This document sets out the benefits, conditions, and exclusions for the Insured under the DFS Sofacare Protection Plan. Please read it carefully to make sure you understand the cover provided. Your product(s) is only covered if you follow the terms & conditions and claims procedures of this Plan and have paid the required premium
Your Protection plan (hereafter referred to as Plan) is managed by Guardsman Industries Limited (Guardsman), an insurance intermediary, whose registered address is Corporation Service Company (UK) Limited, 5 Churchill Place, 10th Floor, London E14 5HU. Guardsman Industries Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under registration number 311766. These registration details can be checked on the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority’s Financial Services Register.
Your Protection Plan is provided by Fortegra Europe Insurance Company Ltd. (We/Us/Our) (Malta Company Registration number C 84703) with registered office at Office 13, SOHO Office The Strand, Fawwara Building, Triq I-Imsida, Gzira, GZR 1401. Fortegra Europe Insurance Ltd. is authorised under the Insurance Business Act 1998 of the laws of Malta to carry out general business, and is regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority, Triq I-Imdina, Zone 1, Central Business District, Birkirkara, CBD 1010, Malta. Deemed authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and is subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference number 805770 and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Details of the Temporary Permission Regime, which allows EEA-based firms to operate in the UK for a limited period while seeking full authorisation, are available on the Financial Conduct Authority’s website. Fortegra Europe Insurance Company Ltd.’s annual reports on its solvency and financial situation can be found at: https://fortegra.eu/solvency-and-financial-condition-report
It is your responsibility to ensure that the Plan meets your needs. Fortegra Europe Insurance Company Ltd. or Guardsman do not provide advice or a personal recommendation about the suitability of this Plan. Please check that the information contained in the Plan confirmation schedule is correct and that it meets your requirements. If it doesn’t, please contact Guardsman. Please read these terms and conditions carefully, in conjunction with the Plan Certificate and Insurance Product Information Document (IPID), and make sure you understand and fully comply with them, as failure to do so may jeopardise the payment of any claim which might arise and could lead to the insurance becoming void.
Fortegra Europe Insurance Company Ltd. do not have any direct or indirect holding in Guardsman and neither does Guardsman have any direct or indirect holding in Fortegra Europe Insurance Company Ltd.
The cost of repair in the event of:
Your product will be covered if:
If a repair cannot be achieved, we may replace the damaged part. If this is not possible, Guardsman may provide a replacement product(s), or settle the claim by a cash payment at Guardsman and your Insurer’s discretion instead of a repair or replacement (up to the limit of indemnity). Any cash settlement will be limited to the equivalent cost of repair or replacement by Guardsman.
If appropriate, fabric furniture may be treated with a Guardsman stain-protector treatment. If this has not been discussed, please ask your DFS sales consultant for details.
Your product is not covered for:
In the event of a spill, you should act immediately. Blot liquid spills or remove solids with a clean, dry white cloth or paper towel and work towards the centre of the spill. Do not rub as this will damage your product. Do not use any inappropriate cleaning materials such as household cleaning wipes containing bleaching agents or baby wipes to try to remove the stain as this could cause further damage to your sofa which we will not cover. Should a spill result in a stain, follow the claims procedure in section 6 below.
If your expectations are not met or you are dissatisfied in some way we would like to know. If you follow the guidelines below, your complaint will be dealt with in the most efficient way possible.
If you wish to make a complaint about the conduct of the sale of this Policy, including any information provided as part of the sale, please contact DFS.
Guardsman handles complaints under this policy on our behalf. If you wish to make a complaint please the contact the Complaints Team, Guardsman Industries Ltd, 152 Brook Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4SD or email complaints@guardsman.co.uk or call 01235 444751 and quote your sales order number or claim number so that your enquiry can be dealt with quickly.
You will be contacted within five days of the receipt of your complaint and informed of what action will be taken. Guardsman will try to resolve the problem and give you an answer within four weeks. If it will take longer than four weeks you will be advised when you can expect an answer.
If they have not given you an answer in eight weeks, they will tell you how you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service for review.
If your complaint cannot be resolved within this period, Guardsman will notify you in writing to confirm both the causes for the delay and the time in which they expect to resolve your complaint.
If you are unsatisfied with the fact that the complaint has not been resolved in a timely manner or you remain dissatisfied with our response, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge – but you must do so within six months of receiving our final decision letter.
If you do not refer your complaint in time, the Ombudsman will not have our permission to consider your complaint and will only be able to do so in very limited circumstances. For example, if the Ombudsman believes that the delay was as a result of exceptional circumstances.
The Financial Ombudsman Service may be contacted as follows:
The complaints handling arrangements above is without prejudice to your right to commence a legal action in accordance with your contractual rights.
Please remember to include your full name and full postal address in all correspondence.
Guardsman Industries Ltd. may monitor or record any telephone calls you make in connection with this plan. This is to check the accuracy of the information, help with staff training and prove that our and Guardsman’s procedures meet all relevant regulatory requirements.
If you have any disabilities that make communication difficult, please tell Guardsman and they will be pleased to help.
The insurer is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). You may be entitled to compensation from the scheme if the insurer cannot meet their obligations. Most insurance contracts are covered for 90% of the claims. Further information is available from The Financial Conduct Authority or the FSCS. The FSCS can be visited on the internet at www.fscs.org.uk or can be contacted on 0800 678 1100
We shall not provide any benefit under this contract of insurance to the extent of providing cover, payment of any claim or the provision of any benefit where doing so would breach any sanction, prohibition or restriction imposed by law or regulation.
Except where otherwise required by law, you and we have agreed that it is not intended for any third party to this contract to have the right to enforce the terms of this Plan; and you and we can rescind or vary the terms of this contract without the consent of any third party to this Plan, who might seek to assert that they have rights under this Plan.
Except where otherwise required by law, you and we have agreed that it is not intended for any third party to this contract to have the right to enforce the terms of this Plan; and you and we can rescind or vary the terms of this contract without the consent of any third party to this Plan, who might seek to assert that they have rights under this Plan.