Insurance is something you hope you’ll never need to call on, it’s a very smart safety net for when life throws something unexpected at you or your business.
But what if you really need to make a claim? Or worse still, have one rejected?
That can be a daunting prospect for any individual or business but we’ve come up with some top tips to help you through the process.
If your claim has been rejected don’t despair, there are things that can be done to either overturn the decision or get back on your feet by other means.
It’s important to first find out why your claim has been rejected by your insurers. Make sure you review the policy documents issued at the time of taking out the insurance.
You should also assess the information you were asked for when taking out the policy. If your complaint has been rejected based on any information you weren’t asked about when you took it out, you are on solid ground to appeal the decision.
Dig out any relevant documents you feel may be of use and arm yourself with all the facts, dates and figures you need to present your case. It could be that there were some crossed wires or a misunderstanding which is clarified upon review. If your claim is technical, you may consider hiring a loss assessor to conduct an independent assessment.
If you still don’t receive a satisfactory outcome, you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. It’s a free, independent service which investigates financial disputes. They look at both sides of the investigation, assess the documentation from an unbiased point of view and issue their own outcome based on their findings.
If the Financial Ombudsman Service uphold your complaint, your insurer will then need to adhere to this decision. Know your timeframes If you do need to take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, you will need to do this within six months of receiving your insurer’s final response. If you leave it any later, they will not have the power to review your case unless they deem it to be an exceptional circumstance, the final response was not valid, or the insurer agrees to them being involved despite the limit.
At Gravity Risk Services Ltd we offer full claims support for every one of our customers as part of our service. For a small subscription we can appoint a loss assessor before a loss occurs, to act for you to defend your interests.
We will fight your corner and act as an intermediary between you and the insurer to ensure you get a fair outcome on any claim you need to make. Our dedicated team will be there every step of the way to ensure you have the advice and support you need to move forward with your claim in confidence. We’re really good at this… we’ve got your back!
