will not pay out

cletus1

I have had a health cash plan for a good number of years, never had an issue before however this time they are looking for excuses not to pay, do I have to go through the financial ombudsman before going to the county court?

thanks in advance for any advice

dunstonh

do I have to go through the financial ombudsman before going to the county court?

If you disagree with their decision then you first make a complaint to them stating why you think they are wrong. You do not get access to the FOS until you have completed the internal complaints process.

If you prefer to use the courts, this comes at a risk of costs being awarded against you. It also has less consumer bias then the regulated complaints process.

Quentin

You have 2 options whenever you are unhappy with your insurer.

The cheapest is to complain in line with their complaints procedure then if you are unhappy with the reply or they ignore you for 8 weeks you can escalate to the FOS for their adjudication at no cost to you.

If you are unhappy with the response from the FOS you can still pursue your case through county court (the FOS decision is not binding on you - though we're it one you wanted it would be binding on the insurer).

Before starting a court case get proper legal advice on your chances as you do have to pay court fees up front and can only get these back if you win