How to complain against an insurance company

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has a mechanism in place for registering policyholders’ complaints against Insurance companies.

Here’s how to go about having your grievance redressed.

Complain to the insurance company
You can first approach the Grievance Redressal Officer (GRO) of the insurance company by filing a written complaint. The GRO is expected to resolve the complaint in a reasonable period time. If there is no satisfactory reply from the GRO within 15 working days, you can approach the IRDAI.


Escalate to IRDAI
To escalate the complaint to IRDAI, you can:

* Contact IRDAI's Grievance Redressal Cell on the toll-free number 155255.

* Send an e-mail to complaints@ irdai.gov.in with any required documentary proof attached.

* Mail a written complaint to the IRDAI Grievance Redressal Cell. Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032.

* Register a complaint on IRDAI¡¦s online portal, IGMS.

Processing
Complaints registered with IRDAI through any of the above modes are forwarded to the insurance company to issue a suitable response to the policyholder within the stipulated time.

Further escalation
If you are not satisfied with the resolution offered by the insurance company, the complaint can be escalated further to the Insurance ombudsman if it falls within the purview of the ombudsman.

Points to note
1. It is important to get a written acknowledgement or reference number pertaining to the registered complaint, to be used for further correspondence.

2. Registering a complaint through the IGMS allows easy tracking of its status till it is resolved.

The content on this page is courtesy Centre for Investment Education and Learning (CIEL). Contributions by Girija Gadre, Arti Bhargava and Labdhi Mehta.