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Can I make a complaint?

Use our complaint checker to find out if the Financial Ombudsman Service can help with your complaint. This is not a formal assessment of your complaint and your answers are not recorded.

You’ll just need to answer a few questions (click the answer that applies to make a start).

Let’s start with you. Which of these describes your relationship with the business you’re complaining about?

We can look at most complaints brought by customers – people who are using, have used, or may use a financial product or service.

We can look at products or services taken out by one person or more than one person, such as a joint account or mortgage. We will explain what you need to do to complain about joint accounts or other products when you contact us.

We can look at most complaints brought by a small business, charity or trust – if certain criteria relating to their size, value or income are met and they’re a customer or potential customer of the business being complained about. 

Head to our dedicated small business website to find out if you’re eligible to bring a complaint to our service and the types of complaint we can help with. 

You can complain on someone else’s behalf, as long as that person is eligible to complain themselves and you have their permission to represent them (personally eg as a friend or family member or professionally eg as a claims handler or legal representative).

We might not be able to help. Official rules set out the types of complaint we can and can't help with, including rules about the type of customer relationship you have with a financial business.

There are some exceptions, for example if you were scammed into making a payment – and don’t think the bank that received your money has done enough to help your bank get it back – we may be able to look at your complaint. Read more about who we can help and the rules we follow or contact us to discuss your complaint.

Is your complaint about a business that provides financial products or services? We can look into most complaints about businesses that provide financial services – like banks or insurance companies, as well as businesses regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and others that chose to be covered by us.

If you’re not sure the business provides financial services, a good start would be to check if they are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

You can do that by entering the name of the business in the FCA’s financial services register on their website.

If you’re still unsure, get in touch with us and we’ll let you know.

If not, what’s your complaint about?

Ombudsman Services: Communications might be able to help with a complaint about your phone, mobile or internet provider and their services.

Although we can't help with a complaint about your phone or internet, we might be able to help if your complaint is about how your bank handled a payment for your bill, or if you've had a problem with your mobile phone insurance.

If you're unsure, get in touch and we’ll be happy to let you know if we can help.

Ombudsman Services: Energy might be able to help if you have a complaint about an energy company, for example your gas or electricity supplier. They can look at complaints about issues like billing, switching suppliers or the supply of energy to your home.

In some circumstances we might be able to help – for example, if you have a complaint about an insurance policy provided by your energy supplier. If you're unsure, get in touch and we’ll be happy to let you know if we can help.

We're not usually able to help with complaints about accountants. Other professional bodies might be able to look into what’s happened – like the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the ICAEW, or the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, ACCA. Your accountant might refer to the professional body they belong to in their correspondence with you. 

The Housing Ombudsman Service can help with complaints from tenants or leaseholders about social landlords (housing associations and local authorities) or private landlords or letting agents who are a member of the scheme. The Property Ombudsman can look at complaints about property agents that are members of its scheme.

Although we can't look at complaints about your landlord or estate agent, we might be able to help if your bank made an error with your rent payments.

If you’re unsure, get in touch – and we’ll be happy to let you know if we can help.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman may be able to help with complaints about local councils. 

Although we can't help with a complaint about your local council, we might be able to help if your complaint is about how your bank dealt with your payment for council tax.

If you’re unsure, get in touch – and we’ll be happy to let you know if we can help.

The Legal Ombudsman might be able to help with a complaint about a solicitor. They can look at things like the service you received from your legal services provider when buying a house, or when pursuing a personal injury claim.

In some circumstances we might be able to help – for example, where your complaint is about a legal expenses insurance policy. If you’re unsure, get in touch – and we’ll be happy to let you know if we can help.

If your complaint isn’t about a financial services business, but the type of business or organisation you want to complain about isn’t listed above, take a look at our information about other complaint-handling organisations who may be able to help.

Is the business based in the UK?

If you have a complaint about a financial business based outside the UK, we might not be able to help with your complaint. Official rules set out the types of complaint we can and can't help with, this includes rules about where a financial business is based.

Take a look at our other complaint-handling organisations page to find other organisations, including other ombudsman schemes, who may be able to help.

If you’re still unsure, you can get in touch with us to discuss your complaint.

It isn't always obvious where a financial service business is based – for example, if they provide online e-money services. 

A good place to start is to check if they are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). You can do that by entering the name of the business in the FCA’s financial services register on their website.

Official rules set out the types of complaint we can and can't help with, this includes rules about where a financial business is based. But if you want to check, you can get in touch with us to discuss your complaint.

Have you complained to the business already?

The business should have sent you something in writing – usually called a ‘final response’ – explaining that you have six months to bring the complaint to our service. 

If their final response was more than six months ago, we won’t usually be able to help – you can find out more about time limits that affect whether we can look into a complaint on our website.

If you’ve complained and the business hasn’t responded within the time limits – you can bring the complaint to our service. 

You should contact the financial business, to explain what’s happened and why you’re complaining – and then contact us if you’re not happy with their final response. The business will need to be given the chance to resolve your complaint first, before we can get involved.

If you’re complaining about something that happened a long time ago, then we might not be able to help – you can find out more about time limits that affect whether we can look into a complaint on our website.

What’s your complaint about?

Your answers suggest we can probably look into your complaint. If you’ve complained to the business and you’re not happy with their response, you can make a complaint to us.

Make a complaint

You can find information about our general approach to resolving complaints about insurance on our website.

Your answers suggest we can probably look into your complaint. If you’ve complained to the business and you’re not happy with their response, you can make a complaint to us.

Make a complaint

You can find information about our general approach to resolving complaints about banking and payments on our website.

Your answers suggest we can probably look into your complaint. If you think you’ve been the victim of fraud or a scam, you should report the matter to the financial business, police and Action Fraud as soon as you can. 

If you’ve complained to the business and you’re not happy with their response, you can make a complaint to us. 

Make a complaint

We have information about our general approach to resolving complaints about fraud and scams on our website.

Your answers suggest we can probably look into your complaint. If you’ve complained to the financial business and you’re not happy with their response, you can make a complaint to us.

Make a complaint

You can find information about our approach to resolving complaints about mortgages on our website.

Your answers suggest we can probably look into your complaint. If you’ve complained to the financial business and you’re not happy with their response, you can make a complaint to us.

Make a complaint

You can find information about our approach to resolving complaints about loans and other credit on our website.

Your answers suggest we can probably look into your complaint. If you’ve complained to the financial business and you’re not happy with their response, you can make a complaint to us.

Make a complaint

You can find information about our approach to resolving complaints about investments on our website.

Your answers suggest we can probably look into your complaint. If you’ve complained to the financial business and you’re not happy with their response, you can make a complaint to us.

Make a complaint

You can find information about our approach to resolving complaints about pensions on our website.

The deadline for submitting new PPI complaints was 29 August 2019, so it may be too late for you to complain.

You may still be able to bring a complaint to us if you’re unhappy with the response you’ve been given – find out more in our information about making a complaint about PPI.

Your answers suggest we can probably look into your complaint. You can find information about making a complaint about a claims management company (CMC) on our dedicated website.

Make a complaint

If your complaint isn’t listed above, we might be unable to help. Official rules set out the types of complaint we can and can't help with, this includes rules about the types of products and services you can complain about to us.

We might be able to help if you’re complaining about something linked to financial services, such as complaints involving the impact of Covid-19, economic or domestic abuse or power of attorney.

There may be other complaint-handling organisations who can help.