Not upheld: Travel / life insurance claim disputes complaint against Xbridge Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs M complained that Xbridge Limited (trading as Simply Business) mis-sold her a landlord insurance policy because she could not see the Statement of Fact until after the sale was completed, allegedly breaching FCA e-commerce rules. During the quotation process, Mrs M answered 'No' to a question about whether she had ever had a county court judgment (CCJ), but the insurer later discovered she had and voided the policy when she made a claim in 2024. The ombudsman found that although Mrs M could not view the Statement of Fact before purchase, she had at least 9 days before cover started to review it and correct any inaccuracies, and the Schedule explicitly warned her to do so. The ombudsman concluded that Xbridge provided clear information and adequate opportunity for Mrs M to identify and correct the error, and therefore did not treat her unfairly.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Xbridge, acting as a non-advised intermediary, was required to provide clear, fair and not misleading information. The CCJ question was clear and Mrs M answered it incorrectly. Although Mrs M could not see the Statement of Fact before purchase, she had at least 9 days before cover started to review it and correct any inaccuracies, and the Schedule explicitly warned her to do so. Similarly, before the 2023 renewal, Mrs M had ample time to access and review the Statement of Fact. The ombudsman concluded that Xbridge provided adequate opportunity for Mrs M to identify and correct the error before cover commenced and before renewal.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website