We take all complaints seriously.
If a customer contacts us directly (either by letter, email or telephone) or via a third party, their concern will be logged. An initial response will normally be made to the customer within 48 hours after the time that the concern is logged with us. This may take longer when the circumstances are complicated or the individuals involved are temporarily out of the business.
Our process for dealing with complaints received by us will differ depending on what the complaint is about.
1. Products regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
We will treat as an FCA product complaint (FCA Complaint) any oral or written or email expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, from, or on behalf of, a person about the provision of, or failure to provide, a financial service, which alleges that the complainant has suffered (or may suffer) financial loss, material distress or material inconvenience.
2. Goods and non-financial services
All other complaints regarding goods or non-financial services supplied by us will be treated as a general complaint.
Process for all complaints
Many concerns can be dealt with straight away but sometimes it is necessary for us to look into the matters you have raised in more detail.
The responsible manager or director will contact you to attempt to resolve the concern and will update our log accordingly.
Process for general complaints
After the process above, if we are unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, then we will provide details of certified Alternative Dispute Resolution providers that you may contact.
Process for FCA complaints
In addition to the process above, our central review team will also review all FCA Complaints and we have a slightly more formal process as follows:
- Promptly following receipt of your complaint
Any FCA Complaint that has not been resolved straight away will be logged and we will send you a letter to acknowledge your concerns.
If we believe that another firm or company is responsible for the matters to which your complaint relates and is therefore best placed to resolve it, we may forward your complaint to them to investigate. If we do so, we will write to you to let you know and will give you the name of the firm or company to which we are forwarding your complaint.
- Within eight weeks from receipt
We will aim to have completed our investigation and provide you with our final response in relation to your complaint within eight weeks of receipt of your complaint. If we cannot provide you with our response within eight weeks, we will write to you explaining why this is the case and indicate when a response will be sent to you. You will also be advised of your right to take the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service should you be dissatisfied with the outcome of our investigation and our final response.
