Not upheld: Other regulated complaint complaint against Qmetric Group Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr H complained that a before the event legal expenses insurance policy sold by Policy Expert in September 2022 was mis-sold because he was not made clear that the cover did not include during the event or after the event insurance. The policy was sold online on a non-advised basis alongside home insurance. Mr H later made claims which were not covered and complained that Policy Expert had not clearly explained the limitations of the cover. The ombudsman found that Mr H was presented with sufficient information through the IPID, policy wording and demands and needs statement, and that he had further clarified the type of cover in a telephone call with Policy Expert on the same day of purchase. Since Mr H did not cancel the policy after this clarification and did not indicate he would have purchased different cover, the ombudsman did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Mr H was presented with enough information to understand the type of cover he was taking out through the IPID, policy wording and demands and needs statement. Even if this information was not sufficiently clear, Mr H clarified the type of cover in a telephone call with Policy Expert on the same day of purchase, during which the representative explained that the policy covered events after the start date and did not cover pre-existing disputes. Mr H did not cancel the policy following this call, indicating he was satisfied with the cover. Additionally, Mr H did not indicate he would have purchased different cover (such as after the event insurance) if the information had been clearer, and the free nature of the policy compared to expensive after the event insurance suggests this was not the type of cover he was seeking.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website