Not upheld: claims handling failure - failure to provide courtesy car in timely manner and poor communication complaint against Advantage Insurance Company Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr T complained to Advantage Insurance about poor handling of his motor insurance claim, specifically the failure to provide a courtesy car promptly following a repair appointment and inadequate communication during the week-long delay. The delay was caused by unavailability of vehicles from the repairer and hire car provider due to high demand following extreme weather, and Mr T had to spend four hours chasing Advantage for updates. The delay significantly impacted Mr T's ability to work, manage family responsibilities, and exacerbated a pre-existing medical condition. Advantage initially offered £350 compensation, later increased to £500, but Mr T sought £850. The ombudsman upheld Advantage's offer as fair and reasonable, finding it at the higher end of the compensation scale despite acknowledging the genuine distress and inconvenience caused.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman acknowledged that while the failure to provide a courtesy car was a breach of a core policy benefit and caused genuine distress and inconvenience to Mr T, the compensation offered by Advantage was fair and reasonable. The ombudsman noted that although the delay was outside Advantage's direct control, the firm should have made alternative arrangements. The ombudsman considered the impact on Mr T's personal, professional, and health circumstances, but determined that when compared to other complaints with longer delays and more challenging circumstances, the £500 award was at the higher end of the compensation scale and therefore appropriate.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website