Do you work for a charity or consumer group? If your client has a problem with a financial business, we may be able to help.
On this page, you’ll find guidance and resources for customer advisers and support workers about referring a client’s complaint to us for investigation, including:
How we can help you support your client
We offer a free, easy-to-use service
that settles disputes between financial businesses and customers
We can investigate your client's problem
and deal with the financial business to settle matters fairly
We provide information in different formats
and adapt the way we communicate to your client’s needs – or yours
Who can bring a complaint
Our service is free and easy to use.
Your client can bring their complaint directly to us or ask someone to talk to us on their behalf. This might be a friend, family member – or you, as their support worker or customer adviser.
You will be our first point of contact if your client appoints you as their representative.
Read the transcript of this video (PDF 79KB).
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How to bring a complaint
Preparing the complaint
Your client must complain to the financial business before bringing the complaint to us. Depending on the type of complaint, in most cases the business must respond within eight weeks.
If it doesn’t – or your client’s unhappy with the final response – your client can contact us. They must bring the complaint within six months.
You don't need to get bogged down in regulations or law. We want to hear what’s happened in your client’s own words. Our complaint checker will tell you more about some of the things we need to know upfront and to help make sure the complaint is ready. It will take you to the online complaint form.
Top tips
- Gather and prepare documentation and evidence – you client should do this as early as possible
- Keep a note of any conversations and correspondence you, or your client, have with the financial business concerned
Bringing the complaint to us
Complete the online complaint form and submit it in one go. If you are representing your client, fill out your details at the bottom of the online complaint form. You will then be our main point of contact.
Top tips
- Tell us if there's something about your client, or their complaint, that makes matters urgent
- Let us know about how the issue caused distress and inconvenience as well as any financial loss
- Write a clear explanation, if necessary, of why the complaint falls outside the time limits rules
Responding to what we say
The case will be assigned to an investigator who will get in touch when they start to look at it. They’ll talk to your client – or you, if you're representing your client – about what to expect, including timing, next steps and whether they need more information.
The investigator will give the client an assessment of the case and explain how we reached it. If we think the business has done something wrong, we'll tell it how to put things right. At this point, your client needs to decide whether they accept our view.
Top tips
- Remember: the client must accept or reject our view by the deadline
Need to speak to us?
Our Business Support Hub is a free resource for consumer advisers and complaint handlers at financial businesses.
If you have any questions about how we work – or how we might approach your client's complaint – contact our Business Support Hub between 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, by:
- email: [email protected]
- phone: 020 7964 1400 for information on how we might look at a particular complaint, or for guidance on our rules and how we work.
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