Financialservicesombudsman Recensioni 37

Like many other reviews here, the experience I had of using the Ombudsman was an absolute waste of time and almost 6 months. The particular person I dealt with would disappear for weeks on end, but gave me a time limit to answer him, which is ironic, especially as I had to phone the main number to try to get a response after waiting 6+weeks for a response from him.

Would recommend you save your time and effort and don't bother using the Ombudsman, as many others said already, they'll recommend you take the banks first offered response, which if I'd done on day one I would have saved myself 6 months of emails.

My recent case with the financial ombudsman makes me wonder if they are really impartial...their investigation was fully in favour of the insurance company and additionally accusing my vet of shortcomings!
It makes me wonder if they may be paid by the big companies, especially that my first investigator was replaced by another one towards the end of the investigation. None of my points were taken to the consideration and it was concerning that my vet was accused rather than the insurance company in the end. There was not even hint of hesitation in the review that the insurance company may have contributed in any way to the case.

To use this service against any organisation is a waste of life and time. They take forever to answer and will always favour the case with the insurance company as they are paid by them. My advice try and settle directly with the company you are complaining about and don’t bother using the financial ombudsman, YOU WILL ALWAYS LOSE.

I referred an issue I had to them to be told I was totally out of time and they would not even consider it (all I want is an answer as to how an organisation can issue a contract with one interest rate and deem it acceptable to charge another!)
However, their Investigator did send two super patronising emails as to why he knows I will be disappointed that he can't help!

Spent 2 years trying to give us corruption for a INVESTMENT SCAM app that Barclays bank endorsed to us when we brought it to them, making up reasons to find fault with us and then only offering half of the money back in a weighted outcome towards Barclays bank. ABSOLUTELY NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE how they still exist is OUTRAGEOUS and beyond us. They are just wasting peoples time and public money.

Been waiting 16 months for them to look into. Awful service. I have cancer and feel I will die before any action is even looked at.

I've just submitted a complaint about my home insurance. And I'm really really shocked to see that The Financial Ombudsman has not listened properly. They don't even take into account the needs of us disabled. They also have made errors, and ignored aspects of my complaint.

For example my house insurance dragged their feet when it came to processing a claim. Mistreated me, and gave me the runaround. Was not even transparent. And refused to let me have a copy of the report. None of which has been addressed by the Ombudsman.

But what is odd is FO gives you the opportunity to have the matter investigated by someone who is not an ombudsman. Who failed and then they do give you a chance to take it to the ombudsman.

But what is odd is I hadn't heard anything and then I chased it up asking when will the ombudsman look at it. And suddenly within 24 hours I got a response, with no contact, no checking of the facts and the incidents and of course they have refused to accept that the insurance company did anyone. But they did and they also claim that apparently they can't look into issues around the equality act 2010 and reasonable adjustments that need to be provided for disabled customers. Because they have no remit

I'm really really worried. Am shocked.

Ombudsman admitted that the halifax mortgage team made a mistake and so does the halifax in this error by tying us to a 5 year fix mortgage that doesn't allow additional borrowing with 5% ercs.

It's all in audio issued by the halifax and on emails from thier FCA regulated advisor

We requested additional borrowing in nov22 prior to the application approval in dec 22 and was informed in nov 22 this would be done post remortgage Dec 22

We shared all our sa302s, bank docs ... in Oct 22.

Yet now will not allow us to move away from the Halifax and still insist on charging the erc of 5% even when they admit to the error in giving us the wrong FCA regulated advice ?

Ombudsman offered 100ukp. For a loss of 13500ukp

Which we asked them to insert it where the sun .....

After nearly six months of wasted time, I received an email that did not help me at all. This company is more on the side of airlines than flight customers.

The date of experience is 21.2.2008, this site can't accommodate other than current dates. My house insurer, Saga sent a "Surveyor" from their Loss Adjusters, Cunningham Lindsay, now changed their name, to look at the earthquake damage my house suffered in 2008. She said the house looked in good order but I was too far from the epicentre (3 miles) to have experienced any detrimental effects, and no damage had been reported locally. Damage was experienced up to 50 miles distant, the final costs estimated was 30 million. The FOS took the case, 6 months into this complaint they told me I was dealing with Aviva who phoned me, were very sarcastic, called me "elderly and difficult" and told me to get a fully qualified surveyor for 200 (ridiculous it cost 1200 then). I found someone for 960 who was useless. They sent me names of 3 companies they deal with, all quoted me 1200. I chose one, he wrote a damning report and later re wrote and changed the report after meeting Avivas "Technical Adviser", possibly on the subject of how to defraud. He did, at least, tell me the initial Surveyor had lied. Meanwhile, a year after I submitted my compiaint to the FOS which was to "Please urge some action on the repairs", the FOS sent a decision letter. This stated they found in favour of Aiva that they shouldn't have to pay for the survey they had asked me to get 6 months into the complaint. When I pointed out that it was not the subject of my complaint, they said they had made the decision and couldn't change it. I asked my M.P for help, he wrote to a stakeholder, whatever that is, but got the same decision. Total incompetence. MP said more complaints were received about Ombudsman than anything else. Aviva did examine work the Loss Adjuster had paid for, they told me to my face it was the best work they had seen. In the casework papers I recently requested, they state that the work is unfinished. In reality it is causing my house substantial and consequential damage. I am now 15 years into this debacle and am just writing a Letter Before Court Action. Wish me luck with an honest, albeit expensive judiciary.

"The finance industry works on the principle of being fair and reasonable in the way you are treated" this is complete and utter rubbish! The FO are morally and ethically bankrupt, I have an ongoing dispute with American Express whose solution when I fell into Financial trouble was to lie to me about the options that were available to me and destroy my credit rating and drop me as a customer. I was sceptical because of how they ruled in NatWest's favour over 20 years ago, but reluctantly I turned to the FO for help, but they are still as morally and ethically bankrupt as they were back then, don't help even though that is what they are allegedly there for and claim they are impartial, rubbish! They call it an "independent assessment" If they were impartial or independent they'd see the facts of the case and rule accordingly, but instead of helping a bad situation get better, they make it worse. So once AGAIN thank you Financial Ombudsmen for being as USELESS as you were over 20 years ago. The agents change but the FO are still USELESS and will ALWAYS BE USELESS! If I could give no stars I would, so Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act means nothing right!

I have always used the financial ombudsman to resolve issues or to get to the bottom of a case. And I must be completely honest I’m mortified with the last two cases both bank related. As both times the outcome was completely negative! I have been literally and clearly wasting my time making phone calls as if I have nothing better to do! I have been made to feel like a criminal of which I’m not at all, and really Stressed to the point where it has affected my mental health and not made me feel safe or at ease. I will not be going back to this company anymore as they used to help me in the past. But from the recent cases I’ve been made to suffer for no reason and through no fault of my own but the banks. I’ve come to realise that banks don’t really care or not bothered about looking after customers money anymore. So it’s okay for fraudsters to commit fraud and get away with it and in the meantime people like me have to suffer. No empathy from banks and no empathy from financial ombudsman. All I can say to finish this review is wow and no thanks for helping me because nothing was resolved and I feel like I have zero faith in my bank now due to fraud happening twice in the space of two weeks. Good luck to anyone who goes to these people as I’ve wasted my time and breath on them!!! Never EVER again.

Cowboys and Girls. Complained about my insurance company after an accident, when a third party pulled out in front of my vehicle, from the left, out of a side road onto the road I was travelling along, crossing a give way line, said it was my fault. It was daylight, but I still had dipped headlights on. The other driver simply failed to look. It was my right of way, being already on the road. A small amount of damage was caused. The Highway code said it was not my fault as did police collision investigators and the dash cam footage proved I was not at fault.
My insurance company tried to say because the other vehicles front wheels had just crossed the give way line, then it was their right of way. I had no way to avoid the vehicle as it pulled out. I was below the speed limit.
Despite this, going against police advice, the FOS said my insurance company was correct.
I asked for the case to be reviewed by the FOS, but the same person reviewed the case and the same outcome. That person had no qualifications in accident investigation. It took 6 months to get that far, they are so slow.
This service needs closing down.

Note for Trustpilot, this is a genuine review that can be substantiated. Please do not remove this, the general public have a duty to find out how this service operates.

Date of experience: 12 November 2022

They will do nothing to help. They are paid for by the Financial Services so they are really not independent and make far to many mistakes but don't admit wrong doing

Unless pass buck service they put you more debt thd service needs reporting .

Following the theft of my wallet in May 2019 I was amazed at how quickly Santander and Lloyds re-imbursed me for the fraudulent misuse of my cards. I reported my loss to TSB, and was advised that the new TSB fraud protection policy for customers would see matters similarly settled very quickly ... not so! What resulted was Totally Shambolic, and I was forced to complain to the Financial Services Ombudsman.

I waited several months until my case was passed to an investigator. After a few further months I received a copy of an extensive proposal from the FSO investigator to TSB recommending that they repaid the £250 stolen, together with £150 compensation and interest at 8%. Within a matter of weeks the proposal was accepted by TSB and re-imbursement made! OK, some will say it took time, but the diligence and professionalism of the investigator is a true credit to this service! Thank you, Sarah, and to the Financial Services Ombudsman.

A waste of time- most of the time (but perhaps not always). The front line investigator gets 10/10 in sabotaging complaints. Their administration is a 'bit' chaotic. Nice telephone manner though, hence the 1 star. Congrats!