Complaint Procedure

Introduction

Name: Gillian Noon – Compliance & Complaints Manager
Telephone Number: 0191 410 4776
Address : 12-14 Lumley Court, Drum Ind Estate, Chester Le Street, DH2 1AN
Email: complaints@angloscottishfinance.co.uk

Our Procedures

Any complaint verbal or written will be referred to our Complaints Team at the earliest opportunity or to a member of Senior Management if the Complaints Team is unavailable. We will also:-
• Acknowledge the complaint in writing within 5 working days.
• Give details in our acknowledgement of the Financial Ombudsmen Service
• Make contact to seek clarification on any points where necessary
• Fully investigate the complaint
• Keep you informed of our progress
• Discuss with you our findings and proposed response

You will receive contact from us advising on progress if we cannot respond immediately. We will let you have our final response as soon as possible and not later than eight weeks.

On 24th January 2024, the FCA announced a pause to complaints regarding discretionary commission arrangements. The pause is for 37 weeks and relates to complaints received between 17th November 2023 and 25th September 2024. This means that when the complaint relates to Discretionary Commission Arrangements we will not be able to issue a final response to the customer until after the pause.

On 30th July 2024, the FCA announced they were now expecting to publish the findings of their review by May 2025. They are also extending the pause to the 8-week deadline for complaints relating to Discretionary Commission Disclosure until 4th December 2025 at the earliest.

The FCA are carrying out a review of sales involving discretionary commission arrangements from 6th April 2007 until 28th January 2021.

Definition of a Complaint

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) defines a complaint as any oral or written expression of dissatisfaction from or on behalf of a customer, whether justified or not, which includes an actual or potential financial loss, material distress or material inconvenience.

The FCA complaints rules apply to complaints:-
• Made by, or on behalf of an eligible complainant;
• Relating to regulated activity
• Involving an allegation that the complainant has suffered, or may suffer, financial loss, material distress or material inconvenience;

Eligible Complainants
It is the firms policy to treat all complainants the same, however, eligible complainants are legally defined and have additional rights in law that we must acknowledge and adhere to.

Investigation

The Complaints Team will establish the nature and scope of your complaint having due regards to the Financial Conduct Authority’s direction:
• Deal with complaints promptly and fairly
• Supply complainants clear replies and, where appropriate, fair redress.

Complaints Settled within 3 business days

Complaints that can be settled to your satisfaction within 3 business days can be recorded and communicated differently.
Where we consider a complaint to be resolved to your satisfaction under this section, we will promptly send you a ‘Summary Resolution Communication’, being a written communication from us which:

1. Refers to the fact that you have made a complaint and informs you that we now consider the complaint to have been resolved to your satisfaction;
2. We will tell you that if you subsequently decide that you are dissatisfied with the resolution of the complaint you may be able to refer the complaint back to us for further consideration or alternatively refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service;
3. Indicates whether or not we consent to waive the relevant time limits, (where we have discretion in such matters);
4. Provide website address of the Financial Ombudsman Service; and
5. Refer availability of further information on the website of the Financial Ombudsman Service.

In addition to sending you a Summary Resolution Communication, we may also use other methods to communicate the information where:

1. We consider that doing so may better meet your needs; or
2. We have already been using another method to communicate about the complaint.

Final Response

This will set our clearly the firm’s decision and the reasons for it. If any compensation is offered a clear method of calculation will be shown.
We must include details of the Financial Ombudsman Service in the final response if dealing with an eligible complainant and a regulated activity, we will:
• Explain that the complainant must refer the matter to the ombudsman within six months of the date of this letter or the right to sue this service is lost
• Indicate whether or not we consent to waive the relevant time limits.

Closing a complaint

We will consider a complaint closed when we have made our final response to you. This does not prevent you from exercising any rights you may have to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Financial Ombudsman Service

We will co-operate fully with the Financial Ombudsman Service in resolving any complaints made against us and agree to be bound by any awards made by the Ombudsman. The firm undertakes to pay promptly any fees levied by the Ombudsman

Contact:
Financial Ombudsman Service
Address: The Financial Ombudsman Service, Exchange Tower, London, E14 9SR
TEL: 0800 023 4567 (free for most people ringing from a fixed line) or 0300 123 9123 (cheaper for those calling using a mobile) or 44 20 7964 0500 (if calling from abroad)
Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk 
Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk 

BVRLA Conciliation Service

If you are unhappy with our Final Response you may be still be eligible to refer your complaint to the Dispute Resolution Service. You can submit the details online at https://bvrla.co.uk/consumer-advise/making-a-complaint-adr.html
If you do not have access to the internet, details can be sent by post to:-
British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association
River Lodge, Badminton Court
Amersham, HP7 0DD