If you remain dissatisfied with our final response, you may be eligible to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Although this service is free of charge, there are a number of conditions you should be aware of:
1. You must contact them within 6 months of the date of our final response. If you do not, the FOS will not have our permission to consider your complaint and will only be able to do so in exceptional circumstances.
2. The FOS only handles complaints raised by eligible complainants namely:
• consumers;
• micro-enterprises (businesses employing fewer than 10 persons whose annual turnover and/or annual balance sheet does not exceed EUR 2 million);
• charities (whose annual income is less than £6.5 million);
• a small business at the time you refer the complaint to BEPI (annual turnover less than £6.5m; and (i) employs fewer than 50 employees; or (ii) has a balance sheet total of less than £5m;
• guarantors (individuals who are not consumers and have given a guarantee or security in respect of an obligation or liability of a person which was a micro-enterprise or small business as at the date that the guarantee or security was given).
3. The FOS will only consider complaints about regulated products and services.
To contact the Financial Ombudsman Service, a complainant is advised to write or telephone or email their situation to:
Financial Ombudsman ServiceExchange Tower
London
E14 9SR
Telephone No.: 08000234567
Website:
https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/