Upheld: failure to provide original policy documents and administrative errors in handling customer requests complaint against ReAssure Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr S requested his original annuity policy documents from ReAssure in December 2025, but ReAssure repeatedly sent standard policy information instead. After multiple contacts over two months, ReAssure finally stated it did not hold the original documents as they were never transferred from Barclays Life. The ombudsman found that while ReAssure could not be required to provide documents it does not have, it caused unnecessary confusion and frustration through administrative errors, unclear communication, and failure to properly explain that the single-life annuity had no death benefits. The complaint was upheld and ReAssure was ordered to pay £100 compensation for the inconvenience and administrative failings.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman concluded that while ReAssure could not be required to provide original policy documents it does not hold, it had acted reasonably in confirming policy details from its system records. However, there were clear administrative failings including repeated delays, confusion caused by call handlers alluding to documents being sent when they were not, and failure to clearly answer Mr S's question about life cover and death benefits. These errors caused understandable frustration and inconvenience to Mr S over a period of several months. The ombudsman noted that annuities on a single life basis with no guarantee period have no death benefits payable to beneficiaries, which ReAssure could have explained more clearly.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website