your complaint and the ombudsman

about the Financial Ombudsman Service

If you have fallen out with a bank, insurance company or financial firm, the Financial Ombudsman Service may be able to help.

Our job is to settle disputes between financial businesses and their customers. We were set up by law to do this – as independent experts – and our service is free to consumers.

We can look at complaints about most financial matters including, for example:

• banking
• insurance
• mortgages
• pensions
• savings and investments
• credit cards and store cards
• loans and credit
• hire purchase and pawnbroking
• financial advice
• stocks, shares, unit trusts and bonds.

If you're not certain whether we can help with your particular problem – just contact us and ask. We'll be happy to advise you.

Call us on 0845 080 1800*

*We will be happy to phone you back, if you're worried about the cost of calling us.

how does the Financial Ombudsman Service help?

We aim to settle disputes as fairly and as quickly as we can. There are always two sides to any dispute, so we'll look carefully at both sides of the story and weigh up all the facts.

We may think the business you are complaining about has treated you fairly. If so, we will tell you.

We may decide the business has acted wrongly and you've lost out as a result. If so, we can order the business to put things right for you. Generally, the aim is to put you in the position you'd be in if things hadn't gone wrong.

This can include telling the business to compensate you for losses of up to £100,000 - but most disputes involve much smaller amounts than this.

what's the first step to complaining?

If you have a problem with a financial product or service, it's always best to see if you can sort it out first of all direct with the business concerned.

If you're having difficulty contacting the business or you're unsure about anything, let us know. We'll explain what you should do next.

Call us on 0845 080 1800

when can the ombudsman service get involved?

We can get involved and start looking at your complaint if:

• the business has sent you a letter with its final response to your complaint, but you're still unhappy or
• the business has had eight weeks already but has still not sent you its final response.

how do I register my complaint with you?

We will need some details from you, to see if we can help. You can tell us about your complaint by phoning us on 0845 080 1800. We may then need you to fill in our complaint form. This gives us your personal details and information about your complaint – including what you would like the business to do to put matters right.

If you prefer, you can print the form off this website.

When you call us, we may be able to fill in some of the information for you, over the phone. We'll only need you to give us brief details of your complaint when you call, but it will help if you can tell us any relevant account or policy numbers etc.

what happens next?

If your complaint is one we can deal with, we'll usually start by seeing if we can help you and the business sort things out informally.

We'll:    

• look at your side of the story
• contact the business to get their side of the story
• weigh up the facts and
• tell you and the business what we think.

We might decide the business has treated you fairly and that you've not lost out as a result of its actions. If so, we'll tell you why we think this.

Sometimes we find there's no clear-cut right or wrong. If so, we might suggest a compromise to help you and the business settle the matter.

But if you've clearly lost out because of what the business has (or hasn't) done, we'll tell the business what to do to put things right.

what if this still doesn't solve the problem?

In many cases, this informal approach will help to settle your dispute. If not, we may need to look at things more formally. This could mean we'll have more questions for both you and the business. We may also ask for other documents and information. So it could take some time before we can get to the bottom of your complaint.

On average, we can settle most disputes within six to nine months. And we'll always keep you up-to-date so you'll know what's happening with your case.

We can resolve most complaints without needing an official decision by an ombudsman. But if an ombudsman's decision is needed in your case, that decision is final.

You do not have to accept our decision. You are free to go to court instead, if you wish. But we cannot give you legal advice about any court requirements or restrictions (for example, on time limits).

are there time limits for bringing a dispute to the ombudsman service?

Yes. You will need to refer your dispute to us within six months of the date of the “final response” letter you get from the business you are complaining about.

Other time limits may also apply if:

• what you are complaining about happened some time ago and/or
• you leave it too long to complain after you know (or should have known) that there's a problem.

We will tell you about any rules or restrictions that may apply in your case.

can someone complain on my behalf?

Anyone can complain on your behalf – for example, a member of your family, a friend or Citizens Advice. But we will need your written authority for this.

do I need specialist help to bring a dispute to the ombudsman service?

No. You shouldn't need any specialist help – for example, from a solicitor or claims-handling company. We look at the facts of the case – not at how well you present your complaint. And we prefer to hear from you in your own words.

If you employ someone to present your case for you, you might have to pay their costs. This could mean you end up paying them out of any compensation you are due.

is bringing a dispute to the Financial Ombudsman Service like going to court?

The ombudsman service is not as formal as the courts. We generally decide cases based on the information that you and the business you are complaining about give us, in writing and over the phone. We settle almost all disputes without needing to have face-to-face meetings (or “hearings”) with the two sides.

Our service may not suit you if your dispute involves more than £100,000. You may also prefer to take your dispute to court if you want to inspect all the papers personally, ask your own questions, or have a hearing as a matter of course.

We will not usually handle a case which has already been considered by a court (or where court action is due to take place).

can the ombudsman service help with complaints from small businesses?

Yes. We can normally look at complaints from small businesses that have an annual turnover of less than £1 million.

can the ombudsman service punish or fine businesses?

No. Our job is to help settle individual disputes between businesses that provide financial services and their customers.

Our service is confidential. We do not publish the names of the businesses or consumers whose complaints we handle.

We do not write the rules for businesses. And we do not monitor (or “regulate”) businesses to make sure they follow the rules. This is the job of regulators, such as the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

This leaflet is only a general guide. The rules we have to follow can be very complex.

If you ask us to look into your complaint, we will explain any particular rules or restrictions that may apply in your own individual case. We will always give you the chance to query anything you don't understand or agree with.