The fact that we may arrive at different outcomes for separate cases shouldn’t be seen as surprising. This isn’t a question of inconsistency – it’s a matter of our looking at each complaint individually and making a decision on what we believe is fair and reasonable in the circumstances of the particular case. There may be surface similarities between some complaints. But when we look at them in detail, we generally find very different facts and issues – reflecting the reality that everyone’s personal and financial circumstances will be different.

We sometimes hear from people who compare case studies in ombudsman news with a personal complaint they brought to the ombudsman service – and then feel that we have been inconsistent. By necessity, summarising a complex case into a few hundred words for ombudsman news means we are rarely able to paint the full, detailed picture. Our purpose in ombudsman news is not to include every fact about a particular case – but to highlight key themes or issues that we hope will give a ‘steer’ on our general approach in that type of case. Deciding complaints – like financial advice itself – can involve a complex balance of judgement, often based on a wide array of seemingly contradictory facts. The ‘right’ outcome in one case will not automatically be the right answer in other ‘similar’ cases.

Take a look at the information and help for firms section on our website.

Among other useful items, you’ll find our guide for firms, an introduction to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which explains our role and gives a quick review of the ombudsman rules and procedures.

And don’t forget our special events for firms in the mortgage and general insurance sectors.