YOUR GUIDE TO OUR COMPLAINT HANDLING PROCEDURE

Sometimes you may not be happy with a financial product or service.  This is not necessarily anyone’s fault but may simply be because of the nature of the product or service.  However, there are times when there may be an issue that you are concerned about and you may feel that you have been wronged. The Minibus Club want to know about any such issues and what you think about the service we offer you.  If there is something wrong, we want to put it right. To do that, we have developed procedures to make sure you receive a quick and fair response.

This section has been written to provide you with details, and assist you in understanding our Complaint Handling Procedure.  If you have any questions about the contents please contact the Managing Director, The Minibus Club, Mill Court, Mill Street, Stafford, ST16 2AX.

If you don’t understand something in respect of the service or policies we provide to you or you think that there is a problem, please ask us for an explanation.  We can often resolve matters quickly and easily if you do this.  But if you are not happy with the answers we give you, you may need to make a formal complaint.

What is a Complaint?

We treat a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction from or on behalf of a customer, whether oral or written and whether justified or not. 

What do we do if we receive a complaint?

All complaints will be referred to the Head of Personal Lines or Head of Fleet depending on your particular issue, even if the dispute has already been resolved by an apology from an individual within The Minibus Club.  We undertake to resolve the matter in a timely manner and will keep you informed of progress.

In addition, where a complaint is received by us that relates to another firm and the services or products that they market or provide, we will refer the complaint to the other firm and notify you that such a referral has been made and provide you with contact details for the other firm in question.

Where a complaint has been referred to the Minibus Club by another firm, we will deal with the complaint as if it had been received by us direct from the complainant.

Acknowledging the dispute

Your complaint will be acknowledged within 5 business days.  Where the complaint was made orally, the letter will set out our understanding of the dispute and invite you to confirm in writing, whether this is correct or if we have misunderstood the situation in any way. 

The acknowledgement letter will outline the result of the investigation if it has been completed by then.  If it has not been completed, we will: -

1. Investigate the issue and respond within 4 weeks;
2. Highlight that if the investigation is not completed within 4 weeks following the initial receipt of the complaint, you will be informed of the reasons for the delay; and
3. Point out that on completion of the investigation you will be informed of the outcome and the options available to you.

Conclusion

On completion of the investigation we will write to you advising you of the outcome of the investigation, the nature and terms of any settlement, and that if you are dissatisfied with the outcome that you may be eligible to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service and a leaflet will be included providing details of how to contact the Ombudsman.

If the investigation is not concluded within 4 weeks, we will write to you informing you that the investigation is continuing together with the reasons for the delay and when we expect to be able to contact you again.

If the investigation is not concluded within 8 weeks, we will write to you again informing you of the reasons for further delay and that if the you are not satisfied with progress you may be eligible to refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The letter will include the name, address and telephone number of the Ombudsman and a leaflet about the Ombudsman’s arrangements.

Who can you contact?

If you are not happy with anything and we have not been able to resolve it you may be eligible to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service. However, they will not normally consider the complaint until we have been given the opportunity to resolve matters to your satisfaction.

If you intend to refer the matter to the Ombudsman you must do this within six months of the date of our final response or you may lose that right to do so. Our letter will point this out to you.

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme

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.

For compulsory classes of insurance, insurance advising and arranging is covered for 100% of the claim, without any upper limit. For other classes of insurance, advising and arranging is covered for 100% of the first £2,000 of a claim and 90% of the remainder of the claim. There is no upper limit in either case.

Further information about compensation scheme arrangements is available from the FSCS.

Motor Insurance Database

You shall ensure that all vehicle and policy details are notified to us within five business days of the effective date for entry on the Motor Insurance Database as required by the relevant Law applicable in Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Motor Insurance Database Data Protection

Your policy details will be added to the Motor Insurance Database (MID), run by the Motor Insurers’ Information Centre (MIIC). MID data may be used by the DVLA and DVLNI for the purpose of Electronic Vehicle Licensing and by the Police for the purpose of establishing whether a driver’s use of the vehicle is likely to be covered by a motor insurance policy and/or for preventing and detecting crime. If you are involved in an accident (in the UK or abroad), other UK insurers, the Motor Insurers’ Bureau and MIIC may search the MID to obtain relevant policy information.  Persons pursing a claim in respect of a road traffic accident (including citizens of other countries) may also obtain relevant information which is held on the MID.

You can find out more about this from us, or at www.miic.org.uk