Not upheld: claim handling delays and communication complaint against Haven Insurance Company Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr W complained about Haven's handling of a motor insurance claim for vehicle damage. The main issues were repair delays, changing completion dates, being told his vehicle was missing, problems with a replacement hire vehicle, and dissatisfaction with the amount recovered from a loss of earnings claim against the third party's insurer. The ombudsman found that delays were caused by the parts supplier's inability to provide parts, completion dates were estimates not guarantees, and Haven acted fairly throughout. The replacement vehicle and loss of earnings claim were outside the policy terms and Haven's responsibility, so the complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that the repair delays were caused by the parts supplier's inability to provide required parts, not by any failing on Haven's part or the repairer's part. The ombudsman accepted that completion dates were estimates rather than guarantees and that the mistake about the vehicle being missing was quickly rectified. Regarding the replacement vehicle and loss of earnings claim, the ombudsman found these were outside the policy terms and that Haven acted fairly by assisting Mr W in pursuing the claim rather than accepting responsibility for payment themselves.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website