Complaints Policy
If you are a customer and are dissatisfied with any aspect of the goods or services provided, you are entitled to complain. Our policy is to identify, manage and respond to customer complaints objectively and take a constructive approach to reaching a satisfactory conclusion. We recognise that complaints may provide us with an opportunity to check the quality of our service and to make improvements to it in a particular case or more generally. Indeed, even if you do not have a complaint, your suggestions as to how our services might be improved will be welcome.
You can make a complaint by any reasonable means. This includes by way of letter, email, or telephone call. Our contact details can be found on your Order Form. Once we receive your complaint and where necessary and practicable, we will acknowledge within two working days of receiving it.
Your complaint will be assigned to one of our Customer Care Agents who will then review your complaint carefully and make any wider enquiries as may be necessary. The Customer Care Agent will respond to your complaint comprehensively whether in writing or by telephone as soon as practicable but within 14 days.
If we are still unable to reach a solution, our response will be final, and we will advise you to seek independent advice if you have not already done so.
If you are a finance customer please read the policy below.
Finance Customers
Investigation
The complaints manager will establish the nature and scope of the complaint having due regards to the Financial Conduct Authority’s direction:
• Deal with complaints promptly and fairly
• Give complainants clear replies and, where appropriate, fair redress
• We may take up to 8-weeks to provide a response
It is the firm’s policy to treat all complainants the same, however, eligible complainants, customers that have purchased goods and services using a lenders finance, are legally defined and have additional rights in law that we must acknowledge and adhere to.
The Financial Conduct Authority complaints rules apply to complaints:
• Made by, or on behalf of an eligible complainant.
• Relating to regulated activity.
• Involving an allegation that the complainant has suffered, or may suffer, financial loss, material distress or material inconvenience.
Final response
This will set out clearly our decision and the reasons for it. If any compensation is offered a clear method of calculation will be shown. The firm must include details of the Financial Ombudsman Service in the final response if dealing with an eligible complainant and a regulated activity, we will:
• Explain that the complainant must refer the matter to the ombudsman within six months of the date of the final response letter or the right to use this service is lost
• Indicate whether or not we consent to waive the relevant time limits.
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Complaints Settled within 3 business days Complaints that can be settled to the customer’s satisfaction within 3 business days can be recorded and communicated differently. Where we consider a complaint to be resolved to the customer’s satisfaction under this section, the firm will promptly send a ‘Summary Resolution Communication’, being a written communication from them which: (1) refers to the fact that the customer has made a complaint and informs them that they now consider the complaint to have been resolved to the customers satisfaction. (2) The firm will tell the customer that if they subsequently decide that they are dissatisfied with the resolution of the complaint they may be able to refer the complaint back to the firm for further consideration or alternatively refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service; (3) Provide the website address of the Financial Ombudsman Service; and In addition to sending you a Summary Resolution Communication, the firm may also use other methods to communicate the information where: (1) We consider that doing so may better meet the customer’s needs; or |
Closing a complaint
We will consider a complaint closed when we have made our final response to the customer. This does not prevent a customer from exercising any rights they may have to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Financial Ombudsman Service
We will co-operate fully with the Ombudsman in resolving any complaints made against us and agree to be bound by any awards made by the Ombudsman. The firm undertakes to pay promptly any fees levied by the Ombudsman.
How Long You Have to Complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service
You have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge – but you must do so within six months of the date the final response letter.
If you do not refer your complaint in time, the Ombudsman will not have our permission to consider your complaint and so will only be able to do so in very limited circumstances. For example, if the Ombudsman believes that the delay was as a result of exceptional circumstances.
Contact:
The Financial Ombudsman Service, Exchange Tower, London E14 9SR
Tel: 0800 023 4567 (free for most people ringing from a fixed line)
or 0300 123 9123 (cheaper for those calling using a mobile) or 020 7964 0500 (if calling from abroad)
Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk