Partially upheld: claim decline and service errors in claim handling complaint against Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr N claimed on his travel insurance policy for a phone lost whilst abroad. Admiral declined the claim because Mr N could not provide a police report or sufficient written confirmation that he reported the loss within 24 hours as required by the policy terms. The ombudsman found the claim decline was fair but identified service errors in how Admiral handled the claim, including providing inconsistent information and incorrectly raising Mr N's expectations about settlement. The ombudsman upheld the complaint in part, directing Admiral to increase compensation from £80 to £180 to reflect the distress and inconvenience caused by these service failures.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Admiral fairly declined the claim because Mr N failed to provide sufficient evidence that he reported the loss within 24 hours as required by the policy terms. The email statement was insufficient as it did not identify the individual or confirm the timing of the report. However, Admiral made service errors by providing inconsistent information, incorrectly raising expectations about provisional settlement, and not being clear about required information. These errors caused distress and inconvenience that warranted increased compensation beyond the £80 already offered.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website