A. The employees and authorized representatives of vendors may sell or offer portable electronics insurance to customers and shall not be subject to licensure as insurance agents under any other provision of the Insurance Code, provided that:

(1) the vendor obtains a limited agent's license to authorize its employees or authorized representatives to sell or offer portable electronics insurance and complies with the provisions of the Portable Electronics Insurance Act;

(2) the insurer issuing the portable electronics insurance either directly supervises or appoints a supervising entity to supervise the administration of the program, including development of a training program for employees and authorized representatives of the vendors. The training:

(a) shall be delivered to employees and authorized representatives of vendors who are directly engaged in the activity of selling or offering portable electronics insurance;

(b) may be provided in electronic form, provided that the supervising entity implements a supplemental education program regarding the portable electronics insurance product that is conducted and overseen by licensed employees of the supervising entity; and

(c) shall provide to each employee and authorized representative of a vendor basic instruction about the portable electronics insurance offered to customers and the disclosures required by the Portable Electronics Insurance Act; and

(3) employees or authorized representatives of a vendor of portable electronics shall not advertise, represent or otherwise hold themselves out as nonlimited lines licensed insurance producers.

B. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, employees or authorized representatives of a vendor shall not be compensated based primarily on the number of customers enrolled for portable electronics insurance coverage but may receive compensation for activities under the limited agent's license that is incidental to their overall compensation.

C. The charges for portable electronics insurance coverage may be billed and collected by the vendor. Any charge to an enrolled customer for coverage that is not included in the cost associated with the purchase or lease of portable electronics or related services shall be separately itemized on the enrolled customer's bill. If the portable electronics insurance coverage is included with the purchase or lease of portable electronics or related services, the vendor shall clearly and conspicuously disclose to the enrolled customer that the portable electronics insurance coverage is included with the portable electronics or related services. Vendors billing and collecting such charges shall not be required to maintain such funds in a segregated account; provided that the vendor is authorized by the insurer to hold such funds in an alternative manner and remits such amounts to the supervising entity within sixty days of receipt. All funds received by a vendor from an enrolled customer for the sale of portable electronics insurance shall be considered funds held in trust by the vendor in a fiduciary capacity for the benefit of the insurer. Vendors may receive compensation for billing and collection services.

History: Laws 2013, ch. 140, § 8.

Effective dates. — Laws 2013, ch. 140, § 14 made Laws 2013, ch. 140, § 8 effective July 1, 2013.