Not upheld: Account administration errors complaint against Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr H complained about Admiral's automatic renewal of his home insurance policy and the associated credit agreement, claiming insufficient notice and mis-selling of credit. Following an unsuccessful premium collection attempt, he incurred charges and adverse credit file information. The ombudsman found that Admiral provided adequate notice of auto-renewal at inception and prior to renewal, disclosed credit agreement information appropriately via an FCA-compliant online portal, and sent reasonable post-missed-payment communications. Although Mr H alleged record-keeping inaccuracies and direct debit scheme breaches, the ombudsman found no demonstrable loss or detriment and declined to uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Admiral satisfied FCA requirements for durable medium through its interactive website portal with secure login and personal address notification. Auto-renewal notice was provided fairly at inception and prior to renewal in line with regulatory expectations. Post-missed-payment communications were appropriate and not disproportionate. While record-keeping discrepancies and potential direct debit scheme issues were noted, no actual loss or detriment to Mr H was identified, and the ombudsman clarified it is not the regulator's role to punish businesses absent demonstrable harm.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website