Making a complaint

We are committed to providing you with a high level of customer service. If you believe we've not delivered this, we would welcome the opportunity to put this right for you. The first step is to let us know your concerns either by phoning or writing to us explaining your concerns using the contact details below. We'll be able to deal with your query quicker if you quote your plan number.

Who to contact in the first instance

Many concerns can be resolved straight away. Therefore first of all, please get in touch with your usual contact at Zurich by phone, letter or email as they will generally be best placed to help resolve matters for you. Contact details will be provided on correspondence we have provided.

You can call 01793 514514 between 8.00am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday or Saturday's between 9.30am and 12.30pm if you need help finding the right contact details. Please have your policy number to hand if possible.

You can also email details of your complaint to us by using our online complaint form if you prefer.

Alternatively, you can write to us using the following contact details:

For Zurich Assurance or Eagle Star plan started before 31 December 2004:

Zurich Assurance Ltd
Customer Resolution Team
The Grange
Bishops Cleeve
Cheltenham
GL52 8XX.


For Allied Dunbar plans started before 31 December 2004 or Zurich Assurance plans taken out after 1 January 2005:

Zurich Assurance Ltd
Customer Resolutions Team
Tricentre One
New Bridge Square
Swindon
SN1 1HN


For any Sterling plans:

Sterling Assurance
Customer Resolution Team
The Grange
Bishops Cleeve
Cheltenham
GL52 8XX

What you can expect from us

Many concerns can be resolved straight away by providing you with an immediate explanation to answer them. If we are unable to resolve your concerns straight away, we will write to you promptly to let you know we have received your complaint and how we intend to deal with it.

If you raise your concerns by phone, the initial letter you receive will confirm our understanding of your complaint, so that you have a chance to tell us if we have misunderstood anything.


Resolving your complaint

If we are unable to provide an immediate explanation, we will look into your concerns contacting you if we need any further information.

Our regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, expects complaints to be investigated and resolved within eight weeks, although we will aim to do this as quickly as possible. In the unlikely event that your complaint will take longer than eight weeks to resolve, we will write to you at that time to explain why and to confirm whether, and how, you can refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you are unhappy with the delay.

Once we have completed our investigation, we will write to you to let you know:

  • the outcome of our investigation
  • where relevant, any offer of compensation the Company is prepared to make
  • if applicable, details of how you can refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you remain dissatisfied with our decision and how long you have to refer your complaint.

If you are not happy with the outcome

If you still feel unhappy with the outcome of our investigation, you may be able to ask the Financial Ombudsman Service to review your case. This is a free and impartial service.

(Please note there is a maximum financial award the Financial Ombudsman Service can offer you for a complaint following an investigation. Please check the Financial Ombudsman Service website, or contact them, for the current levels.)

The contact details for the Financial Ombudsman Service are:

Financial Ombudsman Service
Exchange Tower
London
E14 9SR

0800 023 4567 - Calls to this number are free on mobile phones and landlines.

complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk

iconwww.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

You can also use the online European Online Dispute Resolution platform to provide details of your complaint, which will then be forwarded to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Complaints publication report

We are committed to provide you with information relating to the volume of complaints received and the time taken to resolve these.

Firm name: Zurich Assurance

Other firms included in this report: Zurich Advice Network, Zurich Independent Wealth Management

Period covered in this report: 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2019

Brands/trading names covered: Zurich Assurance, Sterling Assurance, Eagle Star, Allied Dunbar

H2 2019

Number of complaints opened by volume of business

Number of complaints opened

Number of complaints closed

Percentage closed within 3 days

Percentage closed after 3 days but within 8 weeks

Percentage upheld

Main cause of complaints opened
Home Finance n/a 12 11 0.00% 27.3% 0% Advising, Selling and arranging 
Insurance and Pure Protection 1.88 per 1000 policies in force
 4644 4899 9.5% 62.1% 28.0% Advising, Selling and arranging 
Decumulation and pensions 3.2 per 1000 policies in force 1487
 1518 19.8% 29.3% 47.8% General Admin/Customer Service 

Investments

 6.35 per 1000 policies in force 778 846 18.6% 46.6% 43.4% General Admin/Customer Service

Although the Zurich Advice Network ceased trading on 31st May 2005, we continue to investigate any occasions where you (or your representative) indicate that the advice you received, from a network member, may not have been appropriate. Of these, 81.7% were resolved within eight weeks.

Firm name: Sterling ISA Managers Limited

Period covered in this report: 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2019

H2 2019

Number of complaints opened by volume of business

Number of complaints opened

Number of complaints close

Percentage closed within 3 days

Percentage closed after 3 days but within 8 weeks

Percentage upheld

 Main cause of complaints opened
Decumulation and pensions 2.74 per 1000 policies in force 145 186 18.8% 39.8% 47.8% General Admin/Customer Service
Investments 1.96 per 1000 policies in force 224 227 28.6% 44.1% 52.4% General Admin/Customer Service

The 369 complaints received by Sterling ISA Managers Limited during the period, represented fewer than 20 complaints per £1m of annual income.