Upheld: poor claims handling, inadequate diagnosis, service failures, property damage, professional misconduct complaint against Inter Partner Assistance SA
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6353825 of 2026-05-12T00:00:00+00:00. poor claims handling, inadequate diagnosis, service failures, property damage, professional misconduct complaint against Inter Partner Assistance SA. Outcome: Upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6353825 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-05-12T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Inter Partner Assistance SA |
| Product | home emergency insurance |
| Claim type | poor claims handling, inadequate diagnosis, service failures, property damage, professional misconduct |
| Outcome | Upheld |
| Remedy | IPA must pay: (1) £100 for minor property damage; (2) £306 for increased electricity usage; (3) £300 total compensation for distress and inconvenience (£150 already paid, so £150 additional payment required) |
Summary
Mr I complained about IPA's handling of a home emergency insurance claim for a boiler failure in January 2025. After an initial visit on 19 January 2025 identified a dangerous boiler, four visits in total were required over three weeks before repairs were completed on 11 February 2025, with inadequate initial diagnosis, property damage, and unprofessional conduct by engineers. The ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding IPA should have properly diagnosed and resolved the issue within days rather than weeks during winter. IPA was ordered to pay £100 for property damage, £306 for increased electricity costs (calculated as the difference between January's £666 bill and average monthly costs of £360), and £300 total compensation for distress and inconvenience.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that IPA failed to handle the emergency claim appropriately. The boiler's poor condition should have enabled proper diagnosis during the first visit on 19 January 2025, yet multiple subsequent visits were required, indicating inadequate initial assessment. IPA provided no compelling evidence to support its claim that further issues only became apparent after the first part replacement. The prolonged claim period during winter, combined with service failures including property damage and unprofessional engineer conduct, caused significant distress to an elderly customer. While Mr I's full electricity cost claim of £519.26 was not proportionate (as some energy usage would have occurred regardless), the ombudsman calculated a fair additional cost of £306 based on the difference between January 2025 costs (£666) and average monthly costs (£360). The compensation of £300 already offered by IPA was deemed fair and reasonable for the distress and inconvenience caused.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Inter Partner Assistance SA, all decisions | 1,640 | 41% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website