Upheld: poor quality repairs, claims handling delays, unfair claim denial complaint against Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6318332 of 2026-05-14T00:00:00+00:00. poor quality repairs, claims handling delays, unfair claim denial complaint against Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited. Outcome: Upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6318332 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-05-14T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited |
| Product | motor insurance |
| Claim type | poor quality repairs, claims handling delays, unfair claim denial |
| Outcome | Upheld |
| Remedy | Admiral must cover the cost of all repairs on the Garage B estimate except the roof panel respray, pay Mr C a further £100 compensation (total £425 for inconvenience and stress), and reimburse the cost of Mr C's independent assessment upon evidence being provided |
Summary
Mr C claimed on his motor insurance policy after an accident in August 2025. Admiral's approved repairer completed unsatisfactory repairs, leading Mr C to obtain a rectification estimate from Garage B. Admiral's independent assessor and Mr C's own independent inspection disagreed on which repairs were accident-related or caused by the poor initial work. Admiral initially refused to cover all repairs, but the ombudsman found Admiral had not provided conclusive evidence to fairly decline coverage. The ombudsman upheld the complaint, requiring Admiral to cover all repairs except the roof panel respray, pay additional compensation of £100 (total £425), and reimburse the independent assessment costs.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that both independent assessments took place after the substandard rectification work, making it impossible to determine with certainty whether damage was accident-related, caused by the initial repairer, or pre-existing. Since Admiral had not provided conclusive evidence to fairly decline covering the repairs, and the initial substandard work was caused by Admiral's approved repairer, the ombudsman upheld the complaint. The dispute about which work to cover resulted in ongoing delays, compounding the poor service.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited, all decisions | 1,935 | 44% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website