How to fill in the Financial Ombudsman Service complaint form

This guide is designed to be printed and used along side the FOS complaint form.  Replace the information below with your personal details, changing the text to suit your own circumstances where needed. 

Q. First please give us your details
A. Insert the name, address and phone numbers of the account holder.

Q. If you’re complaining on behalf of a business charity or trust 
A. Complete this if you’re claiming for a business account, otherwise ignore. The Financial Ombudsman Service cannot help businesses with a turnover of more than two million euros or more than ten employees.

Q. Details of the business you think is responsible for your complaint 
A. Fill in the name, address and phone number of the financial company you’re complaining about. This can be for either the head office or details of a local branch.

Q. What’s happened so far
A. You’ll need to include the date of your first official initial complaint to the business. You can also include copies of any emails or letters you’ve received in relation to your complaint from the company. Remember, the financial ombudsman will only look at your complaint if eight weeks have passed from your initial complaint, or you’ve received a ‘final decision’ letter.

Q. Has the business you’re complaining about sent you its final response? 
A.
Tick YES if:
You have received a final response letter from your bank or you have received a letter from your bank telling you to contact the FOS.

Tick NO if:
The first letter to your bank was more than eight weeks ago and you have not resolved the complaint.

Q. Has there been any court action relating to your complaint or is court action planned?
A. Tick NO even if you have threatened to take court action but have changed your mind.  If there has been court action the FOS will not be able to help you.

Q. When did the advice, transaction, or poor service that you’re complaining about take place? 
A. Enter the date that the problem happened, as close to the actual day as you can remember.

Q The kind of product or service you’re complaining about
A. First box: enter a short description of the product eg Home insurance, Mortgage, Pension etc.  Second box: enter your account or reference number.

Q. Please tell us what your complaint is about 
A. Enter text to briefly explain your complaint, such as: I believe that the above product/service supplied to me by the financial company mentioned, was [select most appropriate reason from unfair/unreasonable/unlawful/ misrepresented/unclear/misleading] and has resulted in a personal loss to me of [enter way in which you have been effected eg loss of interest, loss of an insurance payout] as a result.
  
Q. How have you been affected - financially or otherwise?
A. You should use this box to enter full details of why you are complaining in as clear a way as possible. The Financial Ombudsman decide if your complaint is valid by looking at the facts of your individual case so include details of what went wrong, what the financial company said (or you believed it to mean), the effect that the information had on you and any other details you feel are relevant to your complaint.  Briefly mention AND include any evidence you have for the reasons given if you have it.

Also say if you believe the bank hasn’t treated you fairly (NOTE – fairly is a key word as the financial regulator requires banks to “treat customers fairly”). 

Q. What do you want the business you’re complaining about to do to put things right for you?
A. Enter the text I would like a full refund of the loss I have experienced as a result of this complaint.  

The following areas are optional if you know the details and would like to include them:

My claim is for the value of £[enter amount you have been asking the company to pay you].

This includes £10/hour, totalling £[enter total cost], for the cost of my time in making this complaint.

This includes interest at a rate of 8% per year, totalling £[enter amount], the amount a court would award me. A calculator to help you work this out can be found at www.moneysavingexpert.com/interestcalc

Q. Finally, please read and sign this declaration 
A. Sign and date on the lines provided. If you are completing the form for someone else, the details included here should be for the person who holds the account.

IMPORTANT: Have you included all copies of letters to and from your bank (you should keep the originals) and evidence that backs up your complaint?

Now send the completed form to the address listed on the form.