The Financial Ombudsman Service resolves disputes between consumers and financial firms, including insurers, when the two sides cannot agree. Its decisions are free to use and binding on the firm.
How a case is assessed
The Ombudsman looks at the policy wording, how the firm behaved, and what is fair in the circumstances. It applies both the letter of the contract and the regulator’s expectations, which can mean a customer wins even where the strict wording favours the insurer.
The process
You first complain to the firm and get its final response, or wait eight weeks. You then bring the case to the Ombudsman, normally within six months, with your evidence. Our reference on the Ombudsman and our guide to complaining set out the steps.
What an outcome means
If the Ombudsman upholds your complaint, it can order the firm to pay compensation and put things right. The firm must comply. The Ombudsman’s published decisions also show what fair looks like across the market.