Watchdog to tackle ‘unclear and unfair’ mobile phone insurance

[Michael Browne]

Making a successful insurance claim for a lost mobile phone can be virtually impossible, a financial regulator has said.

 

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has found widespread poor practice in mobile insurance policies.

 

It said some policies were not designed to meet customers' needs, and some terms and conditions were "unclear and unfair".

 

The FCA said it would impose a fine on one insurance provider next month.

 

In one case it said an insurance claim was turned down because a customer knew where they had left their phone.

 

Another claim for a lost phone was rejected because a woman had left hers in a hotel room. Since she had checked out, that was deemed to be a public place, which was excluded from cover.

 

"What this review shows is that sometimes there is a gap between what the customer thinks they are getting, and what they are really getting," said Clive Adamson, the FCA's director of supervision.

 

In its review of the nine biggest providers of mobile phone insurance, the FCA found that:

 

• some firms were not thinking through why so many claims were being rejected
  
• products were not always designed to meet customers' needs
  
• policies were designed to cover loss, but in practice did not cover instances where customers leave a phone somewhere accidentally
  
• descriptions of cover were too broad and ambiguous
  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23084029