Not upheld: claim declined - insufficient evidence complaint against Zurich Insurance Company Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs C claimed on her travel insurance policy for a lost phone and a stolen jacket while on holiday abroad in 2025. Zurich declined the claim on the basis that the circumstances were not covered under the policy terms. The ombudsman found that while Mrs C's explanation about the police refusing to issue a report for the phone was plausible, she failed to provide any substantive supporting evidence of the losses as required by the policy. For the phone, she could not prove ownership and did not provide CCTV footage or evidence of contacting the network provider. For the jacket, while she proved ownership, she provided no evidence of theft or notification to authorities. The ombudsman upheld Zurich's decision to decline the claim as fair and reasonable, noting that insurers are entitled to require supporting evidence when assessing claims.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the test of whether the claim falls under agreed areas of cover within the policy. The policy clearly requires notification to police within 24 hours and provision of a written police report for losses. While the ombudsman found Mrs C's explanation about the police refusing to issue a report plausible, Mrs C failed to provide any substantive supporting evidence of the losses. For the phone, she could not prove ownership (no receipt), did not contact the network provider, and did not provide CCTV footage. For the jacket, she provided proof of ownership but no evidence of theft or notification to authorities. The ombudsman concluded that without supporting evidence, it was fair and reasonable for Zurich to decline the claim in accordance with the policy terms.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website