Upheld: Travel / life insurance claim disputes complaint against Assurant General Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Miss J claimed on her mobile phone insurance policy with Assurant after losing her phone in November 2025. Assurant declined the claim because Miss J was not the registered owner, as the phone had been gifted to her by a family member. Miss J provided extensive evidence including correspondence from the family member confirming the gift, phone specifications, proof of delivery, and consistent testimony. The ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding that Assurant acted unfairly by declining the claim without clearly communicating what evidence would establish ownership in the circumstances of a gifted device, and directed Assurant to reassess the claim against the remaining policy terms.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while it is reasonable for Assurant to request proof of ownership, Miss J had provided compelling and consistent testimony backed up by substantial evidence. The ombudsman considered it unfair to penalise Miss J for not being able to provide airtime provider documentation when she had only owned the phone for two days before loss. The ombudsman also found that Assurant failed to clearly communicate what evidence would be required to establish ownership in the circumstances of a gifted phone, and therefore did not act fairly and reasonably in declining the claim.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website