Upheld: poor claim handling, service failures complaint against AWP P&C S.A.

Decision detail

Summary

Ms S complained about AWP's handling of her roadside assistance claim following a motorway breakdown in April 2025. She had to call multiple times before AWP arranged a taxi home, waited until midnight for collection, and faced impractical initial arrangements. AWP acknowledged their service fell short and offered £350 compensation, which Ms S considered insufficient at £800. The Ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding that while AWP caused unnecessary delays and inconvenience through poor handling, they ultimately fulfilled their policy obligations and the £350 compensation appropriately reflected the additional distress caused by their failures rather than the breakdown itself.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

Although AWP could have arranged the taxi earlier and should not have expected Ms S to retrieve her car from the first garage, they ultimately fulfilled their policy obligations by arranging her return home the same night and later agreeing to deliver the car to her local area. AWP's failures caused unnecessary delays (approximately 2 hours) and inconvenience through multiple required calls, missed callbacks, and impractical initial arrangements. However, some distress was caused by the breakdown itself rather than AWP's handling. The £350 compensation appropriately reflects the additional unnecessary distress and inconvenience caused by AWP's poor claim handling, while not holding AWP responsible for consequences of the breakdown itself such as the missed work shift.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website