Not upheld: Service failures generally complaint against SunLife Limited
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6345401 of 2026-06-30T00:00:00+00:00. Service failures generally complaint against SunLife Limited. Outcome: Not upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6345401 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-06-30T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | SunLife Limited |
| Product | Life / income protection |
| Claim type | Service failures generally |
| Outcome | Not upheld |
| Remedy | No further remedy required. SunLife's offer of three gift cards (totalling £375, though Mr B requested £420 for all six) as a gesture of goodwill is deemed fair and reasonable. Mr B has already received these three gift cards. |
Summary
Mr B complained that SunLife unfairly refused to provide promotional gift cards for all six life insurance policies he took out in September 2025, offering only three as a gesture of goodwill. The ombudsman found that SunLife's terms and conditions explicitly reserved the right to limit gifts per customer and refuse gifts to customers with previously cancelled policies. Mr B had cancelled six previous policies with SunLife between 2021 and 2024. Although the ombudsman acknowledged SunLife's contradictory explanations added to Mr B's frustration, it found the company had reasonable grounds to exercise its contractual discretion and that the three gift cards already provided constituted a fair resolution. The complaint was not upheld.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that SunLife had reasonable grounds to refuse the gift cards based on the terms and conditions which explicitly reserved discretion to limit gifts per customer and refuse gifts to customers with previously cancelled policies. The promotion was aimed at customers opening a single new plan, not multiple plans. While the ombudsman acknowledged SunLife's explanations were contradictory and caused upset, the three gift cards already provided as a gesture of goodwill represented a fair resolution. The gift card was ancillary to the main life assurance contract, and SunLife's key responsibilities related to the insurance product itself, which were not shown to be deficient.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| SunLife Limited, all decisions | 7 | 14% |
| Service failures generally, all decisions | 34,229 | 32% |
| Life / income protection, all decisions | 10,722 | 20% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website