Not upheld: Motor insurance, claim handling complaint against UK Insurance Limited (UKI)

Decision detail

Summary

Mr and Mrs K complained to UKI about poor workmanship and communication regarding a water damage claim made in September 2025. UKI issued responses on 8 December 2025 and 10 February 2026, paying a total of £350 in compensation and arranging for an in-house assessor to review the works. Mr and Mrs K brought the complaint to FOS in February 2026, arguing that UKI's response was not clearly marked as final and that subsequent issues should be considered. The ombudsman found that the responses were sufficiently clear as final responses under FOS rules and that matters after 10 February 2026 could not be considered without first being raised with UKI. The ombudsman concluded that UKI's compensation and proposed remedial actions were reasonable and did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the FOS jurisdiction rules which limit consideration to matters up to the date of the firm's final response to the complaint. The letters dated 8 December 2025 and 10 February 2026 constituted responses to the complaint, even though they did not include the word 'final', as they provided information about how to escalate to FOS and the six-month timeframe. Mr and Mrs K had not raised a formal complaint with UKI about matters after 10 February 2026, so the ombudsman could not consider those issues. Regarding the matters up to 10 February 2026, the ombudsman found UKI's compensation award of £350 total and its decision to arrange an in-house assessor review to be reasonable and fair.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website