Both health and car insurers were publicly admonished last year for long processing times. Bafin demanded that customer benefit applications must be processed within one month “in average cases”. “A lack of human resources or an increased volume of claims cannot be a reason for permanent delays in the processing of benefit applications. We expect insurers to work quickly,” said Julia Wiens, who is responsible for insurer supervision at Bafin, expressing her expectations.
Warnings like these are the result of the complaints received, explains Bock. These are an important tool for understanding consumers’ problems. However, the authority cannot provide specific help in individual cases. “We can neither regulate individual damages nor enforce individual claims from consumers,” clarifies Bock. Rather, Bafin’s task is to eliminate structural grievances.
According to Bafin, anyone who has a specific problem should first contact their bank or insurer directly and ask them for a written statement. The company may already offer a solution.
If this is not satisfactory, consumers can turn to arbitration boards such as the ombudsman with disputed issues. However, the ombudsman’s decisions are only binding for insurers and banks up to an amount of 10,000 euros. However, for claims beyond this, the arbitration awards are non-binding for both sides. Consumers then have to go to court to make binding decisions.
