Partially upheld: poor claim handling, service failure, incorrect salvage disposal, vehicle valuation dispute complaint against Ageas Insurance Limited
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6244287 of 2026-04-22T00:00:00+00:00. poor claim handling, service failure, incorrect salvage disposal, vehicle valuation dispute complaint against Ageas Insurance Limited. Outcome: Partially upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6244287 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-04-22T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Ageas Insurance Limited |
| Product | car insurance |
| Claim type | poor claim handling, service failure, incorrect salvage disposal, vehicle valuation dispute |
| Outcome | Partially upheld |
| Remedy | Ageas Insurance Limited is directed to pay Ms M £450 for distress and inconvenience caused by poor claim handling. If any compensation has already been paid, only the outstanding amount is due. |
Summary
Ms M complained to the FOS about Ageas's handling of her car insurance claim following an incident. The complaint involved three main issues: the valuation of her car at £4,395, incorrect disposal of the salvage, and poor claim handling with inadequate communication. The ombudsman found the valuation was fair as it exceeded the highest valuation guide value despite Ms M's claims about rare features adding value. The ombudsman upheld the complaint regarding claim handling, finding Ageas's poor communication and incorrect salvage disposal caused Ms M distress and inconvenience. The ombudsman directed Ageas to pay £450 compensation for the claim handling failures while maintaining the £4,395 valuation and £600 compensation for salvage disposal as appropriate.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman applied standard valuation guides used by the FOS to assess whether Ageas's offer was fair. Since Ageas's offer of £4,395 exceeded the highest valuation guide value of £4,277, the valuation was deemed fair despite Ms M's claims about rare features. The ombudsman found that maintenance and repairs do not increase vehicle value. However, the ombudsman upheld the complaint regarding claim handling, finding that Ageas's poor communication, failure to respond efficiently, and incorrect disposal of salvage without consent caused Ms M distress and inconvenience, warranting compensation of £450.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Ageas Insurance Limited, all decisions | 3,005 | 40% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website