Not upheld: claims handling and alleged engineer error complaint against Domestic & General Insurance Plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs B claimed on a household warranty for a faulty washing machine and incurred £60 in laundrette costs during the nine-day repair period involving three engineer visits. She alleged one engineer incorrectly refitted the filter, causing prolonged drainage issues, and complained about being given a later appointment date than she could arrange herself. The ombudsman found the policy clearly excluded costs from not being able to use the product and that engineers' notes did not support any error by D&G, therefore the complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found the policy was clear in excluding costs from not being able to use the washing machine. More importantly, the ombudsman examined whether D&G made any error that could trigger liability beyond policy cover. The engineers' notes did not support Mrs B's allegation that a filter was incorrectly refitted, and there was no evidence of any engineer error. Therefore, D&G did not unreasonably add to the distress and inconvenience caused by the machine breakdown.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website