An insurer did not try hard enough to produce a matching paint job when repairing a claimant’s caravan, despite its policy stating it did not have to achieve uniformity, the financial services ombudsman has ruled.

Zurich said it was impossible to match the original finish after the van was damaged in an accident in September 2024.

When the owner collected the caravan from repairers in April last year, he found only two sides had been painted and the new colour – a gloss white – was a clear mismatch that he said devalued the vehicle.

He took the matter to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, which has ruled in his favour and ordered a cash settlement of $7420 to cover a new paint job.

Zurich acknowledged the repairs would not achieve a close match, but it did not discuss other options with the owner, such as tinting the paint or making a cash settlement, according to AFCA. An authority member says it is common practice to tint paints to achieve a close match and “it is unclear to me why this was not done in this case”.

Zurich’s assessor said an exact colour match was impossible because the original gel coat had faded. The colour mismatch was amplified by sun-related yellowing and degradation.

The policy did not require Zurich to restore the caravan to its original condition, and AFCA says the insurer was not obliged to repair or repaint undamaged areas. “However, the policy also says the insurer will at least try to match the original materials.”

Read the ruling here.