How to complain about an insurer

IF YOU are unhappy about the way your travel insurer has handled your claim, complain first to the company. You can do this yourself or ask the Financial Ombudsman Service to help.

Ask the insurer for details of its official complaints procedure and the name of the person you will be dealing with. Keep the facts in a logical order, say why you are unhappy and what you want done about it, and keep copies of all correspondence.

The insurer has eight weeks to respond.

If you are not happy with its response, ask the Financial Ombudsman Service to look into your case. Simply fill in the Ombudsman’s complaint form, available at financial-ombudsman. org.uk.

If you need help to do this, call the Ombudsman’s helpline on 0800 023 4567 (for landline users) or 0300 1239 123 (for mobile phone users).