FOS decisions / Breakdown Cover
Breakdown Cover
Financial Ombudsman Service final decisions, reproduced verbatim from the FOS published decisions register.
Decisions
15
Upheld
1
Not upheld
14
Avg redress
£200
Upheld complaints (1)
Not-upheld complaints (14)
Decision DRN-6089813
An insurer's compensation payment for service failures should be assessed as fair and reasonable based on the period of disruption and impact, rather than requiring additional disturbance allowance when essential facilities remain available
Not upheldMay 2026U K Insurance Limited
DRN-6064955A breakdown cover policy does not extend to spare parts costs, and the policyholder bears responsibility for specifying parts to the repairer selected by the insurer.
Not upheldMay 2026Decision DRN-6240820
An insurer must demonstrate a policyholder acted recklessly (recognized a risk but took no or inadequate measures to lower it) to invoke a reasonable care exclusion.
Not upheldApr 2026Decision DRN-6082744
Insurance policies do not cover indirect costs such as spoiled food arising from product breakdown, and an insurer is not obliged to foresee future breakdowns or carry out comprehensive servicing beyond the scope of repair.
Not upheldSept 2025Covea Insurance plc
DRN-6120706An insurer may fairly decline an unemployment claim where the policyholder's job loss resulted from misconduct, even if the formal dismissal reason was recorded as breakdown of trust rather than disciplinary misconduct.
Not upheldMay 2024Decision DRN-6243397
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods supplied under a hire purchase agreement must be of satisfactory quality, but a reasonable person must accept that a six-year-old used vehicle with significant mileage may have worn parts and is not
Not upheldDecision DRN-6217752
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods must be of satisfactory quality at the point of supply, and the consumer must evidence that faults were present or developing at that time, not that they developed subsequently.
Not upheldDecision DRN-6011063
Travel insurance claims must fall within the specific insured events and terms of the policy, and insurers must handle claims fairly without unreasonably declining them.
Not upheldDecision DRN-6181320
A bank is only required to reimburse authorized payments under the CRM Code if the customer was victim of an APP scam, not for private civil disputes over defective goods or services.
Not upheldTradex Insurance Company PLC
DRN-6061077An insurer must handle claims promptly and fairly under ICOBS 8.1, but should conduct reasonable investigation to validate claims even when policy terms permit discretionary settlement.
Not upheldVolkswagen Financial Services
DRN-6172004Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods supplied under hire purchase must be of satisfactory quality at the point of supply, and a business is entitled to one opportunity to repair faults occurring within six months.
Not upheldDecision DRN-6173380
Insurance cover only applies to insured perils explicitly listed in the policy, and exclusions for deliberate acts and specific utilities damage must be applied as written.
Not upheldDecision DRN-6156300
A non-advised insurance sale is not mis-sold where policy terms clearly state benefits are available only on renewal and these terms were provided to the consumer before purchase.
Not upheldDecision DRN-6232099
Under Section 77A of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, creditors must send periodic statements at least annually, but failure to do so does not necessarily constitute unfair treatment if the debtor has not been disadvantaged.
Not upheld