Just to update this thread, I took the settlement from Churchill and paid for John Lewis to refit the floor. I then decided to to contact the Ombudsman to see if there were any guidelines or test cases to draw upon. IMHO, if an insurance company wants to use their own contractor to repair damage then they should be willing to supply - in reasonable time - a clear breakdown of the work to be done, so the customer can compare this with other quotes to feel happy the insurer's solution really is equivalent. If the insurer cannot respond to legitimate questions in a timely manner, or if it

Many thanks for your response. My original complaint went unanswered for two weeks. Churchill did eventually answer my complaint and, as you suggested, £100 compensation was offered for the poor service and cost of phone calls. Also, they came down to deducting just 15% from the John Lewis quote without any real explanation. Initially I was told there would be a 32% deduction, my wife was told the same 32%, then 25% was mentioned and finally it came down to 15%, which all seems rather random. Churchill did play the "commercially sensitive" card to avoid giving the breakdown of the work propose

I’ve just had a claim with Churchill home insurance in relation to a damaged kitchen floor and am wondering if anyone can help with two questions I have: Is there a minimum standard an insurance company’s claims service must meet? My experience to date with Churchill has been that it takes a minimum of thirty minutes waiting before a call is answered on the claims line. Churchill did not answer letters or faxes in weeks. When I finally got through to speak to someone I was told that some customers have been waiting up to eighty (80) minutes to speak to the claims department this winte