Microsite Alphabet Partner: Communications

Dear Alphabet Partner

As you will be aware MINI launched their agency programme on the 1st March 2025.
Therefore, discount terms on MINI now only apply to BCH/FL and BCP (business users). If you are quoting a PCH please ensure the terms are removed from icon.
If you have any questions please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.
Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards
Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Partners

We are aware that many of you charge fees for a variety of services to our mutual customers. It is important that the customer does not confuse our charges and offering with yours. As a result, we are laying out our policy in relation to fees below:

•    Any fees should be explained in a breakdown of what the fee covers and displayed to the customer.
•    Fees must not relate to the finance, the introduction of finance or credit broking.
•    It must be made clear to the customer that Alphabet are not involved in the fee and it does not relate to alphabets services.
•    The fee applies to any customer, including any who could, if you have the facility, pay you cash for the vehicle.
•    We do not and cannot fund any fees 
•    The fee is not for a service detailed by you in your commission disclosure to the customer.
•    Consumer duty (Price and Fair Value) and FCA regs have been observed/considered when administering admin fees. 

Should you have any questions regarding this Operational Procedure, please contact your Regional Manager.

Kind regards

Alphabet Partner

Dear Alphabet Partner,

We have observed an increase in the number of vehicles being delivered with incorrect keeper registrations. While we understand this can happen from time to time, we have noticed a rise in payout cases being loaded with keeper errors, which then require subsequent re-registration and can result in the addition of another keeper.

Unless confirmation of re-registration is provided when the documents are first uploaded, we will proceed to set live and issue a V62 to re-register the vehicle correctly in Alphabet’s name. Please note that this process will incur a cost of £50.00 +vat, inclusive of our administration fee, which will be charged to you as the Partner.

We kindly ask that you make every effort to ensure vehicles are registered to the correct keeper from the outset. If an error does occur, please upload all relevant supporting documents to confirm that a re-registration request has been submitted to the DVLA at the time of payout.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and continued support.

Should you have any queries regarding this communication, please speak to your Regional Manager in the first instance.

Kind regards

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner

Please see attached the Fleet Procure- Stock Manager rules of engagement to ensure a smooth operation from allocating a stock vehicle, to placing the order through to delivery. 

This will be sent along with our own operational procedure on every tactical communication as a reminder.

If you have any questions please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner

We are pleased to introduce Fleet Procure’s StockManager, now available for managing all tactical campaigns through Alphabet. With a user-friendly interface and enhanced functionality, StockManager will streamline and improve your tactical experience.

This will replace our previous solution, and access via SalesMaster has been deactivated for Alphabet stock. We have already ensured that all Partners have access to StockManager; however, please inform your Regional Manager if you need additional access.

Fleet Procure will conduct webinar training sessions for new users and as refreshers for current users, if needed. Additional communication with dates will be sent shortly.

IMPORTANT

Please find attached our updated Operational Procedure. We kindly ask that you review this document thoroughly, as it contains several important updates.

We are confident that this change will be a positive step forward for our partners and our shared growth plans for tactical business.

If you have any questions, please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner 

Thank you for your patience whilst we made necessary adjustments to Icon which will be available from Wednesday 30th October. 

Following the recent decision of the Court of Appeal on 25 October, we have made the following changes:

We have set a standard total fixed commission of £750, regardless of whether the customer is regulated or unregulated. SMR commission will remain and there will be no other additional commission payments. Until further notice, we will be unable to pay commission on extensions. 

From 30th October 2024 onwards, all contracts will require a commission disclosure and consent form which are attached.  Please note that there is a different form for regulated and unregulated customers.

The commission disclosure and consent forms can be printed on your headed paper. Please update the form to show your business name where highlighted. Where possible, please keep all wording on one page. Please note that the finance commission amount disclosed must include CCR for any existing quotes. The commission displayed in Icon is always exclusive of VAT on both regulated and unregulated proposals.  Please show the VAT inclusive figure to regulated customers.

For future contracts, the commission disclosure and consent forms must be signed by the customer prior to the signing of their finance agreement. However, we understand that this will be signed afterwards for all current pipeline business but you should obtain this as soon as possible is the customer journey. 

We will be unable to proceed with any agreement where the customer has not consented to the commission disclosure. The commission disclosure and consent form should be signed by the same authorised signatory who is signing the finance agreement.

For clarity:

1. Icon proposal status: Vehicle delivered before 30th October but delivery documents not uploaded

   Action: Payout will continue, upload all your documents.

2. Icon proposal status: Vehicle delivered after 30th October but delivery documents not uploaded

   Action: Must upload disclosure document with delivery paperwork. 

Please note that any changes made to any existing quotes or proposals will recalculate the commission to £750 and we will not be able to match back. 

We appreciate your patience whilst we implement these urgent changes.

Kind regards,

Richard Chadwick 
Head of Indirect Sales Alphabet

Dear Alphabet Partner

On Friday 25 October the Court of Appeal handed down a decision that has significant implications across the finance industry and beyond, and with immediate effect.

In order to comply with the Court of Appeal decision, there are some immediate changes we need to make to our products, business processes, customer disclosures and customer consents regarding the payment of commissions.

To provide you and our customers with the required support to take delivery of their vehicles in the immediate short term, and to ensure that we do not face a period of possible closure, we will implement a simplified product set up (single rate, single commission) and an interim manual solution for all new business, ensuring that we are able to capture the required customer commission consent.

To be able to implement the changes and train you and our employees on these changes, we will temporarily suspend the underwriting and payout of new business for one day - Tuesday 29 October) - and recommence on the morning of Wednesday 30 October. 

With immediate effect, any payout/delivery pack not yet received will need to follow the new process from Wednesday 30 October to comply. This will in many cases require the customer to be requoted (more information to follow tomorrow in this regard). Whilst we understand that business continuation is critical for both you and your customers, this is necessary to minimise the risk of non-compliance with the Court of Appeal decision, both for you and for us. Full details of the changes required will be communicated to you on Tuesday 29 October to enable you to make the necessary changes.

We apologise for the inconvenience that this will inevitably cause you and your customers. We can assure you that the decision was not taken lightly and we are looking to keep the disruption to an absolute minimum.

If you have any questions please contact your RDM.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,
Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner

This is a reminder to update the expected delivery dates for your orders in Icon.

To ensure the accuracy of our pipeline, it is critical that all delivery dates are up to date, in line with our operational procedures.

Please note, if any delivery date reflects May 2024 or earlier and is not updated, the Icon case will be marked as "Not Taken Up" (NTU).

Cases marked NTU will require you to restart the credit process from scratch.

To avoid any delays or disruptions, please log into Icon and update the delivery dates as soon as possible.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

If you have any questions, please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,
Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner

We are seeing several instances where the following policies are being breached. Please be reminded of our policies regarding Credit Validity and Vehicle Delivery:

Vehicle Delivery and Contract Activation:

Vehicles delivered more than 90 days after registration will be reviewed by Alphabet for contract activation at our discretion. Should they proceed, these vehicles will incur a reduction in residual value, and any associated costs will be passed on to the Broker, unless otherwise agreed prior.

Credit Validity:

Our credit validity is 90 days from acceptance. If documents are not signed within this period, the deal will need to be re-proposed. This rule is strictly enforced, with no exceptions.

We appreciate your prompt attention to adhering to these policies to avoid any delays in contract activation or additional costs.

If you have any questions, please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,
Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner

You may already be aware that you can now quote on Omoda in icon.

Please note Omoda have split their terms eligibility by product type. The corporate terms loaded into icon are available to Business Contract Hire orders for SME, Corporate and Salary Sacrifice customers only.

Any Personal Contract Hire orders should use the standard leasing terms in the ‘SCH’ column below and be overridden in icon. The quotes will also benefit from the dealer discount levels listed (see email communication).

If you have any questions please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner

Recently, we have observed a significant increase in error rates associated with proposal submissions, affecting our proposal set live efficiency.

These errors not only result in additional workload for all parties involved but also cause delays in setting deals live, which in turn impacts billing for the customer. Some of the common errors we are encountering include:

1. Selection of the current RFL year on a 23/24 registered stock unit.
2. Invoices showing discrepancies by large amounts, both in our favour and not in our favour.
3. Vehicles being delivered over 90 days from registration.
4. Missing copy invoices (we must always have a copy unless Agency payment, including Tactical offers).

When Alphabet must correct a quote, it results in a manual payout. This necessitates duplicating the quote with the amendments in our contract management system, which can take up to 20 minutes each time. This year, we have processed 471 contracts manually, resulting in 196 hours of work for our support team.

To streamline the process and avoid these issues, we kindly request your cooperation in reviewing and ensuring the accuracy of your proposals and making sure all delivery documents are loaded correctly the first time.

Where there is an invoice discrepancy in favour of the lessee of greater than £100.00, we will ask for this to be passed on to the customer. This may result in a full re-proposal of the deal.

Please may we take this opportunity to remind you that pre-registered vehicles, including tactical stock, must be delivered within 90 days. Should a unit be delivered outside this timeframe, please notify your Regional Manager.

Please be advised that repeated inaccuracy will be reflected negatively on the balance scorecard.

If you have any questions, please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,
Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner

We are writing to inform you about some important changes regarding the handling of third-party orders within the BMW Group Business Partnership Program. These changes are essential to maintaining the integrity of the program and ensuring we meet our regulatory requirements effectively. The below communication aligns with our recent communication to Retailers on this subject.

Effective Monday, 05 August, Alphabet will only accept business introduced to Retailers by Partners already under our regulatory supervision. As our valued Alphabet Partners, you will be eligible to take advantage of the supported business rates available through this channel.

It is important to outline the following contract obligations and operational processes which you must adhere to when placing an order via the BMW Group Business Partnership Program:

1. Fully disclose the existence of the Retailer and clearly explain their role in the distribution chain to your customers.
2. You must have a contract with any Retailer you work with, which must include:
3. Disclosure of any commission paid to you.
4. Confirmation that Alphabet has the right to audit deals and customer interactions directly where brokered.
5. Provide a copy of your signed order to the supplying Retailer, as all Retailers will be required to upload this to their credit proposal applications.
6. Support and enable Retailers to communicate directly with customers when there is a legitimate interest, such as setting up customer BMW app access.

We trust you understand that these changes are vital to maintaining our high standards of service and see the opportunities they present for you as an Alphabet Partner.

If you do not currently access the BMW Group Business Partnership Program and would like to find out more about how you could work with a local Retailer, please contact your Partner Regional Manager in the first instance.

Thank you for your cooperation and support. We look forward to continuing our successful partnership.

Kind regards,
Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

We would like to remind you of our position regarding the charging of fees for regulated customers, in line with Consumer Duty.

Charging of fees to regulated customers where we have paid you a commission:

As we are paying you a commission for introducing customers to us, you are not permitted to charge the customer any fees for the introduction or any other services covered by our commission.

This also applies to commission paid for vehicle extensions. As we pay a commission for this service, it is our expectation that no additional fees should be charged to the customer.

If you have any questions regarding this communication, please contact your Regional Manager as your first point of reference.

Thank you for your continued support.

Hollie Crumlish
Head of Alphabet Partner

Dear Alphabet Partner,

We have recently observed a concerning trend regarding the handling of quotes towards the end of Q1. Several quotes were generated and subsequently reused via the duplicate quote functionality, to maintain Q1 pricing. This practice is not in line with our agreed-upon standards. Therefore, we wish to formally define the following operational procedure regarding the misuse of the duplicate function in icon. This procedure is effective as of 23rd April 2024 onwards.

1. Batches of quotes are not to be run and duplicated without Alphabet’s permission.
2. Partners found to be generating batches of quotes without a specific end user to secure 28-day quote validity on previous quarter pricing will have their quotes invalidated.
3. Quotes progressed to the Proposal stage will require re-quoting and re-proposing. Failure to comply may result in any residual value losses being transferred to the Partner.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and your cooperation in adhering to the outlined procedure.

Kind regards,
Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

The default VED rates for 2024 are now loaded into Icon. If you have a vehicle scheduled for registration and delivery before April 6th 2024, kindly choose the 2023 VED rates from the drop-down menu available in the cost breakdown tab.

We will not be passing on the VED increase for differences on proposals submitted prior to the 6th April 2024. We will support this up until 5th September 2024, at which point the vehicle will need to be re-quoted.

Should you have any inquiries, please reach out to your RDM as the first point of contact.

Thank you for your continued support. 

Kind regards
Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

Occasionally when our Credit team are reviewing applications, they are unable to identify the UBO(s)/PSC(s) of the company. By law Alphabet are required to validate these details prior to continuing the application journey.

The request for this will be made via the Kanban notifications on individual cases. When you are asked for this information, please provide the form attached (this can be downloaded from the Microsite), making sure all details are completed and the form is signed by an authorised signatory.

Please return the form to SME Credit Management SMECreditManagement@alphabet.co.uk, with the following subject line:

UBO/ < Proposal Number > / < Proposed Business Name >

Please ensure you do not upload this to ICON or resubmit the proposal.

Please ensure that no further action is taken on this proposal until we have completed the UBO Identification task. This includes generating legal documents for signature. We will notify you once the process is complete.

Please follow these instructions to avoid any delays to underwriting decisions.

If you have any questions regarding this communication, please speak to your Regional Manager in the first instance.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

We are proactively implementing measures to meet our service level agreement for underwriting. Your support in this effort is crucial, and you can contribute by reviewing the accuracy of your proposals and providing any necessary additional information at first submission.

We often see the same proposal re-entering the queue, contributing significantly to the delays experienced in our processing timelines.

To address this issue, we want to highlight the following best practices that should be observed before submitting a proposal for the first time. Adhering to the below will enable our underwriters to thoroughly assess the application and potentially minimise additional information requests.

Application information to be provided:

• Latest draft or management accounts. These must be the full version ( inc. P&L and Balance Sheet).

Alphabet require up to date financials and accounts must be dated within the past 18 months.

• Directors personal guarantee (please consider lend amount and strength of business and offer where applicable)
• Last 3 Months business bank statements.
• Proof of ID.
• Proof of address for both business and director.
• For Sole Traders, please provide the customer’s latest tax return (SA100 inc. SA103), in the proposed customer’s name.
• For Partnerships, please provide the customer’s latest partnership tax return (SA800), in the proposed customer’s name.

It's important to note that, for business applications our underwriters evaluate the lend based on the strength of the business rather than focusing on the individuals named on the application. If you believe in the financial strength of the individuals involved, we encourage discussing the option of a director’s personal guarantee to support the business application. The inclusion of a director’s personal guarantor may prevent the need for a decline appeal.

Ensuring the accuracy of personal data, such as date of birth, email, and phone number, is vital to avoid application referrals. Please verify the correctness of these details. Use an email address specific to the signatory. In cases where the information on the application differs from Companies House or other records, be prepared to provide proof of the correct information.

Additionally, please be aware that our underwriters follow a queue system for fairness in processing. While we appreciate the importance of certain cases, requests for priority consideration will only be entertained in exceptional circumstances.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we work together to enhance the efficiency of our underwriting processes.

If you have any questions please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner

Happy New Year to you all!

This guide provides advice on possible scenarios which prevent a customer from signing online. 

Customer is not receiving the esign invitation email

• Please ensure the email address captured in the application is correct.
• Please ask the customer to check their junk/spam folders. The email is sent from alphabetdocs@alphabet.co.uk
• If the customer has not received the email, you can resend the link by using the pull/push functionality. Please ensure the customer uses the most recent link received as previous links will become invalid when a new invitation is sent.
• If the link is still not received, please provide an alternative email address for the customer and contact the Support Team who will update the proposal and prioritise the changes.
• If all the above has been attempted, please follow the bypass process.

Customer is seeing ‘Invalid Link’

• Please ensure customer is using the link sent on the most recent email – check the date/time that the last email was pushed.

Customer has signed but this has not fed back into Icon

• If there are 2 signers on the proposal, both must have signed before the proposal will move to esign success – you can copy and paste the URL that appears in the kanban notes into a browser to check if there are signatures on the agreement.
• Customer must make sure they are using the most recent link – any old link will not feed back into icon
• If the proposal has moved back to ‘refer’ after documents were sent, the customer will need to resign as this restarts the journey.

Service Temporarily Unavailable

• If the same email has been used for both signers on the proposal icon will give a ‘Service Temporarily Unavailable’ message. Each person must have an individual email address.

Authentication Fail / Gone for Manual Review

• Some of the main reason for failures are:
• Photo of a scan of the ID is being used rather than photo of the original
• Photo is not clear enough/information is missing.
• DOB is incorrect.
• Names do not match.

Please ensure all of the above is checked to rule out, then contact the Partner support team if required. 

The agreement is ‘stuck’ and the customer cannot click to sign/move forward

• This is likely to be an error on the customer’s end, maybe with their browser or device.
• Ask customer to refresh or re-attempt in a new session.
• The advice we have from scrive is:
  
  1. Try again while using the incognito/private mode in your browser 
  
  2. Try again using another web browser (e.g. Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome) 
  
  3. If possible, try using another device in order to rule out any local setting that could create the issue 
  
  4. Try again while using another network/internet connection. Firewalls implemented in some networks might block our signing services.

Customer rejected document

• If the customer rejected the agreement in error this can be pulled/pushed to the customer again for them to sign

If you have any questions please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner

We would like to bring to your attention that our eSign ceremony has a new process for creating eSign events for the signatories.

Whenever the eSign invitation is pulled or pushed a completely new link is created, meaning any previous links will be invalid and should not be used.

If for any reason you pull the documents and then re-push them to the eSign service, both signatories will need to sign the new document, even if one of the signatories had previously completed the eSign ceremony.

With this in mind, we recommend that you inform your customer to check their inbox and spam filters, before pulling and pushing documents to trigger new emails, which should avoid duplication of the eSign requirement.

If you have any questions please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Alphabet Partner Team

 

Dear Alphabet Partner

We are thrilled to confirm that Finance Lease for Regulated customers is now live in icon.

This can be quoted in the normal way under the existing Finance Lease product. You will now see Sole Trader and Small Partnerships within the customer selection.

The product has been reviewed in full to ensure it meets the needs of the target market and launches with fixed commission.

The product pricing and features mirror that of the unregulated offering. RFL is included for the full lease and sales proceeds remain at 1%.

Over the coming weeks your Regional Development Manager will provide training regarding the product features and below operational procedure.

Operational Procedure for Regulated Finance Lease:

It is Alphabet’s expectation that you document the customer’s end of contract intention as part of your affordability assessment.

This should be documented as part of the Demands and Needs Statement.

Alphabet will only underwrite proposals from Partners’ where the regulated customer’s intention is to settle the contract, pay their balloon and sell to a third party.

It is our expectation that you evidence this when asked and it will form part of the requirements for deal file validation back testing.

We have created a suite of training materials which can be found on our Microsite.

Please contact your Regional Development Manager should you have any questions regarding this communication.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

We are writing to confirm that your fixed commission structure is live in icon for Personal Contract Hire.

Updates will continue to take place over the next 24 hours, with the structures being loaded to Regulated Contract Hire.

Please note, when quoting Sole Traders or Small Partnerships you will need to use the product ‘Contract Hire Regulated’ from the drop down list.

All changes are due to be live in line with the Consumer Duty effective date of 31st July.

If you have any questions in relation to this communication, please speak to your Regional Manager in the first instance.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner

Please see an update below to the Operational Procedure outlined in the attached communication.

Please be advised we no longer require you to update the EDD once documents are signed. However, we do require you to keep the EDD accurate with a future date. Please note if you do not update your expected delivery dates (EDD) in icon, any orders that have an EDD over 90 days in the past will no longer be counted as an order.

Please be aware that if any orders that no longer appear as an order will be subject to residual values and cost of money at the point of set live.

Action

Please update any estimated delivery dates that are in the past. This should be an on-going practice.

If you have any questions with regards to the above communication, in the first instance please contact your RDM.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Partner,

We are writing to confirm our position regarding commission on regulated hire & leasing agreements in line with Consumer Duty, which will be effective for new business from 31st July this year onwards.

The following communication will outline our approach and expectation of you our Partners, who are the distributers of our financial products.

We will be moving to a fixed commission model for regulated customers. The total commission value will be inclusive of Scheme and CCR. These can be set at either a £ or % value, or combination of the two. At this stage, we require your feedback on the level of commission which would align with your own analysis of fair value. Please discuss your outline plan with your Regional Manager by Friday 23rd June 2023.

Once we have received all Partner feedback, we will communicate which level/model we will apply for your business. All our Partners operate very differently, and we are keen to accommodate a commission structure which works for you. However, to avoid complications relating to potential co-manufacturing, we would like to remind you that the final decision rests with us.

Once in place, we will operate your commission structure for a quarter. Part of your ongoing relationship with your Regional Manager will be to review this and set the next quarter’s commission.

Our plan is to enable you to have a structure that aligns with your definition of fair value. It is our expectation that this value is applied fairly across your funder panel. We will be unable to allow commission levels that are materially different from other funders. Please be advised our sales incentives are aimed at lowering customer rentals. Maintenance commission will continue to be paid at the current fixed amount.

Lastly, with regards to your charging of fees to regulated customers where we have paid you commission: As we are paying you a commission for introducing the customer to us, you cannot charge the customer a fee for the introduction or for any other service covered by our commission.

If you have any questions in relation to this communication, please speak to your Regional Manager in the first instance.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Richard Chadwick

Head of Indirect Sales

As part of our commitment to providing you with the highest levels of service, we are writing to let you know that we are making changes to the way we action your fines.



From the end of June, Alphabet are looking to transfer liability of all fines where possible, to allow our customers the full opportunity to pay or appeal any potential fines received directly with the issuing authority.



Please note that there are some Notices for which we are unable to transfer liability. These include Congestion Charging Notices, Railway Byelaw Notices, some Private Parking Operators, London Bus Lane fines and Toll Charges. 



In the event that we cannot transfer liability, Alphabet will make the payment on your behalf and will recharge the fine amount, in addition to an administration fee, to you. Our standard administration fee remains at £14.40 (inc. VAT) and is applied to any fine or notice received and processed.



What does this mean for me?



This means that if we receive a fine for your vehicle, we'll provide the address and name we hold on the system to the issuing authority, so they can liaise with your directly. Please note, it's your responsibility to ensure Alphabet holds your current address on file. If you need to amend your address, please send this to vehicleadmin@alphabet.com quoting your new address and registration number.



If you have any questions or concerns regarding these changes please make contact with us using the contact details below.

Regards



Alphabet

Tel: 0370 0120 334

Dear Alphabet Partner

Capital Balance Invoices

As of 7th April 2023, we will no longer accept capital balance invoices. Anything that is received after this date where the quote and invoice do not match will be rejected and require a re-quote. Please be aware that re-quotes will be subject to a fresh credit check. Therefore, it is imperative to get the quote correct the first time.

Supplementary Invoices

For vehicles that have non factory items fitted or have vehicle conversions, we require an original supplying invoice showing the equipment fitted with a breakdown of prices. Supporting documentation is not required for ply-lining. Please be reminded that all commercial vehicles must have ply fitted. 

Your invoice to us must show all options and these must be clearly listed in your icon quote via the DFA tab (this includes breakdowns for conversions).

If the invoice does not meet this criteria, the invoice will be rejected, and a re-quote will be required. Alphabet reserve the right to refuse pay out until a satisfactory supplementary invoice is provided.

In-life vehicle adaptations

Any in-life vehicle adaptations need to be pre-approved by Alphabet and notification and approval must be sent to driver.services@alphabet.co.uk. Any equipment that carries a warranty needs to be identified to Alphabet via the same address.

Proof of entitlement change

Some of our Partners purchase vehicles directly from dealers before handing the vehicle over to the customer. If you operate this policy, then Alphabet requires:

A receipted copy of the invoice from the supplying dealer to show payment in full. A copy of this invoice must be provided with your invoice to allow payment and allow title to pass to ourselves.

If you have any questions please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner

All customers referred for manual review by our underwriting team, with a non-statutory director, will be referred back to request a statutory director (as listed at Companies House) is added.

If the applicant firm confirms they require a delegated authority route, we will require the attached Letter of Authority to be completed and signed along with a copy of their UK passport or driving license.

This process can also be found on our microsite.

If you have any questions please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Partner,

As you will be aware, we have a responsibility to assess whether a financial product is affordable for a customer. Affordability should be discussed at the time of sale and consideration should be given to any known changes that might impact a customer’s ability to meet their payments in future. We require you to capture sufficient information to allow us to complete this assessment.

As a reminder:

You must not suggest or state, expressly or by implication, that credit is available regardless of the customer’s financial circumstances or status.

You must discuss affordability with the customer and the need for the customer to carefully consider their ability to meet the repayments, over the lifetime of the agreement, without undue difficulty. For example,

• Can the repayments be made on time while meeting other reasonable commitments or without having to borrow to meet the repayments?
• Can payments be made from income without having to realise security or assets?  Which may include future changes to their health and income, such as approaching retirement, planned maternity leave, or attaining a professional qualification. Also, changes to expenditure such as moving to a larger house or starting to pay school fees.

We will complete an affordability assessment and check credit history using the information provided to us by you.

What to do if the customer does indicate an upcoming change of circumstance?

If a customer indicates to you that they have a foreseeable change that may affect their application, in addition to confirming on the ‘Privacy Policy’ screen, you must put full details of the disclosed change in ICON for the Underwriting team to complete a proper assessment. You must then notify the Underwriting team of this at SMECreditManagement@alphabet.co.uk so they are aware of the note and can consider it whilst completing the credit review.

As a reminder this email is to be regarded as part of our Operating Procedures as detailed in your terms of business. If you have any questions regarding this communication, please speak to your Alphabet Regional/Development Manager.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Partner / Retailer,

As you know we are constantly reviewing and updating our processes and agreements. In doing so, we have identified an issue with the customer journey which means we are no longer able to accommodate electronically signed agreements that require a guarantor.

Moving forward, you will notice that if the proposal has been accepted with an indemnity (guarantor), a new guarantor form box will appear – there will be no functionality to e-sign the documents following the credit acceptance. 

This change will be made in ICON imminently - please see the screen shot below as to how the screen will be presented:

Dear Alphabet Partner,

You may have noticed an increase in vehicles not being quotable in icon. This can be for a number of reasons, however the recent surge is due to OEM order banks closing, price increases and discount reductions.

You currently email your RDM or the Partner Support team requesting for such vehicles to be switched back on. Going forward may we please ask that you email all requests to the support team- alphabetpartner@alphabet.co.uk and CC in your RDM. If this is requested before 4pm that day then we will aim to have this Live in icon by the following morning. This is subject to the data and residual values being available.

Please submit your requests with the following details

Manufacturer:

Model:

Model Year:

Reason for set live: i.e re-quote, pre-ordered stock.

If you have any questions please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

As of 1st April 2022 all proposal documentation will need to be uploaded into icon, including any subsequent appeals and cannot be sent to us via email attachments.

This is to ensure that the archiving and retention of customer data is consistent and in line with the BMW Group policy.

Any sensitive documentation that the end customer doesn’t want our Partners to be privy to will need to be password protected and uploaded into icon. Please then make your RDM aware and email them the password to send onto our credit team.

For decline appeals, please continue to email your RDM to notify them you have uploaded the relevant documentation into icon. They will then review the documentation and if they feel this is strong enough, they will appeal with Underwriting.

If you have any questions please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

We have pulled together some top tips to help you with document requirements.

As you know Alphabet’s preference is for customers to go through the e-sign process, however where this is not possible the bypass process can be followed.

Top Tips – ID documents

• Check they are in date – expired ID won’t be accepted.
• Provide colour copies wherever possible and include the back of driving licence.
• Ensure they are clear  and all information can be read
• Passports – ensure they are signed and include the signature page

Top Tips POA

• They must be dated within 90 days.
• Please refer to our list of accepted documents, if it’s not listed it won’t be accepted.
• Statements must show account number, sort code, customer name and address, and the financial institution it is from.
• Utility bills must show customer number/account number, customer name, address and the service provider
• All POA documents must be for the address on the application

As a reminder Alphabet documents list is shown below:

List 1 Acceptable Proofs of IdentityList 2 Acceptable Proofs of Address:

• Passport - signed
• UK Photo Card Driving Licence
• National Identity Card
• HM Forces ID card
• Firearms Certificate or Shotgun Licence
• Identity card issued by the Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland

These documents must show the customer’s current residential address and be dated within 90 days.

• Council tax bill/statement must be relevant to the customers residential address
• Utility bill (electric, gas, water, landline telephone, broadband) issued by a UK regulated provider - must be for service provision to the customers residential address
• Bank Statement – can be either branch or internet produced. (The statement must show the account name, sort code, account number and account holders address) must not be a business account
• Mortgage statement - must be relevant for the customers residential address.
• Entitlement to state or local authority-funded benefit (including housing and council tax benefit), tax credit, pension, educational or other grant

If you have any questions please contact your RDM or the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

We are pleased to share with you that we now have the Early Termination request form online and is Live to start using today!

You will find this on Alphabet’s website, please see the below link:

https://www.alphabet.com/en-gb/ending-your-contract-early

You can choose whether to use your own email address or the customers. The quotation will be sent to which ever email address is added.

We ask that all requests are sent via this avenue and any that are emailed to the Support team or your RDM will be directed to the website.

If you have any questions or queries please contact the Partner Support team.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

If you have any questions please contact the Alphabet Partner Team on 0370 5050 183 or e-mail alphabetpartner@alphabet.co.uk.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

Please remember that our acceptance validity is limited to 90 days! 

If E-sign has to be bypassed for the customer to sign and our Documents team notice that the agreement was signed 90 days after the approval, you will need to start the process again and re-propose the customer.

Please see below a reminder of our Expiry dates:

Dear Alphabet Partner,

Please see attached information on how to propose a business with a foreign based director.

On the second page you will also see information on how to request bypassing the E-sign in these scenarios.

The second attachment is the letter of authority template which we require to be used.

All of this information can be found on our microsite but please contact your RDM if you have any questions or queries.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

We have launched a new time saving process for MHA customers with Credit Lines. This will include any MHA customer with an approved credit line (credit lines are only required for total orders over £300k and are calculated on the total OTR price).

There is no need to propose the customers anymore, you simply quote in icon and our dedicated support team will produce the order schedule for you.

The Process

• Email the quote numbers into MHAschedules@alphabet.co.uk, (expired quote numbers cannot be used). For batches of the same quote we will only require one, and the number of units required.
• The team will confirm that credit is available, produce the order schedules and email these to you.
• Once the customer has signed, return to MHAschedules@alphabet.co.uk with an estimated delivery date (These must be returned within 90 days of the quote).
• Send delivery paperwork to the MHA inbox as soon as available (Vehicle invoice, AFRL, delivery note) so Alphabet can set the agreement live.

The dealer and commissions invoices will be paid within our normal time frames.

If you have any questions on a customer’s credit, please contact your RDM.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

As part of our ongoing review and improvement of our systems and processes we have highlighted some changes to the above and how our partners can assist us to manage this facility efficiently.

“Agency” and or “Direct Sale” has become increasingly common. It allows OEMs to debit monies directly from Alphabet which enables them to control pricing and distribution. However it opens us to the risk of paying for units with potentially no end customer.

In line with our Operational Procedures: We ask all our Partners to understand and adhere to the following when transacting on agency through our funding facility please:

• All vehicles to be registered no more than 24 hours before delivery wherever possible
• All details and terms/conditions to be confirmed with the supplying dealer on your purchase order
• Under no circumstance should a retailer register a vehicle/s to Alphabet in advance of a delivery to achieve any target related incentives
• If the order is cancelled after registration we will expect our Partner to advise Alphabet of the cancellation. We require our Partner to have a strategy in place in conjunction with the retailer concerned to re-sell the vehicle or arrange a full refund back to Alphabet for the cost of the vehicle at the earliest possible opportunity*
• When ordering the vehicle with your retailer please ensure that they are aware that these conditions regarding Agency Transaction that are applicable with all Alphabet orders.
• Alphabet will report on all Agency/DSP registrations and will advise all Partners which have any historic Agency registrations which are not ‘Live’ on our systems, we will expect Partners to prioritise any of these and ensure they are completed to ‘Live’ status

We are always looking at ways to improve our Proposition and we are very appreciative of your help and assistance with this facility, please contact your RDM for any further guidance 

*Alphabet reserve the right to invoice the Partner for the full cost of the vehicle or any associated losses incurred due to cancellation of the order, 90 days from registration

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

Over recent years we have received requests for some Corporate Customers to have an exception to providing a POA when a wet sign is required. 

We have reviewed this process and wish to standardise it going forward. This means the previous list is now redundant and only customers which have followed the process below will be approved. 

The new process is to simply send an email as below with all the boxes completed and include the declaration. This will be checked, logged and your RDM will email confirmation of approval: 

Please email your RDM:

Title of the email is the Customer’s Full Company Name 

Customer Name: 

Company Registration Number: 

Name of Director: 

POID Uploaded? 

How long have you dealt with this customer? 

Has someone from your company met them? 

If yes when was the last time? 

What due diligence have you carried out on the customer?

Declaration:  In line with your Operation Procedures I can confirm the information entered above is correct. 

I can confirm that we have no knowledge of any information about this customer or Director which could be of concern to Alphabet. 

If you have any questions regarding this please speak to your RDM who will be happy to guide you. 

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

 

Dear Alphabet Partner,

Please note the following instructions when quoting and proposing LCV Conversions:

• CONVERSIONS: Please provide full written details of the conversion specification, the supplier and the conversion cost by email to alphabetpartner@alphabet.co.uk to enable a review of any Residual Value impact.
• IMPORTANT: Please note that SMR budgets will cover the maintenance of the base vehicle but not the maintenance of the conversion equipment (e.g. Tail lift or Refrigerator units).
• On the initial quotation, add the conversion as a Dealer Fitted Accessory (DFA) with a specific description and the full cost.
• 4x4 Rear Load Bed Covers - Truckman Top & Hard Tonneau will benefit from an RV enhancement on request.
• 4x4 Rear Load Bed Covers - Roller Cover & Load Bed Liner will not require an RV amendment.
• (Racking does not affect the RV, therefore does not require review.)
• All Panel Vans must be fully Ply-Lined – this is mandatory

N.B. Alphabet will not fund Light Commercial Vehicles in excess of 3.5 tonnes. The only exceptions being some Minibus Conversions based on base vehicle models that are available to quote on ICON.

For more information please contact the Alphabet Partner Team on  0370 5050 183 or via e-mail at alphabetpartner@alphabet.co.uk.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Dear Alphabet Partner,

You may recall we sent a communication in December as a reminder of our rule around quoting pre-registered vehicles:

• The vehicle MUST be delivered within 90 days of the registration date without exception

Please ensure that this takes into account any cooling off period or customer delays with signing documentation. 

We have previously looked at applying RV amendments for units 91-180 days old. However these have caused billing delays which have impacted customers. For this reason we have taken the decision not to fund any vehicles delivered over 90 days from registration. 

If you have any questions regarding this please contact your RDM in the first instance.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards,

Alphabet Partner Team

Tachographs (Tachos) monitor driver behaviours and it is a statutory requirement that they are fitted to certain commercial vehicles. This policy is in relation to minibuses is as follows:

• Tachographs are manditory on all Mini Bus quotes.

Dear Alphabet Partner,

Due to import legislation relating to the recent Brexit deal, we have found that vehicles sourced from and registered on the UK mainland are subject to import duties if being delivered to Northern Ireland.

Therefore we recommend that you source a unit within the province for end users living in NI, as we cannot authorise delivery of mainland sourced vehicles to NI at this time.

We would also recommend that all retailers’ discounts are confirmed with each specific retailer, prior to quotation for any customers in Northern Ireland. These may be different to the standard Alphabet system discounts and therefore could result in an incorrect quotation.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to your customers and will update you of any progress on the issue.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind Regards,
Alphabet Partner Team