Upheld: Service failures generally complaint against Sunlife Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr D complained to Sunlife Limited about unwanted communications regarding his funeral plan, beginning in 2017 with promotional material and continuing with annual statements he felt contained marketing elements. After multiple complaints and assurances, Sunlife agreed in summer 2018 to cease all non-legally required communications. However, Mr D received another letter in January 2019, prompting a further complaint. Sunlife offered £50 in vouchers which Mr D rejected. The ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding Sunlife's service fell short given the complaint duration, repeated assurances, and sensitive nature of the product. The ombudsman ordered £200 compensation and confirmed implementation of full communication suppression on Mr D's account.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Sunlife's service fell short of expectations given the duration of Mr D's complaints (since 2017), the repeated assurances made (particularly in summer 2018), and the sensitive nature of the funeral plan. The fact that Mr D received another letter in January 2019 despite the agreed suppression demonstrated a failure to implement their own internal instructions. The initial £50 voucher offer was insufficient given these circumstances. The ombudsman considered the emotional impact on Mr D and the repeated breach of his clearly stated wishes.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website