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Make a complaint

Use our complaint checker to answer a few questions about your complaint, what has happened and the financial business you want to complain about.

You should give the financial business you’re unhappy with a chance to sort things out before bringing your complaint to us.
If you haven’t complained to the business yet, read our complaining to a financial business guide.
If your complaint is ready to send to us, the checker contains links to our complaint forms.

Answering the questions in the checker is not a formal assessment of your complaint and your answers are not recorded.

Click the answer that applies to make a start.

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Tell us about your complaint

Are you contacting us about a new complaint?

Our complaint checker will help you check you’re ready to send your complaint to us and give you an idea of whether we’re able to help you. It takes you through a small number of questions, asking you about some of the things we need to know upfront before you send us a complaint.

If your complaint sounds like something we can help with, we will explain the next step in the process. If you are ready to send your complaint to us, the complaint checker explains how you can do this.

If it’s not something we can help with, the checker will help signpost you to other organisations that might be able to.

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Yes

If your complaint is with an investigator, and you have a question about progress or sending in further information, you should speak to your investigator direct. You can find their contact details on emails or letters they have sent to you.

If your complaint isn’t with an investigator yet, or if you have a general enquiry – or want to ask us about something other than a new complaint – you can find ways to contact us on our website.

About you

To make a new complaint, we need to know about you. Which of these describes your relationship with the business you’re complaining about?

Before we can investigate a complaint, we need to check that it is one our rules and powers say we can help with.

We can help a range of people with complaints about financial products or services, regardless of nationality or where they live. For example, individual or joint customers of financial businesses. We can also help certain types of small business and others too, like charities, depending on things like their size, and their turnover, income or asset value.

Official rules set out who we can and can't help, but broadly we can look at complaints from:

an individual customer – or joint customers – of a financial business that provided service or products in the UK.
individuals who act as personal guarantors for loans to businesses they are involved in
a ‘micro-enterprise’ (a type of small business) with an annual turnover or balance sheet that does not exceed €2 million and fewer than ten employees
a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) with an annual turnover of no more than £6.5 million and fewer than 50 employees
a charity with an annual income of less than £6.5 million
a trust that has a net asset value of less than £5 million.

Our service is free and easy-to-use. You don’t need to pay anyone to represent you, for example a lawyer or claims management company (CMC). But if you want to, you can ask a member of your family, a friend or someone else to help you with your complaint.

Or, if you need more detail (including links to the rules in full) you can read more about the customers we can help. Alternatively, watch our video that sets out who can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Read the transcript of ‘Who we can help’ video (PDF 79KB).

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I’m a customer of the business I’m complaining about

I run or am involved with a small business, charity, or trust – and am complaining on their behalf

I’m complaining on behalf of someone else (for example a friend, family member or client) who’s a customer of the financial business

None of the above

We can look at most complaints brought by customers – people who are using, have used, or may use a financial product or service.

We can look at products or services taken out by one person or more than one person, such as a joint account or mortgage. We will explain what you need to do to complain about joint accounts or other products when you contact us.

We can look at most complaints brought by a small business, charity or trust – if certain criteria relating to their size, value or income are met and they’re a customer or potential customer of the business being complained about.

Head to our dedicated small business website to find out if you’re eligible to bring a complaint to our service and the types of complaint we can help with.

You can complain on someone else’s behalf, as long as that person is eligible to complain themselves and you have their permission to represent them (personally eg as a friend or family member or professionally eg as a claims handler or legal representative).

We might not be able to help. Official rules set out the types of complaint we can and can't help with, including rules about the type of customer relationship you have with a financial business.

There are some exceptions, for example if you were scammed into making a payment – and don’t think the bank that received your money has done enough to help your bank get it back – we may be able to look at your complaint. Read more about who we can help and the rules we follow or contact us to discuss your complaint.

Is your complaint about a business that provides financial products or services? We can look into most complaints about businesses that provide financial services – things like bank accounts, credit cards and loans, insurance policies, pensions, savings and investments. We can also look at complaints about Claims Management Companies.

Before we look at a complaint, we have to check the details of the financial business you are unhappy with to see if we can consider a complaint about it.

Some financial businesses are automatically covered by us – and others voluntarily sign up to have us consider complaints about them.
Sometimes we cannot help because the activity or type of business your complaint is about means it should be dealt with by a different organisation or service. If you answer "no" to this question in the checker tool, we will try to point you in the right direction for help with your complaint.
We can usually look at complaints about CMCs that provide their services from England, Scotland and Wales or to customers in these countries and are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

There may be other reasons we cannot help with a complaint – for example, we will not usually look into a problem that’s been decided by a court, or one that we have looked at already.

The FSCS is the UK's compensation “safety net” for customers of regulated financial businesses. They pay compensation if a financial firm is unable, or likely to be unable, to pay claims against it. This is usually because it has stopped trading or has been declared in default. In cases like these, we might not look into a complaint – but consumers might be able to make a claim using the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The FSCS website has more information about its role.

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Yes

Not sure

If you’re not sure the business provides financial services, a good start would be to check if they are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

You can do that by entering the name of the business in the FCA’s financial services register on their website.

If you’re still unsure, get in touch with us and we’ll let you know.

If not, what’s your complaint about?

Mobile or internet provider

Energy supplier

Accountant

Landlord or estate agent

Local council

Solicitor

None of the above

Communications Ombudsman might be able to help with a complaint about your phone, mobile or internet provider and their services.

Although we can't help with a complaint about your phone or internet, we might be able to help if your complaint is about how your bank handled a payment for your bill, or if you've had a problem with your mobile phone insurance.

If you're unsure, get in touch and we’ll be happy to let you know if we can help.

Energy Ombudsman might be able to help if you have a complaint about an energy company, for example your gas or electricity supplier. They can look at complaints about issues like billing, switching suppliers or the supply of energy to your home.

In some circumstances we might be able to help – for example, if you have a complaint about an insurance policy provided by your energy supplier. If you're unsure, get in touch and we’ll be happy to let you know if we can help.

We're not usually able to help with complaints about accountants. Other professional bodies might be able to look into what’s happened – like the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the ICAEW, or the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, ACCA. Your accountant might refer to the professional body they belong to in their correspondence with you.

The Housing Ombudsman Service can help with complaints from tenants or leaseholders about social landlords (housing associations and local authorities) or private landlords or letting agents who are a member of the scheme. The Property Ombudsman can look at complaints about property agents that are members of its scheme.

Although we can't look at complaints about your landlord or estate agent, we might be able to help if your bank made an error with your rent payments.

If you’re unsure, get in touch – and we’ll be happy to let you know if we can help.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman may be able to help with complaints about local councils.

Although we can't help with a complaint about your local council, we might be able to help if your complaint is about how your bank dealt with your payment for council tax.

If you’re unsure, get in touch – and we’ll be happy to let you know if we can help.

The Legal Ombudsman might be able to help with a complaint about a solicitor. They can look at things like the service you received from your legal services provider when buying a house, or when pursuing a personal injury claim.

In some circumstances we might be able to help – for example, where your complaint is about a legal expenses insurance policy. If you’re unsure, get in touch – and we’ll be happy to let you know if we can help.

If your complaint isn’t about a financial services business, but the type of business or organisation you want to complain about isn’t listed above, take a look at our information about other complaint-handling organisations who may be able to help.

Is the business based in the UK?

Generally, we can help with complaints about businesses that provide retail financial products and services in or from the UK. It doesn’t matter what your nationality is or where you live.

Official rules set out the types of complaint we can and can't help with, including about where a financial business is based.

For complaints about financial businesses based outside the UK, you may be able to get help from an equivalent complaints-handling body.

For example, there is a Europe-wide network of financial ombudsmen and organisations dealing with financial complaints. As well as other schemes that cover complaints about financial services provided in or form the Channel Islands or Isle of Man.

We can usually only look at complaints about Claims Management Companies (CMCs) that provide their services from England, Scotland and Wales or to customers in these countries and are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

You can find more information including links to websites and contact details in our list of other complaint-handling organisations.

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Yes

Not sure

If you have a complaint about a financial business based outside the UK, we might not be able to help with your complaint. Official rules set out the types of complaint we can and can't help with, this includes rules about where a financial business is based.

Take a look at our other complaint-handling organisations page to find other organisations, including other ombudsman schemes, who may be able to help.

If you’re still unsure, you can get in touch with us to discuss your complaint.

It isn't always obvious where a financial service business is based – for example, if they provide online e-money services.

A good place to start is to check if they are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). You can do that by entering the name of the business in the FCA’s financial services register on their website.

Official rules set out the types of complaint we can and can't help with, this includes rules about where a financial business is based. But if you want to check, you can get in touch with us to discuss your complaint.

Have you complained to the business already?

Complaining to us is straightforward and will not cost you anything - but you need to give the financial business you are unhappy with a chance to sort things out before we can get involved.

Let them know why you are unhappy, and how you would like them to put things right.

The financial business should investigate your complaint fairly and send you a reply called their "final response".
They should do this within eight weeks at the most, depending on what your complaining about.
If they don’t reply, or you’re not happy with their final response, you can contact us.
Once we’ve checked your complaint is something we can help with, we will start to investigate.

If you have not complained to the financial business yet, read our how to complain guide.

Alternatively, watch our video that sets out the steps involved in making a complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Pressing play on the video above will set a third party cookie. Please read our cookie policy for more information.

Read the transcript of the ‘How to complain’ video (PDF 76KB).

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Yes

When you make a complaint to a financial business, they should look into things and reply within 8 weeks at the most – for some types of complaints, businesses have a shorter timeframe (either 15 or 35 days) to respond to you.

After the financial business has finished looking into your complaint, they should send you something in writing – usually called a ‘final response’ – that sets out their findings. If the business accepts that they’ve done something wrong, they will also set out what they propose to do to help put things right.

The final response will also explain that you have six months to bring the complaint to us if you remain unhappy or disagree with their reply.

If you are not happy with their response, or they do not get back to you within 8 weeks, you can bring your complaint to us.

You should contact the financial business before you send a complaint to us. Contact them to explain what’s happened and why you’re complaining to give them a chance to put things right. You can contact us if you’re not happy with their final response. The business will need to be given the chance to resolve your complaint first, before we can get involved.

If you haven't complained to the financial business yet, read our how to complain to a financial business guide that explains what to do.

Have you received a final response letter? Or has it been more than 8 weeks since you complained? The business should respond to your complaint within 8 weeks and send you a final response letter. However, if it’s been more than 8 weeks and you haven’t had a response, you can bring your complaint to us – select ‘yes’ as your answer to this question.

Complaining to us is straightforward and will not cost you anything - but you need to give the financial business you are unhappy with a chance to sort things out before we can get involved.

For most complaints, financial businesses have up to 8 weeks to consider and respond to your complaint.

In some circumstances, a business has up to 35 days to consider a complaint. This applies to complaints about payment services (such as banks transfers, scams, or direct debits) or electronic money (for example, online money transfers or Apple pay).

Once they have investigated your complaint, the financial business should send you a reply called a "final response", which sets out their findings. If the business accepts they did something wrong, they’ll also set out what they propose to do to help put things right.

The final response will also explain that you have six months to bring the complaint to us if you remain unhappy or disagree with their reply.

If the final response was more than six months ago, we might not be able to help – read more about time limits that affect whether we can look into a complaint on our website.

If the business hasn't responded to your complaint within 8 weeks, you can still bring your complaint to us. Select ‘yes’ as your answer to this question and to move on to the next question.

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Yes

If you have received a final response and you’re not happy with the outcome of your complaint, you can bring your complaint to us.

If it’s been more than eight weeks since you complained and the business hasn’t responded, you can still bring your complaint to us.

We won’t be able to help with your complaint until you have received a final response letter or if its been more than eight weeks since you complained and the business hasn’t sent a response.

You can read more about time limits for a business to reply to a complaint. If you have already complained to the financial business but you are not sure whether the business should have replied to you by now, you can contact us to discuss your complaint.

What’s your complaint about?

The answers you have provided so far suggest we can probably look into your complaint. If you have complained to the business and you’re not happy with their final response, you can make complain to us now.

To read more information about our approach to the types of complaints listed, before sending us your complaint, select what you’re complaining about from the list and follow the links to our guidance notes.

Or, if you are ready to send us your complaint click next to go to the final page. You will be taken to our online complaint form where you can submit your personal information and give us the details about your complaint.

If you want to know more about our process or timescales before submitting your complaint, read more about what to expect when we handle a complaint or how long it takes for us to handle a complaint.

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Home, motor, travel, wedding and other types of insurance

Bank accounts, payments, cards, cash machines and other banking services

Fraud or scams

Mortgages

Loans and other credit, like car finance, or debt collection and financial difficulties

Investments

Pensions and annuities

Pre-paid funeral plans

PPI

Claims management companies (CMCs)

My complaint isn’t listed above