How to make a complaint

If you have a problem with your insurance policy or an insurance claim, write
to your insurer first, giving details of your complaint, and how you would like it
to be resolved. If you are not satisfied with the response, make a formal
complaint, using their official complaints procedure.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the formal complaints procedure,
consider taking the complaint further. All insurers must be covered by the
rules of the financial watchdog, the Financial Services Authority (FSA). This
means that if you have a complaint about an insurer, you can take it to the
Financial Ombudsman Service. This is a free service available to
policyholders who have already followed their insurer's complaints procedure.
The Financial Ombudsman will try to resolve the complaint through mediation.
If the dispute cannot be resolved this way, the Financial Ombudsman will
begin a formal investigation. The final decision given at the end of this
investigation is binding on your insurer, but if you do not agree with it, you are
free to take your insurer to court. For more information about the Financial
Ombudsman, you can visit their website at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk,
or phone them on 0845 080 1800.
If your insurer is a member of Lloyds, contact Lloyd's Complaints
Department on: 020 7327 5693. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of
this complaint, complain to the Financial Ombudsman.

If you have tried all the options for resolving your complaint through the
complaints procedures, but have not met with success, or if your insurer is
based outside the UK, you may want to consider taking legal action. However,
you should only consider going to court as a last resort. This is because the
amount of compensation a court may award you could be reduced if you have
not tried other ways of resolving the problem before taking legal action.

Before taking legal action, you need to consider whether you have sufficient
evidence. If you are taking your insurer to court, you will have to prove that
your claim is covered by your insurance policy, and you may have to provide
expert evidence. Alternatively, you may want to consider taking the other
driver to court, if they were at fault. You will also need to find out whether the
person or company you are suing is solvent.

Your local Citizens Advice Bureau can give you advice on insurance
problems, and on how to take legal action. To search for details of your
nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by e-mail, visit
www.citizensadvice.org.uk.