Help & FAQ

COVID-19 – Nov 5th 2020

We would like to assure you that we are committed to maintaining a high level of customer service during this challenging time. However, we can no longer guarantee that we will be able to respond to queries within our usual time frames.

We are taking several steps to ensure we are able to fulfil our duty of care to our employees and their families alongside our regulatory obligations. In line with national Lockdown restrictions (Nov 5th, 2020), we are currently working predominantly from home and therefore have limited capabilities to answer incoming telephone communications.

We appreciate your custom and patience during this challenging time. In the meantime, you may find the below FAQs helpful.

How can I make a claim?

The quickest and easiest way for you to make a claim is via our ONLINE CLAIMS SERVICE – Simply select the type of claim you wish to make, provide the information requested and submit the claim form.

Once you have submitted the claim form, sit back and let us do the work. We will let you know about the progress of your claim, and what you need to do next on a regular basis.

However, if you believe your claim is urgent or you are unable for any reason to access our online email facility and wish to phone, please call, leave a voicemail message, including your name, telephone number and email address, along with the nature of your enquiry. We will aim to respond to your message within 3 working hours where possible.

December Payment notice

Please note, due to UK public holidays we have made some slight changes to our payment schedule.

Policy holder payment dates:
Tuesday 22nd December
Thursday 24th December
Monday 4th January

Repairer payment dates:
Thursday 31st December

Before and after the dates listed above, payments will be processed as normal.
All customer payments are made every Tuesday and Thursday, and can take 5 working days to clear from date of release. And, repairer payments are made at the end of the following month of repair.

Can I cancel my GAP policy and receive a refund?

To start the cancellation and refund process please email gap@mbginsurance.com including the following;

• • Full name
  • Policy number
  • Cancellation date
  • Vehicle Registration number
  • The reason for cancellation.

Once we receive all of the above information, we will review your policy documents and provide you with a full breakdown of your refund if applicable.
You will then be asked to confirm your cancellation request and provide your bank details for payment if necessary.

Please note, starting the cancellation process doesn’t automatically cancel your policy. You can find your rights of cancellation in your policy documents. All policy refunds are subject to a £35.00 cancellation administration fee, this fee will be automatically deducted from any refund owned.

My claim has been successful, when will I receive payment?

All submissions made by the policy holder can only be processed for payment if the following paperwork has been received:

• • Your receipt & invoice in relation to the claim
  • Your signed Satisfaction Note, if applicable
  • Your bank details for payment

Customer payments are made every Tuesday and Thursday, and can take 5 working days to clear from date of release.

In order for payment to be made, please send the above to invoice@mbginsurance.com

I have made all necessary repairs, when will I receive payment?

If you are a repairer, all invoices received can only be processed for payment once the following paperwork and detail have been provided:

• • Correctly addressed invoice:MB&G Insurance Services Ltd
    Cobalt Business Exchange
    Cobalt Park Way
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    NE28 9NZ

• • Valid claim number shown
  • Customer signed Satisfaction Note if you have received one
  • Correct bank details

Please note, all repairer payments are made at the end of the following month, but only upon receipt of the above information.

How can I make a claim?

The quickest and easiest way for you to make a claim is via our ONLINE CLAIMS SERVICE – Simply select the type of claim you wish to make, provide the information requested and submit the claim form.

Once you have submitted the claim form, sit back and let us do the work. We will let you know about the progress of your claim, and what you need to do next on a regular basis.

However, if you believe your claim is urgent or you are unable for any reason to access our online email facility and wish to phone, please call, leave a voicemail message, including your name, telephone number and email address, along with the nature of your enquiry. We will aim to respond to your message within 3 working hours where possible.

I have broken down in Europe, what do I do?

Contact us at claims@mbginsurance.com. We will advise you on your cover level; how you submit a claim, and answer any other questions you may have.
If you have broken down and are unable to contact us for any reason, please make sure you keep any paperwork you are given, regardless of the language it is written in – especially invoices! Any information you can get from the repairer about the cause of failure would always be very helpful to us.

Do I have to use an ‘approved repairer’?

No, we do not require you to use any specific repairers. We are happy to work with any repairer you choose to use within your warranty limits.

We do sometimes refer to ‘approved repairers’, but these are simply repairers that we have established a working relationship with – you are not required to use one of them. Please do not carry out any repairs until we have assessed your claim and given you authority to do so.

We may require further information, photographs, or even an inspection of the vehicle before we can confirm cover. If you have repair work done before we have assessed your claim, this could invalidate your cover.

Am I entitled to a courtesy vehicle?

What information do you need to make progress with my claim?

First of all, please notify us that your vehicle has developed a fault. We will then ask you to take your vehicle to a repairer of your choice and ask them to supply an estimate to us.
The estimate must tell us:

• • The current vehicle mileage
  • The cause of failure, or a description of the fault
  • An itemised list of parts and part prices, pre-VAT
  • The repairer’s hourly labour rate, pre-VAT
  • The number of labour hours required
  • Your repairer’s name and address
  • Confirmation of whether the repairer is VAT-registered

Once we have all of this, our engineers can assess your claim. We will update your repairer with the outcome of your claim - for example: if we can cover all of your claim; a portion of your claim; or none of your claim, and whether we can authorise them to go ahead with the repair work.

Is there a maximum amount you will pay per hour for repair work?

All policies have a maximum amount that can be paid per hour for repair work. This varies from policy to policy, so we recommend you contact us to ask prior to booking your vehicle in for a repair.

My vehicle needs to be dismantled to find the cause of the fault – will this be covered?

Some policies do not cover diagnostic work. Please refer to your policy wording for further information on this. Please note: we cannot authorise any diagnostic work at all - this is the responsibility of the policy holder.

In order to assess a claim, we require an estimate. If your repairer is unable to provide an estimate without dismantling or stripping-down the vehicle, it will be the policy holder’s responsibility to authorise this. In the event of an unsuccessful claim, it would be the policy holder’s responsibility to pay the repairer for any diagnostic charges.

How can I make a claim?

The quickest and easiest way for you to make a claim is via our ONLINE CLAIMS SERVICE – Simply select the type of claim you wish to make, provide the information requested and submit the claim form.

Once you have submitted the claim form, sit back and let us do the work. We will let you know about the progress of your claim, and what you need to do next on a regular basis.

However, if you believe your claim is urgent or you are unable for any reason to access our online email facility and wish to phone, please call, leave a voicemail message, including your name, telephone number and email address, along with the nature of your enquiry. We will aim to respond to your message within 3 working hours where possible.

Why am I being asked to challenge the offer?

We need to ensure that the settlement offer made by your Insurer, or the Third-Party Insurer is fair. We have access to industry valuation tools that help us to determine the Market Value of your vehicle. If we feel that the offer is too low, we will ask that you contact the Motor Insurer to challenge this. When we do this, we will also confirm our valuation of your vehicle. You can then approach the Motor Insurer and explain why we consider the offer to be too low.

In the first instance, we will ask you to challenge the offer. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are achieving a fair value for your vehicle. If you do not take all necessary steps to ensure this, your policy could be adversely affected. Additionally, many Motor Insurers prefer to deal directly with their own customers and do not wish to discuss the claim with us. If you are not successful in increasing the settlement offer, we may then be able to offer further help.

What does my policy cover?

There are three main types of GAP Insurance:

• • Back to Invoice/Return to Invoice – This policy will cover the difference between your Comprehensive Motor Insurer’s settlement, and the invoice price you paid for the vehicle.
  • Vehicle Replacement – This policy will cover the difference between your Comprehensive Motor Insurer’s settlement, and the cost of replacing your vehicle with an equivalent.
  • Finance/Contract Hire – This policy will cover the difference between your Comprehensive Motor Insurer’s settlement, and the settlement figure for your Finance Agreement

Each policy may have additional cover options, such as excess cover. This is only a brief overview of policy types – please refer to your Gap policy wording for information more specific to your policy.

What does ‘confirmation of payment’ mean?

If your Motor Insurer or the Third-Party Insurer makes you a fair offer to settle your claim, we will advise you to accept said offer.
Once the settlement money has been paid, we will ask you to provide written confirmation of this along with a full breakdown of the payment.
You can ask your Motor Insurer to provide an email that looks something like this:

‘We have settled your claim on a total loss basis. The calculations are as follows: Pre-Accident Value £X – Excess £X – Any other deductions £X = Full and Final Payment £X. Payment has been issued and will arrive in your account in the next X days.’

Can I cancel my GAP policy and receive a refund?

To start the cancellation and refund process please email gap@mbginsurance.com including the following;

• • Full name
  • Policy number
  • Cancellation date
  • Vehicle Registration number
  • The reason for cancellation.

Once we receive all of the above information, we will review your policy documents and provide you with a full breakdown of your refund if applicable.
You will then be asked to confirm your cancellation request and provide your bank details for payment if necessary.

Please note, starting the cancellation process doesn’t automatically cancel your policy. You can find your rights of cancellation in your policy documents. All policy refunds are subject to a £35.00 cancellation administration fee, this fee will be automatically deducted from any refund owned.

What does ‘awaiting sign-off’ mean?

Higher-value claims need to be signed off by a senior manager, or by the Underwriter of your policy. The guide time for this is 3-5 working days, but we will discuss this further with you if necessary.

When will I receive an update on my claim?

All correspondence, including claim forms, will be responded to within 3-5 working days. If you need to reach us in the meantime, please email GAP@mbginsurance.com. Please note, if you chase your email within the above time frame, you will reset the timescale of 3-5 working days.

Which documents are required for my claim?

Please send scanned PDF Copies or clear photocopies only. Do not send original documents or photographs of documents. The following documents are required for your claim:

• • Vehicle Sales Invoice – The documentation provided when you purchased your vehicle. This will confirm the purchase price of the vehicle, mileage, specification, age, etc. (not vehicle order form)
  • Motor Insurance Schedule – This document will be provided by your motor insurer at the point of sale, and can be obtained directly from them if you do not have a copy. The document confirms information such as who is insured to drive the vehicle, the cover level (Comprehensive, third party, fire, & theft, or third party only), term of cover, vehicle insurer.
  • V5C logbook - This is the physical document issued by the DVLA upon registration of a vehicle in the UK.

Any letters or emails from your Comprehensive Motor Insurers confirming the settlement figure, or from the Third-Party Insurers to confirm their offer if applicable:

• • Finance Agreement – The document provided when you agreed the finance for the vehicle. This document will contain information such as length of agreement, amount borrowed, repayment schedule.
  • Finance early Settlement Figure – This document will need to be obtained from your finance company. If you contact them and ask to settle the agreement early, they will provide this document to you.
  • Third party details
  • Police correspondence

If your vehicle has been stolen, please provide any CCTV you may have; proof of home repairs where applicable; and photographs of both sets of keys.

If we have advised you to accept the offer from the motor insurer, we will require confirmation of payment – This document will need to be provided by your motor insurer. The document will need to confirm the Pre-Accident Value (PAV) and any deductions made, as well as confirming payment has been released to yourself. For example:

We have raised payment for the settlement of your claim. The calculations are as follows:

PAV £X – Excess £X = £X

Payment will be received in X days.

Should I accept my Motor Insurer’s offer?

We ask that you Do not accept any offer until you have discussed it with us. We will value your vehicle and advise you on whether the offer is fair. Failing to do so could affect the outcome of your claim.

What is the maximum amount of money i can receive ?

Policy claim limits vary widely. You can find this information on your policy schedule.

How much money will I be paid when my claim is settle ?

We cannot confirm the settlement amount, until the claim has been authorised or ‘signed-off’. This will not happen until all requested documents have been provided and your Comprehensive claim has been settled in full.

How can I make a claim?

The quickest and easiest way for you to make a claim is via our ONLINE CLAIMS SERVICE – Simply select the type of claim you wish to make, provide the information requested and submit the claim form.

Once you have submitted the claim form, sit back and let us do the work. We will let you know about the progress of your claim, and what you need to do next on a regular basis.

However, if you believe your claim is urgent or you are unable for any reason to access our online email facility and wish to phone, please call, leave a voicemail message, including your name, telephone number and email address, along with the nature of your enquiry. We will aim to respond to your message within 3 working hours where possible.

Will an inspection be required?

This is decided on a case-by-case basis. Please be prepared for the fact that we may need to book an inspection before we can assess your claim. We will discuss this with you further, should it become necessary.

I have submitted my claim form. How long will I have to wait for a response?

All correspondence, including claim forms, will be responded to within 3-5 working days. If you need to reach us in the meantime, please email claims@mbginsurance.com.

How do i make a complaint?

We are sorry to hear that you are dissatisfied with the service you have received. We take dissatisfaction very seriously and would like to resolve your concerns.

Please contact us via CVT@mbginsurance.com providing us with your name, policy number, and details of your concerns so we can address this matter and register your complaint.

How do I cancel my policy?

To start the cancellation process please email claims@mbginsurance.com including your;

• • Full name
  • Policy number
  • Type of policy you wish the cancel
  • The reason for cancellation.

Please note, this doesn’t automatically cancel your policy. You have the right to cancel your policy at any time, and you can find your rights of cancellation in your policy documents.