Not upheld: unfair recording of claim on CUE database complaint against UK Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr F complained that UKI unfairly recorded a claim against his home buildings insurance policy after he enquired about coverage for a plumber's call-out charge for a leaking bath tap. Mr F claimed he thought logging a claim was merely an administrative step to obtain information, not a formal claim. However, the ombudsman found that UKI's agent clearly explained twice that a claim would need to be set up to confirm coverage, and Mr F explicitly consented to this. The claim record was accurate, describing the leak and confirming no payment was made. The ombudsman concluded that UKI did not treat Mr F unfairly and did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that UKI's agent clearly communicated on more than one occasion that a claim would need to be set up to confirm coverage, and Mr F explicitly consented to this. The policy terms required Mr F to inform UKI of anything he needed to claim for or may need to claim for. The claim record was accurate and correctly reflected that no payment was made. Although Mr F did not have access to his policy terms at the time of the call, he did not request a copy and indicated during the call that he had read the terms. UKI is required by CUE to maintain accurate records of all claims and incidents reported, regardless of outcome.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website