Not upheld: delays in death benefits payment, administrative errors, poor service quality, inadequate complaint handling, lack of empathy and compassion complaint against ReAssure Limited
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6394954 of 2026-06-15T00:00:00+00:00. delays in death benefits payment, administrative errors, poor service quality, inadequate complaint handling, lack of empathy and compassion complaint against ReAssure Limited. Outcome: Not upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6394954 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-06-15T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | ReAssure Limited |
| Product | Pension |
| Claim type | delays in death benefits payment, administrative errors, poor service quality, inadequate complaint handling, lack of empathy and compassion |
| Outcome | Not upheld |
| Remedy | ReAssure Limited must ensure that Mrs R receives the full £400 compensation it offered, which may require reissuing the £100 cheque if it is no longer valid. This comprises the original £100 offer plus an additional £300, in addition to the £700.03 principal, £26.24 holding account interest, and £3.34 late payment interest already paid. |
Summary
Mrs R complained that ReAssure failed to promptly pay her late partner's pension death benefits and did not pay promised compensation for poor service. The claim process took approximately 8 months from notification of death to payment, during which ReAssure sought clarification on conflicting information about financial dependency, caused administrative errors including inconsistent compensation amounts, and allegedly demonstrated a lack of empathy and compassion. ReAssure offered £400 compensation plus interest totaling approximately £29.58. The ombudsman upheld the investigator's view that this compensation was fair and reasonable under FOS guidelines for cases involving considerable distress and significant inconvenience, despite Mrs R's argument that it was inadequate given her grief and the service failures.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman acknowledged that ReAssure had failings in handling the claim, including delays and administrative errors, but found that ReAssure was justified in seeking clarification on the conflicting information about financial dependency. While sympathizing with Mrs R's distress during an already difficult time, the ombudsman applied FOS compensation guidelines which suggest £300-£750 is appropriate for considerable distress and significant inconvenience lasting weeks or months. The ombudsman found that £400 fell within the appropriate band, particularly given that ReAssure had included late payment interest and that verification of financial dependency was a necessary step. The ombudsman noted ReAssure had already apologized multiple times and demonstrated some empathy.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| ReAssure Limited, all decisions | 1,045 | 32% |
| Pension, all decisions | 15,409 | 47% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website