KEYFACTS - About our insurance services
Swinton Group Ltd t/a Lawrences
43/45 High Street
Sevenoaks
Kent
TN13 1JF
01732 740777
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is the independent watchdog that regulates financial services. It requires us to provide you with this document in order that you can use the information to decide if our services are appropriate for your requirements.
Lawrences are a division of Swinton Group Ltd are who are authorised and regulated by the FSA under Firm Reference Number 309599. This information can be checked by visiting the FSA website at www.fsa.gov.uk or by contacting the FSA on 0845 606 1234.
Lawrences is 100% owned by the Swinton Group Limited
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We usually offer advice on the basis of a fair analysis of the market. For specific risks this may be a limited number of insurers or even a single insurer. You will be informed if this is applicable.
Our services are normally paid for by the insurer but if a fee is to be charged we will inform you of this in advance.
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In the event of you wishing to make a complaint, please contact our nominated Complaints Officer, Richard Lloyd, in writing, at 43/45 High Street, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1JF.
Should we be unable to satisfy your complaint, you are entitled to contact the Financial Ombudsman Service. For your further protection, our dealings are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Terms of Business
Our Commitment
We hereby undertake that we will:
- act fairly and reasonably in our dealings with you.
- ensure that all our general insurance services satisfy the requirements of the
- FSA rules governing insurance mediation activities.
- make sure all the information we give you is clear, fair and not misleading
- avoid conflicts of interest with you
- give you sufficient information regarding any proposed policy to enable you to make an informed decision before you make a commitment to cover.
- promptly confirm your insurance arrangements and ensure you receive all relevant documentation.
- handle claims with due care, skill and diligence.
- protect any personal information, money and property that we hold or handle for you and, where appropriate, in accordance with legislation such as the Data Protection Act 1998.
- handle complaints fairly and promptly. Full details of our complaints procedure is available upon request. We will record and analyse your comments to make sure we continually improve the service we offer.
Our Role
Other than in the collection of premiums from you, where we act as agent of the Insurer, we will be acting as your agent as an Independent Intermediary, holding agencies with a number of different insurers.
If you advise us that we did not provide you with enough information for you to make a decision when you placed your insurance through us, we will allow you a ‘cooling off’ period of at least 14 days from the time you receive the information. If you do not wish to continue with the insurance, you may cancel your cover within this period and receive a reimbursement of your monies (as long as you have not made any claims).
You will
- Note the importance of the Declaration & Signature on all proposal forms. It is your duty to disclose all material facts which may be relevant to the contract of insurance. If in doubt about the materiality of any fact, you should disclose it. Any failure to disclose material facts may invalidate your cover. This duty arises not only prior to the inception of any policy, but throughout its currency.
- We strongly recommend that the information you provide us is checked thoroughly prior to submission and that you keep a record of all correspondence supplied in relation to the arrangement of your insurance cover.
- Note that we reserve the right to charge a fee as set out below:
- Notify us (or the insurer) promptly if any claim or potential claim arises under the policy, and complete any claim form promptly & accurately. You will supply any supporting information required to substantiate your claim, at your cost, when requested by us or your insurer.
Premium Settlement Terms
We will be responsible for issuing invoices for all new and renewal premiums and mid-term alterations as soon as is practical after the inception, renewal or adjustment of your policy.
All premiums collected will be retained within Statutory Trust Accounts pending settlement to the insurer and thus can only be used in respect of the specific policy for which they were paid. Any interest earned on your money held in these accounts will not be declared to you unless by specific agreement.
We will remit premiums to insurers in accordance with their agreed terms of trade. In some cases, in order to effect a transaction (buy a policy), premiums may pass to the insurers or their agent via a third party (such as another broker).
For the avoidance of doubt, we have no obligation to fund any premiums on your behalf and have no responsibility for any loss which you may suffer as a result of insurers cancelling the policy or taking any other prejudicial steps as a result of late payment of such sums if such a delay is attributable to you.
In certain circumstances insurers may impose a specific premium terms whereby they require payment of premium by a certain date. We must stress that breach of that term will entitle insurers to void the policy from inception of cover. You agree that the settlement of premiums in good time is your responsibility.
We normally accept payment by cash, cheque, card or via a monthly finance facility (full details are available on request).
Non-Payment of Premiums
In the event of non-payment of any monies to us, we reserve the right to retain certificates or other policy documents, until all monies under that policy have been paid.
You will understand that in the event of non-payment of monies due to us, we reserve the right to refuse to accept any further instructions from you, until such amounts are fully paid.
Our Service Charges
| Type of transaction | Service charge |
| Quotation (all policy types) | No charge |
| Commercial Vehicle, Home (Buildings and Contents) and Private Motor Car – New Policy inception (with the exception of Net Rated Policies as below) | £15.00 |
| Commercial Vehicle, Home (Buildings and Contents) and Private Motor Car –Renewal (with the exception of Net Rated Policies, see below) | £20.00 |
| All other classes of business where Insurer premium is less than £100 - New policy inception and renewal (with the exception of Net Rated Policies, see below) | £15.00 |
| All other classes of business where Insurer premium is £100 or more - New policy inception and renewal (with the exception of Net Rated Policies, see below) | 5% of the policy premium including IPT, (minimum £25.00, maximum £100.00) No charge will be made in respect of the inception or renewal of a Legal Expenses policy or Breakdown policy |
| Net Rated Policies | Net Rated Policies do not include any commission to us in the premium. Therefore, for Net Rated Policies the service charges outlined above will not apply. Instead, we will make a charge of up to 25% of the premium (including Insurance Premium Tax) at inception and renewal. We will always inform you in advance a) if it is a Net Rated Policy and b) the actual charge payable. |
| Changes to existing policies Change of Address Foreign use extensions on motor policies |
No charge. |
| Any other changes to existing policies | £30.00. No charge will be made on changes to a Breakdown policy. Where a transaction results in a premium refund being due to you, that refund will be reduced by any service charge and any other sums you owe in respect of the policy |
| Cancellations | £50.00 No charge will be made on the cancellation of a Breakdown or Legal Protection policy |
| Duplicate documents and covernotes | £20.00 |
| Direct debit defaults | We offer credit through a number of schemes and providers. Full details of charges will be provided in any credit agreement and pre contract information by the credit provider. |
| Returned cheques | £20.00 |
| Payment by Credit Card | 2% of the total amount payable. This charge is in addition to the charges stated above. |
"The service has been extremely efficient, professional and friendly every time and the staff have always been courteous and helpful."
November 2008
The Utility Warehouse
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