Why Don’t We Complain More Often?
It seems that everyday we open the newspapers we see an issue with someone receiving a bad service, or over charged for some reason. While much of the cause for complaint can often fall on the financial sector, it seems that in general the UK public either don’t want to, or don’t know how to complain. The facts are that unless we complain when we have a valid reason, many issues will never be resolved, and they will happen time and time again.
Remember, you have a right to a particular standard of service, and if this is not being reached you have the right to complain - but how easy is the process?
The process itself is surprisingly easy and would always begin with the provider of the service, who should be given the right of reply. A standard complaints letter needs to be acknowledged with 7 days, and a full response received within a set timescale. This allows the service provider to actual see if there has been a problem, and suggest a way to solve any problems which they may find.
If the complainant is unable to reach an agreement with the service provider, they still have the right to take it further, with the majority of financial complaints investigated by the Financial Ombudsman (www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk). The ombudsman will give all parties the right to reply and investigate further, offering a ruling on their findings. The ombudsman will force a service provider to payout compensation where applicable, or they may find no case to answer. Even if their is deemed “no case to answer†there is still a further appeals process for the client, who can ask for greater clarification.
It is essential that complaints are made where applicable as both the services providers and the authorities can only become aware of problems if people tell them. Very often it is in the interests of all parties to resolve the situation as soon as possible, organise any compensation and make the relevant changes to avoid a repeat of the situation in the future.
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