Car Insurance Problems UK

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Who do I contact if I have a complaint against a finance house?

In the first place, the person you should contact is the person you dealt with originally. If that person insists that they can't help, then you should say that you want to take matters further. You should ask them for the job title and the name of the complaint handler who will be dealing with you and also ask for details to be sent to you of the company's complaints procedure.

You should put whatever complaint you have in writing. When writing a complaint letter, you should write 'complaint' at the top of the letter. The letter should be short, to the point, with the facts set out clearly. You should be clear about why you are not happy with the company and what you want them to do about it. If you are clear on what compensation you require, it becomes easier for the company to deal with. The facts should be in a logical order, relevant, and you should remember your customer or account number at the top of the letter. Enclose any relevant documents and keep copies of correspondence between you and the firm.

Eventually, probably after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, the company will send you a final response letter. This will either be an offer of compensation which you are happy with, or a letter of deadlock, that says they can't help you. Once this final response letter has been sent to you, and ONLY once this has happened, should you escalate the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. This was set up by the law in order to settle disputes between financial firms and customers. It is free to consumers, and its decisions are binding for the firms but not you, so you can go to court should you not accept the ombudsman's decision.

You should be aware that you won't gain from this service, rather it aims to put you back into the position you'd have been in should things not have gone wrong. Also, if the Ombudsman feels you have been treated fairly or have been offered fair compensation, they will tell you.

The Financial Ombudsman service will not help you with a complaint about your car insurance policy, as it doesn't cover general insurance. But if you are dealing with a finance house as part of your insurance dealings, they can help you. You must write to the Financial Ombudsman Service within at most six months of receiving the final response letter from the firm you are complaining to. Also, should the firm not send you a final response letter within eight weeks of your complaint, you can also ask the Ombudsman for help. You'll get a complaint form, and you should also send all related documents.

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