Not upheld: damage to vehicle during breakdown recovery service complaint against Liverpool Victoria Insurance Company Limited trading as Britannia Rescue

Decision detail

Summary

Ms C complained that LV damaged her hybrid electric car by incorrectly jump-starting it during a breakdown recovery call on 21 August 2025, resulting in a blown 120 amp fuse with repair costs exceeding £500. The garage's diagnostic report noted the fuse was blown due to an incorrect jump-start, and the recovery operator stated Ms C had asked about accessing the battery. However, Ms C disputed that any jump-start attempt occurred before LV's attendance and argued it would have been illogical. The ombudsman found that Ms C failed to demonstrate on the balance of probabilities that LV caused the blown fuse and therefore did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman accepted the garage report's statement that the fuse was blown due to an incorrect jump-start but noted the report did not explain its conclusion. The recovery operator's account that Ms C asked about battery access clips suggested she or someone with her may have attempted a jump-start. Although Ms C denied that any jump-start occurred before LV's attendance and argued it would have been illogical, she did not deny asking about the clips. The ombudsman concluded that Ms C failed to demonstrate on the balance of probabilities that LV caused the blown fuse.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website