Partially upheld: claim handling — communication failure and storage cost liability complaint against Astrenska Insurance Limited trading as Collinson Insurance

Decision detail

Summary

Mr S complained about Astrenska's handling of his breakdown insurance claim when his car broke down abroad. After declining repairs, Mr S requested repatriation information but discovered the garage had moved his car to storage without proper communication from Astrenska, causing him distress and uncertainty about the car's location. Astrenska acknowledged communication failures and offered to pay storage costs from 1 September to 11 September 2025. The ombudsman upheld the complaint in part, finding Astrenska's offer fair but rejecting claims for earlier storage costs and distress compensation, as Mr S bore primary responsibility for the car after declining repairs and there was insufficient evidence it was unavailable before 1 September 2025.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while Mr S's policy did not cover repatriation or storage costs, Astrenska bore some responsibility for ensuring accurate information flow from the garage. However, the ombudsman determined that most storage costs accrued because Mr S did not collect the car after declining repairs, and there was insufficient evidence the car was unavailable before 1 September 2025. Astrenska's acceptance of liability for storage costs from 1 September to 11 September 2025 was deemed fair, as the ombudsman found the car was genuinely unavailable during that period. The ombudsman rejected a separate award for distress and inconvenience, finding the inconvenience fell within the reasonable level expected from a breakdown claim abroad.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website