Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman

"Read all the comments below, very accurate before wasting your time with this independent body funded by the insurance companies they are meant to be independant from. No process, science, help, understanding, majority of what they tell you is about their process and policy, and very little trying to understand the complaint. Waste of all our money and should be shut down. Paper pushers supreme."

"My Daughter moved to Australia me and my wife payed Southern Cross for a Policy to Protect our Daughter the Policy turned out to be a total waste of money and not fit for purpose The Insurance Ombudsman was fantastic we were given a full refund for the policy we paid for these insurance companies will sell u anything Many Thanks Steve and Tanya Bell"

"Rung the Omsbudman office about getting a refund of a credit from a travel insurer. Told me the Insurance Co didn’t have to pay me as the policy took effect from the time it was paid even though we hadn’t travelled. At the end of the conversation I was told I could make a formal complaint as my refund was less than the $1500 the company would have to pay their office I might get it. I was also told the travel agent I was dealing with who had a travel insurance policy that would suit my needs would only be making commission from the sale and to be careful. I told Brendon I trusted the travel agent as I know him. It was a very condescending statement. In the meantime I had sent a very simple email to the Insurer saying their current policy didn’t cover what I needed for COVID cover and two days later they have offered a pro rata refund which has taken into account the time we were insured from until COVID prevented us from travelling. This credit was from March 2020."

"Before using this service , I always heard comment from people that there is not much hope in escalating to them as they are not doing anything. while I believed my case is strong and they are advocate for right things , I raised it to them. After 3 month, I can confirm, they are there to waste people time with no power. The result is you will be tired and give up to follow up your complaint and your insurance still continues to do wrong. They are just there to look there is a place for hearing public as formality.... they even can deny their own comments in their reviews ! There is a review telling ombudsman contacted their insurance and they were great or rang the bank!!!... this is totally untrue comment... they never contact insurance or bank this way to defend you in front of them... the process to consider your case takes 90 days... then they send you a letter and generally saying what insurance done is acceptable in all circumenstances!!!! please note they are paid by insurers and that's why they are free for consumer so clearly they biassed toward who pays them!!"

"Dealt with a guy called Brendon . At first I thought he wanted to help me but on the second call it appeared he didn't. During the discussion i asked him why were they letting an Insurance Company called "Vero Insurance" get away with mistreating their customers etc etc? He didn't want to comment. That told me everything I needed to know. So why is the "Insurance Ombudsman" letting Insurance companies get away with corruption I ask? And..how much are they getting payed to do it? was the next obvious question. And finally....why does the Insurance Ombudsman actually exist? There not there to help people, as that's what I discovered. Just another crooked company in NZ."