Danish insurance company ordered to repay premium hikes
Tryg, the largest insurance company in the Nordic region, has been ordered to repay unannounced increases to its premiums which were charged to a number of customers between 2016 and 2020.
Private customers are entitled to refunds on the premiums, which were increased by Tryg without prior warning, the Maritime and Commercial Court (Sø- og Handelsretten) found on Friday.
In a written comment to newswire Ritzau, Tryg said it will review the court’s decision and decide what steps to take.
“It is imperative for us at Tryg that our customers know what they are paying for. We believe we followed the relevant guidelines set by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finanstilsynet) in this area, and we will now address whether to appeal the verdict,” the company said.
The case arose after an anonymous inquiry to Denmark’s Consumer Ombudsman and concerns ordinary policies including home contents, accident, travel, car, boat, pet and motorcycle insurance.
The terms and conditions of the policies stated that notice would be given of significant changes.
But Tryg also stated that ongoing regulation of the price – indeksregulering or ‘index regulation’ - is not considered a change in the price and as such does not have to be notified because it is automatically accepted by the customer when the payment was made.
This was rejected by the ombudsman when the case was launched in 2022.
“Our view is that you cannot enter into a binding agreement with your customers that they will not be notified of price increases,” the watchdog said at the time.
Comments
See Also
Private customers are entitled to refunds on the premiums, which were increased by Tryg without prior warning, the Maritime and Commercial Court (Sø- og Handelsretten) found on Friday.
In a written comment to newswire Ritzau, Tryg said it will review the court’s decision and decide what steps to take.
“It is imperative for us at Tryg that our customers know what they are paying for. We believe we followed the relevant guidelines set by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finanstilsynet) in this area, and we will now address whether to appeal the verdict,” the company said.
The case arose after an anonymous inquiry to Denmark’s Consumer Ombudsman and concerns ordinary policies including home contents, accident, travel, car, boat, pet and motorcycle insurance.
The terms and conditions of the policies stated that notice would be given of significant changes.
But Tryg also stated that ongoing regulation of the price – indeksregulering or ‘index regulation’ - is not considered a change in the price and as such does not have to be notified because it is automatically accepted by the customer when the payment was made.
This was rejected by the ombudsman when the case was launched in 2022.
“Our view is that you cannot enter into a binding agreement with your customers that they will not be notified of price increases,” the watchdog said at the time.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.