Not upheld: Account administration errors complaint against Vitality Health Insurance Limited
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-0143150 of 2016-11-21T00:00:00+00:00. Account administration errors complaint against Vitality Health Insurance Limited. Outcome: Not upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-0143150 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2016-11-21T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Vitality Health Insurance Limited |
| Product | Other regulated product |
| Claim type | Account administration errors |
| Outcome | Not upheld |
| Remedy | None. The ombudsman did not uphold the complaint and did not require Vitality to take any action. |
Summary
Mr L complained that Vitality's rewards programme was unfair because he could not earn points for swimming without a fitness tracker and his wife could not earn points for attending a non-partner gym. The ombudsman found that Vitality had the right to set these requirements as part of its commercial judgment in operating the rewards programme. Since the same rules applied equally to all members, the ombudsman concluded there was no unfair treatment and did not uphold the complaint.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman accepted that it is within Vitality's legitimate commercial judgment to decide how to operate its rewards programme, including setting requirements for fitness tracking devices and partner gym participation. The ombudsman found that while Mr L was frustrated by not earning maximum points, this was not unfair treatment because the same rules applied equally to all members. The ombudsman therefore concluded there was no basis to require Vitality to change its programme.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Vitality Health Insurance Limited, all decisions | 15 | 30% |
| Account administration errors, all decisions | 25,844 | 25% |
| Other regulated product, all decisions | 51,105 | 30% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website