What Is The Financial Ombudsman Service?
Most of us ain some type of financial product. Chances are you lot’ve got several, including bank accounts, credit cards or insurance policies. Usually, these products deliver what we demand, but occasionally things go incorrect as well as we don’t acquire the service we expect.
Often the product provider can resolve your job, but if not, you lot may demand to phone call upon the Financial Ombudsman Service.
What is the Financial Ombudsman Service?
TheFinancial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is an independent trunk that was created by the government inward 2001. The FOS aims to settle disputes between you lot as well as whatsoever U.K.-based fiscal companionship.
If you lot have got a charge y’all need to become to the fiscal society first, but if they don’t resolve the job to your satisfaction y’all tin and so have your complaint to the FOS.
It is a completely complimentary service and the FOS is a neutral tertiary party. It volition aspect at the charge in addition to listen your side of events aswell every bit those of the society inward question. If the FOS finds in your favour it has the ability to gild a society to put things correct.
What does the Financial Ombudsman Service embrace?
The FOS is there to aid individuals, minor businesses and charities to settle disputes amongst financial services companies.
Your complaint tin live nearly:
- Bank accounts
- Credit cards
- Debt collection
- Irresponsible lenders
- Insurance
- Investments
- Loans
- Mortgages
- Pensions
- Savings accounts
Your complaint doesn’t have got to live nigh a product, it can as well be about the service that a society has delivered together with whether it has treated y’all fairly.
However, if you have been scammed that is a case for the police force, not the FOS.
For the FOS to stride inward the society inwards enquiry must be overseen past the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
If you aren’t certain if your complaint is covered go far bear upon alongside the FOS to discover out.
There are a number of ways you tin contact the FOS.
- You tin contact the FOS via its website –www.fiscal-ombudsman.org.uk
- You can telephone call the FOS on 0800 0234 567 (or 0300 123 9 123 from a mobile)
- You tin electronic mail the FOS at [e-mail protected]
Be aware that during the Coronavirus pandemic the FOS is alert itsphone lines are extremely busy. It is besides request that you don’t contact them by post as FOS employees hold rattling express access to the part. The best fashion to get in affect is via its website or by electronic mail.
How practice Financial Ombudsman Service complaints piece of work?
Before you brand a charge to the Financial Ombudsman Service y’all must try to resolve the job alongside the company start. They hold eight weeks to answer before yous can goto the FOS (15 days for complaints relating to payment services and electrical coin).
If complaining to the company doesn’t resolve the number you can then escalate your complaint to the FOS. You must practice this inside half dozen months of your in conclusion contact amongst the companionship.
To start alongside y’all demand to contact the FOS either by telephone or via its website. You will need to render details of your complaint as well as any relevant correspondence and you lot will live assigned a caseworker who willinvestigate. How long your complaint takes to resolve will depend on its complexity too the speed at which all the necessary information is provided. The FOS says some cases can be sorted in a few weeks too two-thirds are wrapped upwards within iii months. Some, however, may accept much longer.
If the FOS agrees that the fellowship you lot are complaining nearly is inwards the incorrect – known equally upholding your complaint – it has the ability to forcefulness it to rectify the job. This could involve asking it toapologise, refunding whatever fiscal loss you have suffered or asking it to pay compensation. The maximum compensation that can live paid is £355,000.
How far back tin y’all complain?
You tin brand a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service either 3 years from when you knew y’all could brand a complaint, or vi years from when the problem occurred.
However, you lot must have contacted the fellowship regarding your complaint within half-dozen months ofgoing to the FOS. So, if you lot desire to complain most something that happened more than than half dozen months ago you need to contact the fellowship initially together with allow them to resolve the dispute before you lot can become to the FOS.
What happens if I disagree alongside the FOS’sec conclusion?
When y’all receive a decision from the FOS it is probable to hold been made past your assigned caseworker. If y’all aren’t happy with the consequence y’all tin ask for your disputeto go to an ombudsman at the FOS.
Once an ombudsman has come up to a determination it is final. There is no further appeal process inside the FOS and your solely remaining selection would be to accept your example to court.
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