Not upheld: service failure / negligent repair work resulting in personal injury complaint against UK Insurance Limited trading as Direct Line

Decision detail

Summary

Mr M complained that repairers instructed by UKI left broken glass in his car following a repair in August 2024. In November 2025, he cut his finger on this glass and complained to UKI, which acknowledged the error and offered £250 compensation. Mr M sought approximately £2,000, arguing the injury had exacerbated a pre-existing condition. The ombudsman found that while the repairers' failure to properly clean the car was a mistake, the resulting injury was minor, required no medical treatment, and has fully healed with only a faint scar. The ombudsman upheld UKI's offer of £250 as reasonable compensation for the short-term pain and discomfort, rejecting the higher claim as disproportionate.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

While the ombudsman acknowledged that repairers should return cars free from hazardous objects and that glass being left was a mistake, the injury sustained was relatively minor. The cut did not require medical treatment, appears to have fully healed, and left only a small faint scar likely to fade. The ombudsman considered that £250 compensation was reasonable for short-term pain and discomfort, and that a substantially higher award would only be appropriate where errors caused substantial distress over a sustained period, which was not the case here.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website