In this article. The Financial Ombudsman Service, also known as the FOS, handles complaints about most bank accounts, investment products, mortgages, loans, some pension products, PPI claims, insurance policies, credit and store cards, HP agreements and financial advice. It was originally set up to provide a speedy and cheap way to resolve disputes between financial companies and their customers without having to go to court. You must have reached a final response in your dispute with a bank, insurance company or other financial provider and still be unhappy with it before you can take your complaint to the financial ombudsman.
The Financial Ombudsman Service is free for consumers to use and details of the ombudsman should be listed in your provider's final letter. In some cases you will be directed to another ombudsman service, such as the Pensions Ombudsman, which deals with issues around the administration of complaints - but the Financial Ombudsman will be able to point you in the right direction.
Follow our step-by-step guide on how to take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Typical complaints can include:.
You can also complain to the FOS if you've been a victim of credit or debit card fraud and your bank refuses to reimburse you the money that has been taken from your account. If you wish to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service about a bank dispute, you can use our template letter to help.
Key Information. If you complain to a bank or building society and they don't deal with your complaint or you are unhappy with their answer, you can ask the Financial Ombudsman Service FOS to deal with the dispute.
For more information about FOS see Further help and information. Claims management companies, also known as claims assessors , are firms that charge you a fee to help you take your complaint to the Ombudsman.
You don't need to pay someone to help you make a complaint. You can call the Financial Ombudsman Service FOS helpline if you want to check whether your complaint is something they can help with. They can also help you fill in any forms. If you do decide to use a claims management company, check that you understand all the terms and conditions of the agreement and how much the service is going to cost you before you sign anything.
If you're not sure about anything, take the agreement away to read and get advice before you sign it. In England and Wales, claims management companies have to be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. You can check whether a claims management company is authorised on the Financial Conduct Authority website.
If you're unhappy about the service you get from the claims management company, you can complain to the Claims Management Ombudsman. The Claims Management Ombudsman is independent and free to use, and it can help you resolve disputes with claims management companies.
If the Ombudsman can't sort out your complaint , your only other option is to consider going to court. However, going to court should be your last resort. Before you go to court, you need to think about whether you have enough evidence.
You will also need to find out whether your bank or building society has any money. It's not worth taking a company to court that has no money. It is extremely rare for anyone to take a bank or building society to court.
If you're thinking about doing this, you should get expert legal advice. If you decide to take the matter to court before complaining to the Ombudsman, you won't be able to complain to the Ombudsman at a later date. For more information about going to court, see Small claims. If you are unhappy with the service offered by your bank or building society, as well as making a complaint you could also think about switching to another company. It's a good idea to check out the services and facilities offered by other banks and building societies to make sure they can give you what you need, before switching.
For more information about moving to another bank or building society, see Getting a bank account. The Money Advice Service website has lots of useful information about bank accounts and other financial products. If you've gone through your bank or building society's complaints procedure and they haven't been able to help you, you can make a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
You can also contact the Financial Ombudsman Service's consumer helpline on 4 or 9 Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer. You can make a complaint by email, in writing or on the phone. If it's a simple complaint, you might be able to resolve it with a phone call. Your provider will have their own complaints procedure, but you should start by explaining what the problem is and what you want them to do about it. We recommend that you write down the time and date of your calls, the names of the people you speak to and the details of what was said.
You may need to refer to them if you escalate the case to us. If it's a complex problem, then it's a good idea to send a follow-up email or letter, so that you have a record of all the communication.
This means there's no room for confusion. Your provider may ask for more information to help them understand and resolve the problem. Your provider has six to eight weeks - depending on which one you use - to resolve your complaint. This is to give them enough time to assess the situation and the evidence to find an appropriate resolution.
During that time, they could contact you for more information. You can also contact them to see where your complaint is up to. Your provider might reach a decision on your complaint at any time prior to the eight weeks.
If they do, they'll send you a 'deadlock letter'. This normally contains a final offer and our details. It's important to give us as much information as possible, so we don't have to keep coming back to you. If you are happy to a accept, it can lead to an early resolution. You will receive a notification when the provider makes an offer. You can also login to our portal to see where everything is up to at any time.
We base our decisions on what is fair and reasonable, taking into account:. Assessments can take a long time, and some complex matters can take longer than average cases. You can speed up the process by making sure you give us all the details and evidence as soon as possible. Your provider is bound to the resolution if you choose to accept it. We have a specialist team on hand that works alongside providers to get the remedy implemented.
Its main test is whether you have been dealt with in a "fair and reasonable" way. It will also take account of the law, rules and good practice in the industry, when arriving at its decisions.
This article is more than 10 years old. Ombudsman service is struggling as complaints flood in and more firms appeal against rulings. Natalie Ceeney, chief executive of the Financial Ombudsman Service. Photograph: Clara Molden. Most would have had a speedier resolution at the small claims court. In recent years the FOS has been swamped with cases.
0コメント