Did you know that there is an Insurance Ombudsman for protecting the interests of policyholders? The Ombudsman was set up in 1998 by the Government of India. The offices of the insurance ombudsman are located across 12 cities (1) Bhopal, (2) Bhubaneswar, (3) Cochin, (4) Chennai, (5) Chandigarh, (6) New Delhi, (7) Guwahati, (8) Kolkata, (9) Ahmedabad, (10) Lucknow, (11) Mumbai and (12) Hyderabad. Refer to the list below for the contact details.
There is a dedicated committee comprising chairman of IRDA, LIC, GIC and a representative of the Central Government. This committee recommends appointment of the insurance ombudsman to the governing body of insurance council. The Ombudsman has a secretarial staff to assist him; and their expenses are incurred by member insurance companies of the insurance council. The purpose of the Ombudsman is to address the policyholders’ grievances and to mitigate their problems quickly and fairly. This council is of great importance as it has helped to generate the confidence and faith amongst policyholders and insurance companies.
The Ombudsman performs two main functions. One is conciliation by way of bringing the disputing parties to an agreement. The other function is award-making. The awards passed by the ombudsman must be honored by the insurance companies within three months. Consumers can make complaints regarding (1) dispute with regard to premium paid or payable, (2) dispute on the legal construction of the policy wordings in case such dispute relates to claims, (3) delay in settlement of claims, (4) non-issuance of any insurance document to customers after receipt of premium, (5) partial or total denial of claims by the insurance companies, etc.
The complaint should be made in writing and addressed to insurance ombudsman only after he has already:
1) Made a representation to the insurer named in the complaint and, the insurer has either rejected the complaint or the complainant has not received any reply within a period of one month; or he is not satisfied with the reply of the insurer.
2) The complaint is not made later than one year after the insurer had replied.
3) The same complaint should not be pending in any court, consumer forum or arbitrator.
If the policyholder is not satisfied with the order passed by the ombudsman, he can further approach other venues like consumer forums and courts of law for redressal of his grievances.
The insurance ombudsman can be approached for both Life Insurance and Non-Life Insurance related issues
List of Insurance Ombudsman offices and jurisdiction:
Location | Contact Details of Ombudsman | Areas of Jurisdiction |
Ahmedabad | Insurance Ombudsman, | Gujarat, UT of Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu |
2nd Floor, Ambica House, | ||
Nr. C.U. Shah College, Ashram Road, | ||
Ahmedabad - 380 014. | ||
Tel.:- 079-27546840 | ||
Fax : 079-27546142 | ||
Email ins.omb@rediffmail.com | ||
Bhopal | Insurance Ombudsman, | Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh |
Janak Vihar Complex, | ||
2nd Floor, 6, Malviya Nagar, | ||
Opp. Airtel, Near New Market, | ||
Bhopal (M.P.) - 462 023. | ||
Tel.:- 0755-2569201 | ||
Fax : 0755-2769203 | ||
Email bimalokpalbhopal@airtelmail.in | ||
Bhubaneshwar | Insurance Ombudsman, | Orissa |
62, Forest Park, | ||
Bhubaneshwar-751 009. | ||
Tel.:- 0674-2596455 | ||
Fax : 0674-2596429 | ||
Email ioobbsr@dataone.in | ||
Chandigarh | Insurance Ombudsman, | Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, UT of Chandigarh |
S.C.O. No.101-103, | ||
2nd Floor, Batra Building. | ||
Sector 17-D, | ||
Chandigarh - 160 017. | ||
Tel.:- 0172-2706468 | ||
Fax : 0172-2708274 | ||
Email ombchd@yahoo.co.in | ||
Chennai | Shri V. Ramasaamy, | Tamil Nadu, UT - Pondicherry Town and Karaikal (which are part of UT of Pondicherry) |
Insurance Ombudsman, | ||
Fathima Akhtar Court, | ||
4th Floor, 453 (old 312), | ||
Anna Salai, Teynampet, | ||
Chennai - 600 018. | ||
Tel.:- 044-24333668 /5284 | ||
Fax : 044-24333664 | ||
Email insombud@md4.vsnl.net.in | ||
New Delhi | Shri Surendra Pal Singh | Delhi & Rajashthan |
Insurance Ombudsman, | ||
2/2 A, Universal Insurance Bldg., | ||
Asaf Ali Road, | ||
New Delhi - 110 002. | ||
Tel.:- 011-23239633 | ||
Fax : 011-23230858 | ||
Email iobdelraj@rediffmail.com | ||
Guwahati | Shri Sarat Chandra Sarma, | Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Tripura |
Insurance Ombudsman, | ||
“Jeevan Nivesh”, 5th Floor, | ||
Near Panbazar Overbridge, S.S. Road, | ||
Guwahati - 781 001 (Assam). | ||
Fax : 0361-2732937 | ||
Email ombudsmanghy@rediffmail.com | ||
Hyderabad | Shri K Chandrahas | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and UT of Yanam - a part of the UT of Pondicherry |
Insurance Ombudsman, | ||
6-2-46, 1st Floor, Moin Court, | ||
A.C. Guards, Lakdi-Ka-Pool, | ||
Hyderabad - 500 004. | ||
Tel : 040-65504123 | ||
Fax: 040-23376599 | ||
Email insombudhyd@gmail.com | ||
Ernakulam | Insurance Ombudsman, | Kerala, UT of (a) Lakshadweep, (b) Mahe - a part of UT of Pondicherry |
2nd Floor, CC 27/2603, Pulinat Bldg., | ||
Opp. Cochin Shipyard, M.G. Road, | ||
Ernakulam - 682 015. | ||
Tel : 0484-2358759 | ||
Fax : 0484-2359336 | ||
Email iokochi@asianetindia.com | ||
Kolkata | Ms. Manika Datta | West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Sikkim |
Insurance Ombudsman, | ||
North British Bldg., | ||
29, N.S. Road, 4th Floor, | ||
Kolkata - 700 001. | ||
Tel : 033-22134866 | ||
Fax : 033-22134868 | ||
Email iombkol@vsnl.net | ||
Lucknow | Insurance Ombudsman, | Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal |
Jeevan Bhawan, Phase-2, | ||
6th Floor, Nawal Kishore Road, | ||
Hazaratganj, | ||
Lucknow - 226 001. | ||
Tel : 0522 -2231331 | ||
Fax : 0522-2231310 | ||
Email insombudsman@rediffmail.com | ||
Mumbai | Shri S Viswanathan | Maharashtra |
Insurance Ombudsman, | ||
3rd Floor, Jeevan Seva Annexe, | ||
S.V. Road, Santacruz(W), | ||
Mumbai - 400 054. | ||
Tel : 022-26106928 | ||
Fax : 022-26106052 | ||
Email ombudsmanmumbai@gmail.com |