What will we do once we have received your complaint?
Upon receipt of a complaint, our Compliance Officer, Graham Bond (who, where possible, is independent of the case), will investigate the complaint. Their contact details are as follows:
- Email: gbb@consilium-ifa.co.uk
- Phone: 01454 321511
You may contact them at any stage.
We will investigate your complaint fairly, promptly, and consistently to determine whether it should be upheld and (if appropriate) determine the remedial action/redress. We will set out our conclusions in a final response to you. All relevant factors will be taken into consideration.
Definition of Complaint
“Any expression of dissatisfaction, whether oral or written, and whether justified or not, from or on behalf of an eligible complainant about the provision of, or failure to provide, a financial service (or a decision by a firm in relation to a consumer redress scheme) which:
- Alleges that the complainant has suffered (or may suffer) financial loss, material distress or material inconvenience and
- Relates to an activity of your firm, or of any firm with whom your firm has some connection in marketing or providing financial services or products, which come under the jurisdiction of the FOS.”
We may sometimes receive a complaint that falls outside the above definition—sometimes called non-regulatory complaints. Whilst these are not subject to the FCA’s complaints handling requirements, we will still handle them appropriately. This will allow us to identify any underlying causes, training needs, or areas for improvement.
Investigating and resolving your complaint
If you make a complaint to us before any investigation is undertaken, we will send you an Initial Response Letter, which is attached to this Complaint Procedure.
We will aim to resolve this within 3 working days. If we can do so, we will:
- Issue a letter confirming that the complaint has been resolved (Final Response Letter)
- Provide details of the Financial Ombudsman Service, to whom you can refer your complaint if you remain dissatisfied. (we will also attach a copy of the Financial Ombudsman Service standard explanatory leaflet)
If your complaint is not resolved within 3 working days of receipt of the complaint, the Compliance Officer will continue with their investigation.
We must decide within 8 weeks from the date of your complaint as to whether or not we will uphold your complaint. Once we have made this decision, either on or before the 8-week mark, we will send you a Final Response Letter. The letter must detail our final decision and include either:
- We are unable to uphold your complaint, and the reasons why
- We can uphold your complaint and confirm how we intend to put things right details of the redress, and any compensation (if applicable) we are offering along with our calculation method.
We will also include contact details for the Financial Ombudsman Service if you are unhappy with our decision. You have 6 months from the date of this letter to complain to them. We will attach a copy of the Financial Ombudsman Service standard explanatory leaflet.
If we have not been able to decide within 8 weeks of receipt of the complaint, our Compliance Officer investigating the complaint will issue you with:
- A response informing you why we are not yet in a position to resolve your complaint and when you might be expected to be provided with one
- If unsatisfied with our progress, refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
- We advise you that upon completing our review, we will inform you of the outcome.
Is the Complaint aimed at us?
Sometimes, we receive complaints that express dissatisfaction about the product provider or possibly another advice firm. Once we have received your complaint, we will assess whether or not it relates to the advice we have given, the service we have provided, advice or a service provided by another firm, or the performance of the selected product.
Once reviewed, and we establish that the complaint you have made is not in relation to the advice or the service we have provided you with, we will carry out the following action:
- We will write to the firm or provider concerned, explaining that we believe the complaint is theirs and suggesting that they contact you, the complainant, directly.
- We will enclose a copy of the original complaint letter.
- We will write to you, the complainant, giving the firm’s contact details and inviting you to contact them.
- We will also enclose a copy of our letter to the firm.
Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)
If you are an eligible complainant, you can refer a complaint to the FOS if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint. Please remember that if you wish to refer a complaint to the FOS, you must do so within 6 months of receiving our final response.
Please allow us to complete our internal investigation before you refer your concerns to the FOS.
However, if you wish to complain to the FOS, we will always cooperate with them and ensure that any supporting documents and a report are submitted.
Contact details for the FOS are as follows:
Address: The Financial Ombudsman Service, Exchange Tower, London, E14 9SR
Tel: 0800 023 4567 (this number is free for most people ringing from a fixed landline) or;
0300123 (if you call from your mobile) or 020 7964 0500 (if you are abroad).
Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Closing complaints
We will regard your complaint as closed in the following circumstances:
- Once we have sent you a Final Response letter or
- If you refer your complaint to FOS, when FOS inform us in writing that the complaint has been closed or
- You told us in writing that you accepted an earlier response that we sent to you.
We are committed to ensuring that all complaints received are
Upon receipt of a complaint, our Compliance Officer, Graham Bond (who, where possible, is independent of the case) will investigate the complaint. Their contact details are as follows:
- Email: gbb@consilium-ifa.co.uk
- Phone: 01454 321511
You may contact them at any stage.
We will investigate your complaint fairly, promptly, and consistently to determine whether it should be upheld and (if appropriate) determine the remedial action/redress. We will set out our conclusions in a final response to you. All relevant factors will be taken into consideration.
