Making a complaint

There are a number of ways of making a complaint 

• It is always worth talking to your insurer in the first instance and explaining why you are not happy with the way your claim has been handled. Having a conversation may be enough for your complaint to be resolved. You can complain directly to your insurer by phone or email. 
  
  
• If you are still not happy with the outcome you should ask your insurer about their formal complaints procedure. Your insurer is obliged by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK's financial regulator, to respond to a formal complaint within eight weeks. 
  
  
• If you are unhappy with your insurer's reponse to your formal complaint, or if they do not respond within eight weeks, you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Services (FOS). The FOS is an independent body which aims to settle complaints between consumers and businesses providing financial services.

The FOS provides this service free of charge to consumers.

• The FOS will take a complaint further only if you have already made a formal complaint to your insurer and received their reponse. The FOS does not take on cases that are outside of its jurisdiction, for example it will not take on a customer complaint about premium increases being too high.
  
  
• The FOS can only award a maximum of £150,000 and 
  will only represent individuals – it will not represent 
  companies.
  
  
• The FOS is an alternative to taking your complaint to court. However, if your complaint is for regaining money over £150,000, if you are unhappy with a FOS decision, or if you want an alternative to going to the FOS, you can take your complaint straight to court but you should seek legal advice first.