Not upheld: claims handling - poor communication and service delays complaint against Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6209023 of 2026-04-27T00:00:00+00:00. claims handling - poor communication and service delays complaint against Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited. Outcome: Not upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6209023 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-04-27T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited |
| Product | car insurance |
| Claim type | claims handling - poor communication and service delays |
| Outcome | Not upheld |
| Remedy | No additional remedy ordered. The £150 compensation already paid by Admiral was deemed reasonable. |
Summary
Miss P complained about Admiral's handling of her car insurance claim following a September 2025 collision. She experienced a four-hour recovery delay and received contradictory information about whether her car would be settled as a total loss or repaired. Admiral upheld the complaint and paid £150 compensation, but Miss P believed this was insufficient. The ombudsman found that while Admiral made communication errors, the claim was handled promptly overall with repairs authorised within one week, and the £150 compensation was reasonable and in line with similar awards.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that while Admiral made errors in communication and caused the four-hour recovery delay, the overall claim was handled promptly with a one-week turnaround to authorisation of repairs. The communication failures were resolved relatively quickly. The £150 compensation was considered reasonable and in line with awards given in similar circumstances, taking into account the duration and nature of the inconvenience caused.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited, all decisions | 1,923 | 44% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website