Car Decision Reference 2025-0174

• Case Outcome: Rejected
• Year: 2025
• Reference: 2025-0174
• Date: 09 December 2025
• Subject Matter: Car
• Finantial Sector: Insurance
• Conducts Complained Of: No claim bonus issues,Dissatisfaction with general customer service, Lapse/cancellation of policy

Decision Ref:

2025-0174

Sector:

Insurance

Product / Service:

Car

Conduct(s) complained of:

No claim bonus issues

Dissatisfaction with general customer service

Lapse/cancellation of policy

Outcome:

Rejected

LEGALLY BINDING DECISION OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND PENSIONS OMBUDSMAN

The Complainant held a Private Car Insurance Policy with the Provider from 21 May 2018

to 31 October 2019. This complaint concerns the Provider’s administration of the policy.

The Complainant’s Case

The Complainant incepted a Private Car Insurance Policy with the Provider on 21 May

2018. The Complainant asserts that she transferred her No Claims Bonus (NCB) from her

previous insurer and states that her “no claims bonus coming to [the Provider was] 75%”.

The Complainant asserts that the Provider “lowered” her NCB to 55%. The Complainant

submits that she has not made a claim and states “I have never claimed”. The Claimant

denies that the No Claims Bonus was communicated to her in the policy wording which

was issued to her at inception.

The Complainant was involved in a road traffic accident on 22 April 2019 which she

submits was not her fault.

The Complainant says that in advance of the policy renewal date of 21 May 2019, the

Provider quoted her a very high renewal premium and it failed to enclose a Certificate of

No Claim Discount with the renewal documentation, thereby preventing her from

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/Cont’d…

shopping around for a better deal with a different insurer and resultantly, she had to

renew her policy with the Provider. The Claimant maintains that, while the policy did

renew as a result of her selection of direct debit as a method of payment for the insurance

premia, at the inception of the policy she had no option to pay her premia any other way

and denies that she “opted” to do so.

The Complainant says that the Provider then wrongfully cancelled her policy on 31

October 2019.

The Complainant says she later emailed the Provider on 7 September 2020 and again on 2

October 2020 requesting a Certificate of No Claim Discount and that when she received

this, she learnt that the Provider had incorrectly recorded her no claims bonus discount as,

or had wrongly reduced it to, 55%, when prior to taking out her policy with the Provider

she had enjoyed a no claims bonus discount of 75% with her previous insurer.

The Complainant submits in the FSPO Complaint Form that in order to resolve this matter,

“I want to get my no claim bonus correctly from [the Provider]” and “if overcharged for

insurance [the Provider] to refund the same”.

The Provider’s Case

The Provider says that on 21 May 2018, the Complainant’s Private Car Insurance Policy

was incepted in partnership with a named bank who had an exclusive agency agreement

with it for the provision of motor insurance. The Provider says this policy provided the

Complainant with comprehensive cover and that the total annual premium with a full no

claims bonus discount of 55% was €812.13 (eight hundred and twelve euro, thirteen cent),

which included a €53.13 (fifty-three euro, thirteen cent) credit charge for spreading the

payment of the premium throughout the year.

The Provider says the Welcome to Motor Insurance Pack it sent to the Complainant on 22

May 2018 stated at pg. 1 that:

“YOUR [NAMED BANK] POLICY INCLUDES:

+ Up to 55% no claims discount”.

The Provider submits that its calculation of the no claims bonus discount is communicated

to the customer within its policy wording, which is sent to the customer at policy inception

and in this regard, it notes that Section 3, ‘Additional Benefits’, of the Private Car

Insurance Policy Document provides at pg. 15, as follows: