This Terms of Business agreement sets out the terms on which The Golfers Club UK Limited agrees to act. It also identifies Your own responsibilities both to Us and to insurers and it sets out Our regulatory and statutory obligations. Please contact Us immediately if there is anything in these Terms of Business that You disagree with or do not understand.
Definitions
“We”, “Us” or “Our” means The Golfers Club UK Limited, whose trading name is The Golfers Club. “You” and “Your” means the individual person who is a member or potential member.
About us
The Golfers Club UK Limited of The Royals, Altrincham Road, Manchester M22 4BJ is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as an Insurance Intermediary. Our company’s Reference Number is 313410. Our service includes arranging and dealing as an agent of insurers and clients with respect to non-investment insurance policies. You can check these details online using the Financial Services Register (accessible from www.fca.org.uk) or by contacting the Financial Conduct Authority Helpline on 0800 111 6768, or 0300 500 8082 or +44 207 066 1000 from abroad. The Golfers Club UK Limited together with its parent company, subsidiaries and all other companies under control by its ultimate parent company form the “Ripe Group”.
Our scope of service
When We arrange Your insurance, We will provide information only about a policy from one or more insurance undertakings without giving You advice or a personal recommendation, in which case We will provide the names of those insurance undertakings. You will need to make Your own choice about how to proceed. We act on behalf of the insurers when arranging Your insurance.
By asking Us to quote for and arrange insurance, You are providing Your informed agreement to these Terms of Business. If You do not wish to be bound by these Terms then You should not instruct Us to set up, renew or otherwise deal with Your insurance needs.
Your duty of disclosure
You must take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation to the insurer. This means that all the answers You give and statements You make as part of Your insurance application, including at renewal and when an amendment to Your policy is required, should be honest and accurate, and full answers must be provided with relevant details. If you are unsure whether a fact is relevant, please tell Us anyway. If You deliberately or carelessly misinform the insurers, insurers may have the right to impose different terms, reduce the amount of any claim payable or to avoid (cancel) the insurance contract from the start and, in this event, any claims under the contract would not be paid.
Changes in your circumstances (keeping us informed)
You must tell Us immediately and throughout the duration of Your membership of any changes in circumstance. This includes but not limited to changes in information provided from the outset which may include; changes in name, address, email address, contact number, fiduciary, and changes to the insured item and/or value. We must also be kept informed of any criminal convictions or Police caution (excluding motor offences), county court judgements, bankruptcy, or whether You have had any other insurance declined, cancelled or special terms imposed.
Purchases made on behalf of a third party
If You are purchasing a membership on behalf of another person (‘The Insured’), it is Your responsibility to ensure that the duty of disclosure is met for The Insured for whom cover is being purchased. It is also Your obligation to ensure that The Insured on whose behalf insurance has been purchased is aware of the full details of the cover. We are unable to accept responsibility for loss should a claim be rejected due to the non-disclosure by or on behalf of The Insured.
Dealing with other people
To comply with data protection legislation and in connection with the servicing of Your membership in any way, should You require Us to deal with, communicate to or take instruction from someone else other than You, You must give Us Your express permission to deal with the other party and must put this in writing or email. You can withdraw this permission at any time by dvising Us in writing or by email.
Residency Limitation
You and anyone on whose behalf You purchase Our insurance must be a permanent resident of the United Kingdom, unless otherwise agreed. This means being a resident in the United Kingdom for a minimum of 6 months in a 12-month period.
Policy Documents
Policy information will be issued in a timely manner. Your policy documentation will include an Insurance Schedule and Insurance Booklet that will confirm the basis of cover, give details of the insurer and how to make a claim.
Important
By providing Your email address, You are agreeing that We can contact You by email and that You give consent to receiving documents via electronic means and/or on a website.
If You have provided an email address on application, Your policy documents will be sent to You shortly after Your policy has been created or renewed. If the email has not been received please check Your spam folder. If no email address has been provided on application or You have specifically requested for policy documents to be sent via the post, We will arrange despatch once the policy has been created or renewed. It is Your responsibility to contact Us immediately should policy documents not be received so they can be reissued. If You do not instruct Us that You have not received Your documents, then We will assume that all documents have been received and that You agree to the policy terms and conditions. Paper documents can be sent to You on request free of charge.
Checking Your policy documents
When You receive Your documents, please ensure that You read Your insurance policy carefully. In particular You should check the start (from) and end (to) dates, the name of The Insured on the policy, the information on the insurance certificate/schedule is correct and that the cover chosen is adequate for Your needs. Failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the policy may result in cover being restricted or possibly invalid. Please contact Us if You have any questions with regard to Your policy. You are advised that the full terms and conditions of Our policies should be consulted prior to Your completing Your purchase and if You have any questions You should make sure these are answered to Your satisfaction. If You have not previously received a copy or read online the Insurance Booklet detailing the full policy terms and conditions before You take out Your insurance, You will be provided a copy with Your Insurance Schedule.
Policy Excesses
Under some sections of the insurance, claims will be subject to an excess. This means that You will be responsible for paying part of the claim, or a specified amount of time will be deducted from the claim settlement calculation. The amount You have to pay is the excess. Some policy types may however allow You to purchase an excess waiver against specific sections of the policy.
Mid-Term Adjustments
Where You request a mid-term adjustment to the policy any time after the first 14 days of inception or renewal, an administration fee will be payable. Any change in cover which results in an additional premium due, must be paid to Us in full at the time of the amendment along with any administration fee charged in order for the policy change to be operative.
Automatic Membership Renewal
You can choose to stop Your membership from automatically renewing at any time. You can do this by logging into Your online account, or by email, or by phone. If You choose to prevent Your membership from automatically renewing, Your membership will end and any claims made after the membership end date will not be covered as You will no longer be insured.
You will be provided with the renewal terms no less than 14 days before expiry of the membership, or notified that the renewal is not being invited. Unless you have opted out of the automatic renewal service, Your membership will automatically renew using the payment details provided. Your membership will automatically renew until either You or We cancel it using the payment details provided.
If there has been an update to Your credit/debit card, We may automatically attempt to collect payment against the new card details provided by Your bank. No monies will be taken without prior notification to You. If payment information stored relates to those of a third party, it is Your responsibility to contact the third party to advise that a payment will be taken, or for You to provide alternative payment information prior to renewal.
If You do not wish to renew Your membership, you must:
- inform Us at any time up to 5 days before Your renewal date in writing, via a signed letter, or by email, or by phone, or via Your online account, to prevent automatic collection of Your membership fee;
- inform Us of Your intention not to renew any time before Your renewal date in writing via a signed letter, or by email, or by phone, in which case any membership fee taken will be refunded in full; or
- inform Us of Your intention not to renew within 14 days from Your renewal date in writing via a signed letter, or by email, or by phone, then, subject to no claims or incidents which may give rise to a claim, Your membership will cease on the renewal date and You will be refunded in full Your membership fee.
For policies taken out online or where You have provided an email address, Your renewal terms will be sent to the email address provided. You must keep Us informed of any changes to Your email address. If We have no email address on record, the renewal notification will be sent via post.
However Your membership is renewed, You must remember to tell Us of any changes that may affect Your cover (for example criminal convictions, accidents, changes of equipment since your policy was last renewed) before the date on which Your membership is due to be renewed, otherwise Your cover may become invalid. It is Your responsibility to ensure your insurance remains valid and in force and that You have done nothing which may invalidate it.
Promotional/Introductory offers
Offers, discounts or promotions may be offered from time to time and apply to new business only unless otherwise stated. They cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
Free insurance promotions are not available to previous and existing customers. Only one free insurance promotion per individual and per household is permitted. Any administration fees applied are non-refundable. No further payment will be taken without prior notification.
Non-insurance benefits
We reserve the right to amend, remove or suspend any non-insurance benefits without prior notice. These benefits are subject to applicable Terms and Conditions.
How to cancel
You may choose to cancel your membership at any time.
If You are not happy with it and choose to cancel Your membership within the first 14 days of inception or within 14 days from Your membership renewal date, or within 14 days from when You receive Your policy documentation, whichever is the later:
- You will be entitled to a full refund of Your membership fee, on condition that no claims have been made or are pending, or You are not aware of any incidents which may give rise to a claim,
- You must send a signed letter of cancellation via post or send an email, or call Us;
- You will not be charged an administration fee for cancelling your membership within the first 14 days of inception or renewal.
You may cancel Your membership after the first 14 days from inception or 14 days from Your membership renewal date, or 14 days from when You receive Your policy documentation, whichever is the later:
- We will provide you with a partial refund of membership fee, less a cancellation fee (see Schedule of Fees);
- You must send a signed letter of cancellation via post or send an email, or call Us;
- There will be no refund where the refund due after deduction of the cancellation fee, is less than £10.
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 or with Your consent in relation to administering Your insurance, or where We are required by law.
Your information will be held by Us (including all companies within the Ripe Group) in accordance with data protection legislation (including the General Data Protection Regulation from 25th May 2018), under which 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 the Data Protection Administration at Our address (section “About Us”).
We shall collect personal information when You register with Us, contact Us or place an order for Our services. We also collect information when You voluntarily complete insurance forms, customer surveys, provide feedback and participate in competitions. Should You visit Our website We shall also collect website usage information using cookies.
We shall use Your personal information for: a) performing the services which You have requested; b) for delivering any prizes or discounts which You may be entitled to through promotions or competitions run by Us or Our partners; c) for any regulatory or legal purposes imposed on Us (for instance for reporting to the Financial Conduct Authority); d) for informing You about other services and products provided by Us or Our partners which may be of interest to You (where You have provided Your consent); and e) for any other legitimate interest of Ours such as for carrying out credit checks, preventing fraud, maintaining adequate records or for the recovery of unpaid debts.
You have the right at any time to stop Us from contacting You for marketing purposes or giving Your information to companies outside of the Ripe Group. If You no longer wish to be contacted for marketing purposes, please e-mail dataprotection@ripeinsurance.co.uk.
Some or all of the information You supply to Us in connection with Your insurance proposal may be passed to third parties including: a) insurance and other companies for underwriting, claims and premium collection purposes; b) service providers (such as Our partners in order to redeem any promotional offers or for Us to run a promotion); c) credit reference agencies; d) other sub-contractors who may assist Us in providing the services requested from You; and e) to Our partners for marketing purposes (where You have provided Your consent).
We and/or the insurers may use publicly available information from a variety of sources, including credit reference agencies and other external organisations, to verify Your identity or creditworthiness to avoid fraud and to obtain beneficial quotes. Each of these searches may appear on Your credit report whether or not Your application proceeds. For more information explaining how We use Your information please see Our Privacy Policy https://www.ripeinsurance.co.uk/privacy-policy/. By agreeing to these terms and conditions and the Privacy Policy located on Our website, You agree to these uses of Your information.
We use Industry standard encryption technologies when transferring and receiving customer information exchanged with Our website.
We may record telephone calls for training purposes and for Your and Our protection.
How to make a claim
Your Insurance Booklet includes a claims procedure, which tells You what steps You should take if You wish to make a claim. You must notify the Claims Department of a claim or circumstance which may give rise to a claim as soon as possible.
It is essential that You notify the Claims Department promptly if You find out about something that may mean a claim is made against Your insurance policy. You must do this even if You do not believe You are responsible. If You do not tell Us straight away Your insurer might refuse to accept a claim. If You receive any communication making allegations which could mean a claim is made against Your insurance policy, You must pass it to Us immediately, without replying to the person who sent it.
You will be provided with every assistance in submitting a claim and seeking reimbursement.
We may require for any outstanding premiums to be paid before settlement of any claim.
Fees and charges
We may charge You for the work incurred in handling Your insurances. These charges apply if You carry out a mid-term adjustment or request a cancellation.
The policy fees and charges are payable at the time of the transaction that it relates to. All fees are retained by Us and are not payable to the insurer.
Schedule of fees
| Fee Type |
Amount |
| Amendments or changes to Your policy |
up to £30 |
| Cancellation during the first 14 days from inception or renewal |
Nil |
| Cancellation after the first 14 days from inception or renewal |
£30 |
There will also be no return of charge where the refund due is less than £10 after deduction of any cancellation fee.
Our earnings
In return for placing business with insurers and/or underwriters and/or other product providers, We receive a commission from them which is a percentage of the annual premium that you are charged. If the type of policy We sell reaches specific profit targets the insurer may also pay Us an additional bonus.
Occasionally We may also receive marketing support from insurers and/or underwriting although this is not always guaranteed.
You are entitled, at any time, to request information regarding any commission which We may have received as a result of placing your insurance business.
Please be assured that at no time will the way in which We are remunerated conflict with our responsibilities to meet Your needs and treat You fairly.
Introducers
If You have been introduced to Us by a third party, they may receive a remuneration from Ourselves for that introduction.
Credit searches
We may do external data searches before calculating a premium or offering to sell or renew or amend an insurance policy. This may include a credit check, which might appear on Your credit history whether You proceed or not.
Our right to set off monies You owe us
We, the insurer or claims handler shall be entitled (but not obliged) without notice to You, to set off any amounts due from You against any amounts which We, the insurer or claims handler may receive on Your behalf (such as claims monies, refunded premiums and other sums).
Protecting Your money
Prior to Your premium being forwarded to the insurer, and for Your protection, We will hold Your money as an agent of the insurer in which case Your policy is treated as being paid for. Where an insurer refunds all or part of a premium (for example when a policy is cancelled), the refund will be paid to Us and We will then pay it to You.
Payment
Your Membership fee is payable and due at the time of application. You may make payment by cheque, credit card (all major credit/debit cards except American Express are accepted), or Direct Debit. The insurance purchase will not be concluded until payment has been received unless otherwise agreed. If a payment is to be collected by Direct Debit and We have been notified by Your bank or building society of a failure to make payment to Us, the insurance will be cancelled and You will be notified.
Complaints
It is Our intention to provide a high level of service at all times. However, if You have reason to make a complaint about Our service, please address it to: Complaints Department, The Golfers Club (UK) Ltd, The Royals, Altrincham Road, Manchester M22 4BJ, telephone: 0333 400 9144 or email: complaints@ripeinsurance.co.uk. You may be entitled to refer the matter subsequently to the Financial Ombudsman Service. You can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service by telephone on +44 (0)800 023 4567, +44 (0)300 123 9 123 or online, and further information is available at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/.
Compensation arrangements
We are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. If We are unable to meet Our financial obligations You may be entitled to compensation from the scheme, depending on the type of insurance and the circumstances of the claim.. Further information about compensation scheme arrangements is available at www.fscs.org.uk, and on 0800 678 1100, or +44(0)20 7741 4100.
Money laundering/Proceeds of crime
We are obliged to report to the National Crime Agency any suspicion of money laundering or terrorist financing activity and We are prohibited from disclosing any such report.
Adequacy of insurance values
It is the responsibility of The Insured to ensure that all sums insured and policy limits are adequate and maintained. We cannot accept responsibility for their accuracy. It is strongly recommended that the appropriate Professional (e.g. Surveyor/Accountant) be consulted to ensure that the sums insured and limits under the policy are suitable.
Conflicts of interest/Customers best interest
As an insurance intermediary We generally act as Your agent in arranging Your insurance. We will always act honestly, fairly and professionally ensuring Your best interests are Our priority. In certain circumstances We may act for and owe duties of care to insurers and/or other parties. Where We become aware of any actual or potential conflict of interest, We will inform You of the situation, the options available to You and obtain Your consent before We proceed.
Insurer Security
The insurers We use are regulated and are required to have adequate capital resources. However, We cannot guarantee the solvency of any insurer We place business with. An insolvent insurer may be unable to pay claims or may be unable to pay them in full and You may have to pay a further premium to pay for alternative insurance cover.
Termination
You or We may terminate authority to act in connection with your membership at any time. Notice of termination must be given in writing and will be without prejudice to the completion of any transactions already commenced. Any business currently In progress will be completed unless We receive instructions to the contrary. Any monies outstanding will become payable immediately. In circumstances where We feel we cannot continue providing services to You, We will give you a minimum of 7 days’ notice. In most cases these Terms will terminate and be of no further effect if You cancel or fail to renew Your membership. If We carry out any services post-cancellation/failure to renew, these Terms might need to continue to apply.
Law and jurisdiction
These Terms of Business shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English Law and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
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