Scheme Policy

1. Scope of Policy

This policy refers to all eligible participants of Drive AZ, AstraZeneca's All Employee Car Purchase Scheme.

The AstraZeneca Fleet Manager responsible for the management of Drive AZ must approve any variation from this policy, in writing. The policy and related procedures are under the ownership of AstraZeneca Finance Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca UK Ltd (AZUK). AstraZeneca Finance will be commonly referred to as AstraZeneca Advantage Cars (AZAC).

2. Fleet Management

The Drive AZ Team at GE Commercial Finance Fleet Services (GECFFS) will be the first point of contact for all administration, procurement, sale and delivery of all vehicles purchased through the scheme.

The AZAC Fleet Manager is responsible for negotiating the terms of the contract with any third party provider and for managing on-going Service Level Agreements.

3. Eligibility of Drive AZ: Eligible participants include all full-time, part-time, contractual staff and pensioners of AstraZeneca UK. This eligibility extends to include two additional cars per family per annum, proof of employment must be provided when purchasing through the scheme.

4. Scheme Operation

All cars ordered through Drive AZ will be purchased via GECFFS either by cash, a full repayment loan or a loan with a final payment or buy-back option, these loans will be offered by GE Money.

A sourcing fee will be charged per transaction for the use of the scheme, the current charges will be displayed at all times on the Drive AZ website or the Drive AZ Newsletter.

4.1 Creating a Quotation and Placing an Order

All new cars obtained through the Drive AZ Scheme will be purchased either by first requesting a quotation on the driveaz.co.uk website, using the Drive AZ passcode quoted in the Drive AZ Newsletter or by a telephone request to the Drive AZ call centre at GE on tel. 0870 600 8998.

The price quoted by the website will be verified by the Drive AZ call centre prior to the order being placed and will not be fixed until the paperwork is signed by the customer and returned to GE.

4.2 Vehicle Supply & Delivery

An estimated delivery date will be provided at the time the vehicle is ordered. This may however change if the manufacturing schedule changes. The Drive AZ call centre will advise the customer of any changes to the scheduled delivery date as and when the supplying dealer informs them.

Please note:
It is out of the control of GE or Drive AZ if the manufacturer reschedules production of the vehicle on order and this causes a delay to the delivery. Every endeavour will be made to ensure the customer is kept fully informed.

4.3 Vehicle Excise Duty & Insurance

You will be asked to provide an insurance cover note to allow the dealership to tax your car prior to delivery. Fully comprehensive insurance cover is mandatory for all purchases utilising a GE loan or buyback.

All new vehicles are supplied with the first 12-months vehicle excise duty; you are wholly responsible for insuring the vehicle. The registration document will be forwarded to your home address by the DVLA and you will be responsible for future taxation cover.

The VO5 Vehicle Registration Document will be in the name of the vehicle owner c/o GE Commercial Finance Fleet Services at the address of the owner, this is a requirement of the vehicle manufacturers to enable them to offer 'corporate discounts' to the scheme.

4.4 Maintenance & Warranties: Drive AZ does not currently offer any maintenance packages. Your new vehicle will however be supplied with full manufacturers warranty. (An EEC ruling in January 2004 states maintenance can be undertaken at any service outlet without affecting the validity of the warranty).

5. Buy-Back Agreements

Customers will be contacted, by letter, three months before the expiry of their contract. They will be offered three options:

Make the final buyback payment and keep the car
Return the car and purchase a new vehicle through Drive AZ
Return the car and walk away

It is important that if you change your address you inform GE. AstraZeneca will not automatically do this for you.

6. Leaving AstraZeneca: If you leave the employment of AstraZeneca you are still responsible for making the payments on your vehicle purchase directly to GE Money. AstraZeneca will not be responsible for any debts that occur on your account.

7. The Drive AZ Mission: The Drive AZ mission is simple; we aim to give all our customers the best possible value for money and quality of service. This starts from the minute you contact the call centre or ask for an online quotation, and extends throughout the whole life of your Drive AZ Car. Drive AZ will be always be available to support you with your purchase.