Partially upheld: poor claim handling, delay in claim processing, failure to follow customer communication preferences, inaccurate record-keeping complaint against Advantage Insurance Company Limited
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6363999 of 2026-05-15T00:00:00+00:00. poor claim handling, delay in claim processing, failure to follow customer communication preferences, inaccurate record-keeping complaint against Advantage Insurance Company Limited. Outcome: Partially upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6363999 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-05-15T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Advantage Insurance Company Limited |
| Product | home buildings insurance |
| Claim type | poor claim handling, delay in claim processing, failure to follow customer communication preferences, inaccurate record-keeping |
| Outcome | Partially upheld |
| Remedy | Advantage Insurance Company Limited must: (1) amend its internal and external records to show the correct information for Miss B's window claim; (2) provide Miss B with confirmation that the records have been amended. The £600 compensation already offered by Advantage was upheld as fair and reasonable. |
Summary
Miss B claimed for a shattered conservatory window under her home buildings insurance policy with Advantage in July 2025. Advantage delayed three months before assigning a handler, initially incorrectly rejected the claim, provided an inadequate temporary repair, and failed to respect Miss B's request for written communication only. Although Advantage eventually settled the claim for £1,337.20 and offered £600 compensation, Miss B disputed the adequacy of the compensation. The ombudsman upheld the complaint in part, finding the claim handling was poor but the settlement and compensation were fair, and ordered Advantage to correct inaccurate CUE database records showing the wrong incident date and missing closure information.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that Advantage failed to handle the claim effectively by delaying three months before assigning a handler, providing incorrect coverage information, and failing to ensure its third-party supplier followed Miss B's written communication request. However, the ombudsman determined the final settlement amount was fair as it provided indemnification through a full window replacement, and that £600 compensation adequately reflected the distress caused by these failings. The ombudsman ordered correction of inaccurate CUE records as the primary additional remedy.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Advantage Insurance Company Limited, all decisions | 1,756 | 40% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website