This page lays out what we can expect from each other if you decide to buy insurance through boom. It explains who we are, how we work, and what we need from you.
We’ve done our best to make it as clear as possible, so please give it a careful read. Make sure you understand it and are happy to agree with it.
It contains:
This isn’t your policy document. You can find the documents specific to your insurance in your online account or in the boom app.
boom is a trading name of Abacai Technologies Limited and is an Appointed Representative of Complete Cover Group Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. You can find them on the Financial Services Register at number 309611.
The company is registered in England & Wales number 13147398. Its registered office is at Mara House, Nantwich Road, Tarporley, England, CW6 9UY.
We are part of the Abacai group of companies.
We are an intermediary, not an insurer. This means that we arrange and manage your insurance. The actual insurance cover itself is provided by another company, the insurer.
We offer motor insurance from Mulsanne Insurance Company Ltd (MICL) which is also part of the Abacai group of companies. As we’re part of the same group, we’ve carefully put in place systems to manage any conflicts of interest that could come up as we work together.
We also offer add-on products (more about these below) that work alongside your main motor insurance. These could also be provided by MICL or by another insurer.
When you buy our insurance, we aren’t allowed to give you advice or recommendations. We will make sure we give you enough information to decide if it’s the right insurance for you.
All premiums we quote will be the total cost you’ll need to pay. This will include the current rate of Insurance Premium Tax (IPT).
Our products are for customers who want to manage their motor insurance online via a website or mobile app. Telephone support is only available when you’re making and managing a claim.
Our products aren’t suitable if you need short-term or temporary motor insurance.
Financial strength ratings assess an insurer’s financial stability and its ability to pay claims at the time of the assessment. There’s no requirement for insurers to be rated and rated status doesn’t guarantee it will be able to pay its claims.
MICL, the insurer who provides boom’s core motor insurance, doesn’t have a financial strength rating. This is also known as being ‘unrated’.
The insurers who provide the add-on products may be rated or unrated.
We don’t guarantee that an insurer will continue operating for the whole time you have your insurance policy or that it will be able to pay your claim.
When we give you a quote, we’ll say which insurer the policy is with. As a reminder, the insurer is the company that underwrites your policy. If it’s your main motor policy, then it will be MICL. If it is an add-on, then it could be one of a number of insurers. It’s up to you to decide if you’re happy with the insurer we offer you and want to take out the policy.
Read more about insurer security.
We and your insurers are covered by the government’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
This is a government scheme that offers you some financial protection in case your insurer fails and can’t pay your claim. Whether it covers you will depend on the circumstances of your claim.
You can find out more at the FSCS website.
The laws of England and Wales govern the agreement between us. Any dispute is subject to the English courts.
We receive a commission from our insurers for each insurance policy we set up. This is included as part of the payment you make to use for your insurance.
We also charge fees to cover the costs of processing and setting up your insurance. These are laid out below. We’ll remind you of them in the documents that you’ll receive straight after you’ve bought your policy.
Please make sure you read all this information carefully before you buy your policy.
We charge fees to cover the costs of setting up and managing your insurance policy. You pay all fees directly to us and they will show in your bank account as going to boom. MICL, the insurer for your main motor policy, isn’t involved in the set-up fee in any way.
Our £50 set-up fee is a non-refundable charge for setting up your policy. It’s included in the price when you buy or renew your boom insurance policy.
We charge a £15 fee for any change you or we make to your policy after you’ve bought it.
We charge a £25 cancellation fee if you change your mind before your policy starts or within the first 14 days (this is called the cooling-off period).
If you change your mind after that, you’ll need to pay a £75 cancellation fee. Your insurer will also charge you for time you had insurance cover through us.
When you pay us your premium, we hold the money in a trust account. We then pass it on to your insurers. When your money is in this account, it can’t be used for anything other than paying your insurer. We keep any interest it earns.
If you’re due a refund, the same process happens in reverse. Your insurers will place the money in the trust account, and then we pass it on to you. Once again, this money can only be used to refund you and we keep any interest.
boom is an online insurance intermediary. You will manage your policy online via our website or on our mobile app. There is live chat support available, and you’ll have telephone support when you make a claim.
We’ll put your insurance documents into your online account and app when you set up your policy. You’ll also be able to see full policy wordings, policy summaries and Insurance Product Information documents (known as IPIDs) there too.
This helps us keep our carbon footprint low and you’ll get your important documents sooner. If you would like to receive paper copies by post, please let us know via live chat.
Add-ons are extra products that offer additional cover to that provided by your main motor insurance policy. Add-ons can be provided by different insurers. This means that they may have different policy documents and claims processes to your main insurance policy. Make sure you read all of these carefully.
If you want to cancel an add-on policy, please check that add-on’s policy wording to find out how. It is likely that you’ll only be eligible for a refund if you cancel an add-on during the cooling-off period.
Add-ons are only active when your main motor insurance policy is in force – you can’t have an add-on without your main cover.
Premiums must be paid in full to us. You can either pay for your insurance in full as a single payment by credit or debit card, or you could use premium finance to spread the cost across monthly instalments.
Premium finance is a loan that you take out for one year and pay back in monthly instalments to cover the cost of your insurance premium.
boom isn’t a lender. If you want to pay in monthly instalments, we’ll introduce you to Close Brothers Ltd, trading under the name Close Brothers Premium Finance (Close Brothers). They will be your lender if you choose the premium finance option.
As we introduce you to Close Brothers, we are acting in the role of a ‘finance broker’. We don’t charge a fee for this, but we do receive a commission for introducing you to Close Brothers.
Close Brothers may credit check you to see if you’re eligible for the loan (or finance). Other lenders will be able to see this on your credit report. They will also carry out affordability and anti-money laundering checks. If they approve you, Close Brothers will send the loan straight to us so we can pay your insurer and set up your insurance. You will then repay Close Brothers each month.
The premium finance agreement is a contract between you and Close Brothers. It’s separate to your insurance agreement with us.
You’ll be responsible for repaying the loan through monthly payments to Close Brothers. This will appear on your bank statement as Close boom Insurance. Close Brothers will send you their terms and conditions separately so make sure you’re happy with these.
If you don’t make your monthly payment on time, you need to get in touch with Close Brothers or us to pay it immediately.
If you are having problems making your payment, we will discuss some options with you.
If you can’t pay and we can’t reach an arrangement, then we’re authorised by your insurer to cancel your cover.
If you don’t keep up with your monthly payments, then Close Brothers may consider that you’ve defaulted on your loan and will end your premium finance agreement. If that happens, you’ll need to pay Close Brothers what you still owe them.
If you can’t pay Close Brothers, then they may take further action, for example they could take court action against you.
Missing payments may affect your credit rating which may make it more difficult or expensive for you to obtain credit in the future
Close Brothers will add interest to the amount you need to borrow. The rate and how much this will cost you will be made clear when you set up your finance.
They may also charge you the following fees, which you pay to them:
Administration of a missed payment £25
Cancelling or reinstating a finance agreement £15
If your vehicle is written off, the insurer will offer you a settlement. This is an amount of money that can be used towards replacing your vehicle. It is based on your vehicle’s market cost.
They will pay this money into our trust account, and we’ll use this to pay off any money you still owe on your premium finance agreement. Once this has been done, we’ll pass the remaining money to you.
If you owe money on this policy (or a policy from another Abacai company) and then take out a new policy with one of our companies, we may cancel your cover. If that happens, the money you paid to us will first be used to reduce or pay off your debt. We will then return any leftover money to you. This is called setting-off.
If you don’t pay the money that you owe, Close Brothers may take a court action against you. This could make it much harder for you to get credit, like mortgages or credit cards, in the future.
Where any unpaid premium and charges are owed, which fall outside the Close Brothers finance agreement, we will chase you directly for payment. If you can’t pay us, then we may take further action, for example we may use a debt collection agency or take a court action against you.
You’re welcome to pay us directly by credit or debit card. We don’t charge for either of these payment types.
We will securely store the card details that you use for making payment. We’ll use these details to take future payments, for example if you make a change to your policy or renew. This is called a Continuous Payment Authority. You can opt-out of the Continuous Payment Authority by contacting us via live chat.
We’ll always let you know you before we take a payment from your card.
Refunds
Any refunds will only be made back to the card you paid with. If your card details have changed, we’ll still process refunds on those details. Your bank will have to make sure the money is allocated back to your account.
We use the credit reference agency TransUnion to check your information, including your credit history. This helps us check your identity and see which payment options to offer you. These are soft credit checks, which means that you can see them on your credit report, but other organisations can’t. They may appear on your credit report whether or not you choose to buy from us.
Here is TransUnion’s privacy policy.
We will also check your details against fraud databases.
When we work together, we have some expectations of you. This is called your duty of care.
It’s your duty to take reasonable care to answer all questions honestly. This is important to make sure you get the right insurance cover.
When we have taken your details and set up your insurance, your policy documents will appear in your online account and app. These include the Statement of Fact that contains all the answers you gave us. Please check this carefully and tell us straight away if any of the information is wrong.
When your details change, you must tell us so we can update your policy. Get in touch with us via live chat as soon as you can. This makes sure your insurance remains valid and ready to use.
Changes you must tell us about include:
If you’re unsure whether a change affects your insurance, then get in touch via live chat so we can help.When you tell us something has changed, we’ll check these against various databases to make sure they’re true. This helps us prevent fraud.
In some cases, we may need to see some documents (like a driving licence or proof of address) to check your details. If that’s the case, we or Close Brothers will let you know by email. If you don’t send these to us when we ask, your policy may be cancelled and it could affect any claims you’ve made.
A change in details means your premium could go up or down or your insurer may not continue to offer cover. If that happens, you need to pay the cancellation charge and look for insurance from someone else.
If you give us inaccurate or misleading information or don’t tell us about a change, then your insurer may cancel your policy without giving you a refund. They would also be entitled to refuse all or part of a claim.
You can provide authorisation for someone to manage your policy on your behalf, we refer to this as a Secure Friend, If you want to appoint a Secure Friend this can only happen if you contact us and provide details of the person you want to manage your policy.
You and we can remove this consent and at any time.
It is important that you are aware that if you provide a Secure Friend with the authority to manage your policy, they will be able to make any changes to your policy. These change include but not limited to adjustments to your policy, such as changing the vehicle, changing the address, adding an additional driver, changes to your finance, handling of a claim, future renewal of your policy and cancellation of your policy, without you needing to be involved.
We can answer any questions you may have regarding appointing a Secure Friend, if you contact us.
Renewing your policy
We’ll get in touch with you before you need to renew to let you know the price and terms for your next policy period. This is called your renewal invite. We’ll send it to you with in good time to review and consider before your current policy ends.
In your renewal invite we’ll ask you to check that the details we hold are correct and the cover we offer is what you need. If your details are different to the ones we have put on your renewal invite, you must contact us via live chat to update us before your current policy ends. This may affect the price and terms of your renewal offer.
In your renewal invite, we will also tell you if your policy is set to auto renew. This means we’ll automatically roll you on to the new policy if we don’t hear from you. You can switch off auto renewal in your boom account.
Make a note of when your current policy will end. If your policy isn’t set to auto renew, remember you will need to take action to renew your policy.
Remember that it’s an offence to drive or keep your car on a public road without insurance cover.
You may decide to cancel your policy, or your insurer may ask us to cancel it. Either way, you will need to pay a cancellation fee.
When your main motor insurance policy gets cancelled, any add-ons will also be cancelled at the same time.
You can cancel your policy at any time, but you will need to pay a charge. This is made up of:
We support your right to change your mind. The earlier you reach this decision the better it can be you. If you cancel your policy before the policy starts boom will charge you a £25 fee, this is in addition to the £50 set-up fee. Your insurer won’t charge you anything.
The cooling off period is defined as the 14 days after the start of your policy or the 14 days after you received your documents (whichever is later). If you cancel in this period, you’ll be charged a £25 fee from boom. This is in addition to the £50 set-up fee.
Your insurer will charge you for the days that you were on cover.
After the 14-day cooling off period, we’ll charge you a £75 cancellation fee to cover our costs. Your insurer will charge you for the days that you were on cover.
In certain circumstances, your insurer may decide they can no longer cover you. That means they will require us to cancel your policy.
You will need to pay a cancellation fee and the charges listed in the ‘Fees we charge’ section. For finance policies you will also need to pay Close Brothers’ fees as listed in the ‘What does Close Brothers charge’ section.
Please note that you’ll need to tell future insurers about any cancelled policies. This could make buying insurance more difficult.
We may only offer you a refund after cancellation if you haven’t made a claim while you had insurance cover with us. Any refund quote we give you will be ‘subject to no claims’.
We don’t offer you a refund if a claim is made for the time that you had insurance with us. Why? When you take out insurance, it is a contract between us. If you claim, then you’ve used this contract and so you have to pay for it in full.
If you paid via Premium Finance any refund will first go to settle your balance with Close Brothers Premium Finance. Once that balance is settled, you’ll receive any remaining money.
Your Premium Finance agreement is a separate contract. We will settle the balance, but it is a good idea to cancel your Direct Debit for monthly payments with your bank. If you cancel in the days before your Direct Debit is due, it may already have been processed. In that case, please contact your bank to ask them to recall the payment.
A No Claims Bonus is a discount that some insurers offer if you have driven for a year without making a claim. When you switch to a new insurer, you will need proof of this to claim your discount.
Let us know via live chat if you need proof of No Claims to share with a new insurer. As long as all your payments are up to date and you don’t owe us any money, we’ll send it over as soon as we can. If you do have an outstanding balance for premium or fees, we’ll send you proof as soon as this has been settled.
Abacai Technologies Limited is the data controller. Our registration number is ZB136023 on the public register of data controllers. This means that we decide the purpose for which your data is processed and the way that any personal data is processed.
We’ll use your data to supply the services you have applied for. We’ll record and monitor live chat and telephone calls for our joint protection and training purposes. For full details on how we can use your data, please read to our Privacy Notice.
We may ask you for your driving licence number. When we do that, we’ll also request information about you from the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency).
Our live chat agents can’t see this information, so they won’t be able to change or discuss it with you. You can view this information yourself at https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence.
When things haven’t gone as you would expect, we’d like you to tell us. We are committed to treating customers fairly and making sure that all complaints are investigated thoroughly.
If you are dissatisfied with any part of our service you can:
Call us on: 0800 440 2483
Email us at: complaints@boom.co.uk
Write to us at:
Complaints Department,
c/o Complete Cover Group
Mara House,
Nantwich Road,
Tarporley,
England,
CW6 9UY
NOTE: Be sure to provide your phone number and reference number in your correspondence.
If after our response you remain dissatisfied, you may be able to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, for further details go to:
Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Email at: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Call on: 0800 023 4567
We do our best to keep our website up-to-date, accurate, and safe to use. However, we can’t guarantee any of this and we take no responsibility if it causes you any technical problems.
We go into detail about this in this statement below. By using our website you agree to the following:
Information provided through our website is on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We give no warranty that the information will be free of defects and/or faults. To the maximum extent permitted by the law we provide no warranty express or implied a fitness for a particular purpose, the accuracy of information, compatibility, and satisfactory quality. We’ll endeavour to allow uninterrupted access to this website, but access may be suspended, restricted, or terminated from time to time. We’ll not be liable, for any reason, if the website is unavailable for any period.
We reserve the right to change, modify, substitute, suspend or remove without notice of any information, service, or content on our website. In addition, we cannot guarantee that our site will be free of viruses or defects of any description, and we will not be held responsible for any technical problems you may suffer as a result of your usage of our website. Any material and/or data downloaded or obtained through us via our website, or any sites linked to our website is at your own discretion and risk. Where, because of downloading material or data, hardware becomes damaged or data is lost, the responsibility is with the individual consenting to the data exchange and not with Abacai Technologies Limited.
Our website may provide links to other sites, not controlled by Abacai Technologies Limited, or our affiliates. Where we do not have control of a site, we assume no responsibility for the content and disclaim liability for all forms of loss or damage arising out of their use. The inclusion of a link to another site does not imply endorsement of any products or services or individuals.
boom is a trading name of Abacai Technologies Limited who are the intermediary not your insurer and you can find us on the Financial Services Register (www.fca.org.uk/register, number: 953258). Abacai Technologies Limited is an Appointed Representative of Complete Cover Group Limited and you can find them on the Financial Services Register (www.fca.org.uk/register, number: 309611). You can also find us through Companies House as registered in England & Wales, our number: 13147398 and our registered office is: Mara House, Nantwich Road, Tarporley, England, CW6 9UY.
