If you have a complaint about an insurance company or claim, we can help. Find out more about the types of insurance complaints we deal with, and what we can do to help put things right.

On this page

  1. How we handle complaints about insurance
  2. Complaints we see
  3. How to complain
  4. How long it takes

How we handle complaints about insurance

There are certain types of insurance we need to have – like car insurance and buildings insurance. But other insurance policies we choose to have – like private medical or dental insurance. We receive complaints from consumers about a range of insurance products. 

We look at the facts and circumstances of each individual complaint. We listen impartially to both you and the business when deciding what's fair and reasonable in the circumstances. We also take into account:

  • the policy wording
  • any relevant laws and regulations
  • industry codes of conduct and best practice
  • any relevant evidence like medical reports, photos, application and claims forms 

Once we’ve considered everything, we’ll set out our findings, explaining whether we think the business has treated you fairly, or not. If we think the business has treated you unfairly, we’ll set out what we think needs to be done to put things right.

Complaints we see

Find out more about the types of complaint we get about insurance, and how we might be able to help.

How to complain

Bringing a complaint to us is straightforward and won't cost you anything. You can make your complaint:

  • over the phone, speaking to a member of our team
  • on this website, using our online complaint form 
  • by post (you can print off a complaint form from this website, or call us and we’ll send you one)

Find out more about how to complain. 

How long it takes

It is currently taking around 5 months for us to allocate a complaint about insurance to a case handler for review. It may take longer if your complaint is about property insurance, where some of the most complex cases we receive - for example, about subsidence - can take up to 10 months.

If you’re facing financial hardship or severe ill health, please let us know. We’re working hard to reduce this wait time, so you may hear from us sooner than this. Once your complaint is allocated, you can expect to receive an initial assessment within 90 days.

You may also find the Money Advice Service website useful if you want to contact one of the independent free charities that can help people in financial difficulty.