactory validation and verification results. If you need to speak to us and require documentation immediately please contact us on 01344 289 201 (option 1).

Should your details fit into any of the following categories, you will need to contact us ahead of purchasing a policy to make our agents aware and confirm a quotation;

Fees & Charges

Our professional charges are as follows - all of these are separate and in addition to any insurance premium, insurer charges, premium finance provider fees or interest charges:

Cancellation of your Policy

To cancel your policy please telephone our Customer Services Department on 01344 289 201 (option 3) or email sales@brokerexperts.co.uk in the first instance. If you choose to email, there may be a delay in processing cancellation, and cancellation will not be backdated. They will advise you of the process required for your insurer or can help you look for alternative cover if appropriate.  Cancelling your instalment plan DOES NOT cancel your policy and the payments made to date are unlikely to cover costs in the event of cancellation. Any remaining balance can be cleared in one payment or you must continue with the instalments until repaid. If there is a balance after cancellation, we will withhold proof of any No Claims Bonus until the balance is paid. Cancellation fees and costs apply whether the policy is cancelled by you or us, regardless of reason. If there has been any claim or potential loss the full premium will be payable with no refund due. The insurer may also settle any balance owed for your policy, out of your claim settlement. Refunds of less than £10 will be retained by us due to the administrative cost of returning these. Optional add-ons are also cancelled if the main motor policy is cancelled. We may communicate any cancellations by email, so please ensure the email address you provide us with is correct and kept up to date. If you are due a refund it can take up to 30 working days following the cancellation date though refunds will normally be processed within 7-10 working days.

Cancellation - Within the first 14 days or before the policy starts (cooling off period)

You have the right to cancel within 14 days of when you purchase your new policy, or from when you receive your policy documents, whichever is later, and within 14 days of the renewal date for renewed policies. The insurers will pay a pro-rata refund of premium, subject to a minimum charge, and we will refund any policy set-up charges. We will deduct a cancellation fee as noted in the table above. Please be aware that there is no cooling off period for commercial policies and the charges noted below (Day 15 onwards) will apply. Charges are also applied if your policy is voided.

Cancellation - Day 15 onwards

There will be a charge for the time you have been covered by your insurer. Full details of this can be found in your policy booklet. We will then refund any amount we owe to you after deduction of any charges already applied to the policy.  We will also charge our cancellation fee and reclaim our commission as noted in the table above. Premiums for optional add-on products are non-refundable after the 14 day cooling-off period. Please note that there may be additional charges if your insurance is placed with a Managing General Agent. Charges are also applied if your policy is voided. If you were given a discount at inception this will be charged back.

Cancellation and General Terms - Temporary 30 day policies

Please be aware that temporary 30 day policies underwritten by Granite/Haven are non refundable. That means that no refund will be paid if you request to cancel cover. All temporary cover is provided under TPO (Third Party Only)

Voidance of policy or misrepresentation

No refund may be given for any deliberate or reckless misrepresentation of information provided. Your insurer can request the full premium to be paid even after a policy is cancelled . This includes but not limited to failing to disclose any motor insurance claims, motoring convictions or criminal convictions.

Unpaid premiums

If you do not pay any sums due to us and we have to appoint a debt recovery agent, they may charge you a fee for their services.

Managing General Agents (MGAs)

We may place your insurance with a Managing General Agent. Please find a list of Managing General Agents below along with charges they make and the Ultimate Insurer they will place your business with.

Young and inexperienced drivers

If you are aged under 25, or have held a full UK/EU Driving Licence for less than 12 months then additional excesses will apply. Please refer to your policy booklet for full details.

Documentation

You may be asked to provide documentation following the purchase of your policy.  We may require - proof of no claims bonus, proof of driving experience, a copy of your or a named driver's driving licence, driving licence check codes for anyone named on the policy, proof of ownership of the vehicle, proof of employment, proof of address or any other applicable documentation. This may be requested at any time during your policy period. Failure to provide requested documentation could result in additional fees and/or premium being due, or cancellation of your policy. If your insurance policy is cancelled with an outstanding balance to pay, we would not release your No Claims Bonus until the balance is settled in full.

Instalment payments

It is possible for us to arrange finance as a method of paying for your premium. In these circumstances we act as a credit broker in arranging this finance.  Credit is provided by Premium Credit Ltd who we deal with exclusively and is provided subject to status. Please be aware that any adverse credit history may affect your finance application. We will receive a commission from Premium Credit for referring you to them - details are available upon request.  A credit search will be run as part of your application and Premium Credit will apply a £5 charge to your first instalment to cover this cost.  If your application for credit is declined the premium will become payable in full. Once credit has been provided, if you do not keep up with your repayments you may incur further charges and the credit agreement and insurance policy may be cancelled, this may be recorded on your credit file and could affect future applications for finance. Premium Credit charge £25 per default and we apply a charge of £15 if we have to handle a payment to bring an agreement upto date. If your policy renews at the end of the policy period a new credit check will be run to assess your suitability for finance prior to your renewal date. You will be required to sign a credit agreement. If you do not sign a credit agreement when requested, a £25 charge will be added to your first instalment. You may contact us to cancel your credit agreement without penalty within the first 14 days, but the insurance premium will become immediately payable in full.  If possible we will add any additional costs or charges incurred throughout the policy to your monthly instalments, however, if we cannot do so for whatever reason, these must be paid at the time of the change. In the event of a claim, instalments MUST continue to be paid until the FULL premium and charges have been settled. Following cancellation of a policy and once all outstanding balances are settled it is recommended that you cancel the relating finance agreement with your bank to ensure no further payments are taken. If your credit agreement is cancelled, any outstanding balance after cancellation will be owed to Broker Experts Limited, rather than Premium Credit Ltd.

How we are paid

When you take out or renew a policy with us or make a change to an existing policy, we charge you a fee for the services we provide as detailed above. In addition, the insurer pays us commission which is a percentage of the annual premium after the policy starts. Where we receive no commission we will apply a specific fee at 12.5%. Details on commissions are available upon request. We may also receive a marketing allowance in relation to the number of motor legal expenses policies sold.

No Claims Bonus Protection (where available)

No claims bonus is applied as a percentage discount to your insurance premium. In protecting your no claims bonus you are protecting this percentage discount, not the overall price of the policy. Should you make a claim against your policy whilst no claims protection is in force, your renewal price may still increase.

Protecting your money

We hold your premium (payment or refund) in a trust account as agents of the insurer. It is considered as being held by the insurer whilst in this account - this is known as 'risk transfer'. Whilst it is in the account, your money cannot be used for any purpose other than paying the insurers or any brokers through whom we may have arranged your insurance, or in the case of premium refunds, returning the money to you. Any interest earned on the account is retained by us.

Accuracy of information

You must provide us with honest and accurate information to the questions we ask and inform us of any changes to the information previously supplied. If you withhold information, answer questions dishonestly or inaccurately you may have your cover reduced, be charged a higher premium or have your policy cancelled or voided and any claims may not be paid.

Your Duty of Fair Presentation (Commercial Vehicle Policyholders only)

You are required to provide a fair presentation of the insurance risk based on you conducting a reasonable search for information. This may require you to obtain information from senior staff within your organisation, other parties to whom the insurance relates or who undertake any outsourced functions for your business (e.g. solicitors, accountants etc). You must disclose every material circumstance which you know or ought to know may affect the insurance cover. Failing this you must disclose sufficient information to put your insurer on notice that it needs to make further enquiries. You must ensure that information provided is correct to the best of your knowledge and representations must be made in good faith. If you fail to make a fair presentation of the risk this may result in additional terms or warranties being applied or a claim may be refused or reduced. In some cases this could result in your policy being declared void by an insurer and if there has been a deliberate or reckless breach there will be no refund of premium. Please ask if you require clarification.

Continuing payments

By accepting these terms and conditions you (or the cardholder if this is not you) also agree that we may retain the card details and use these to take any additional premiums, cost or charges relating to the policy, or automatic renewals if applicable, until you state otherwise. This will apply even if the card does not belong to you. You will always be informed before we try to take any funds from the card so you must make sure the cardholder is informed if they are a third party.

Changing your details

You must inform us of any changes to your policy details during the life of your policy, including at renewal. to adjust your policy please call our customer service team on 01344 289 201 (adjustments cannot be agreed by email). Please read carefully all policy documents sent to you and inform us immediately of any incorrect information shown. If you have difficulty understanding anything, please let us know and we will assist you. Before making changes to your policy i.e. purchasing an alternative vehicle or changing address, we would recommend that you call out Customer Service team, well in advance, on 01344 289 201 (option 3) to check that your insurer will cover you and that you are happy with their revised terms. For your protection, insurers maintain databases to prevent fraud and the information you give us may be subject to checks. 

Renewal of your policy

We will inform you if we are able to offer automatic renewal and we may renew your policy automatically each year unless you request otherwise. If you are paying by monthly instalments, the finance company will issue a new agreement and will then continue to collect direct debits from your account. If the direct debit fails we may need to debit the card from which the original deposit was taken to ensure continuity of cover. If you paid in full we will collect the renewal premium from the same card. You will receive a renewal invitation from us and this will normally be issued 21 days prior to your renewal date. To ensure your payment processes correctly we will debit cards seven days before renewal unless you advise us otherwise.  Insurers do not provide a period of grace to renew your policy.  If we are not able to offer an automatic renewal, your renewal invite will state this and you must contact us by phone in good time prior to your renewal to ensure continuous cover is in force.

Privacy Policy & Use of Driving Licence Data

Your details will be held on our system to assist with the administration of your policy and will also be passed to your insurers. We and they may share it with other insurers and fraud prevention agencies including the police and credit reference agencies. We and other organisations may also search these agencies and databases to help make decisions about the provision and administration of insurance, credit and related services for you and members of your household, trace debtors or beneficiaries, recover debt, prevent fraud, manage your accounts or insurance policies and check your identity in order to offer you the most competitive premium.  If you and/or any named driver provide us with your Driving Licence Number(s) (DLN), you/they consent to us accessing information about the licence status, entitlements and restrictions and any endorsements/convictions from the DVLA both now and at renewal. This information will only be used by us or passed to authorised third parties for the administration of your insurance policy. For information about driving licence data please visit www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence.

Full details of what data we hold about you and how this is used can be found in our Privacy Policy which should be read in conjunction with this document. By accepting this Terms of Business you also accept our Privacy Policy which is available online at www.brokerexperts.co.uk/privacy-policy or upon request.

Governing law

The laws of England and Wales govern this agreement and any dispute is subject to the jurisdiction of the English courts