“The fair and effective resolution of cases”
Given that these complaints are being brought by consumers who have told us they are trying to cope with financial difficulties, it is particularly important that the complaints are resolved fairly and without any unnecessary delay. Wherever possible, I hope that these issues can be resolved informally by the bank and its customer – without any need for a referral to the ombudsman. For our part, we undertake to progress the cases referred to us as quickly as we can. But a major obstacle to us achieving this is where there has been little real dialogue between the bank and the consumer – about the consumer’s financial circumstances and what a fair approach might be to the situation. In particular, we see cases where it appears to us that the bank has not engaged properly with the consumer (or their representative) to gain a clear understanding of the consumer’s financial position. Where banks follow iterative or circular processes, consumers can be left feeling powerless to progress their complaints. This difficult situation is made worse by standard or generic statements (by any of the parties) which do not address the consumer’s individual circumstances and may even be inaccurate. So I am asking you to ensure that you do all you can to avoid unnecessary referrals of cases to the ombudsman service – by promoting the early, fair resolution of your customers’ complaints. This will best be achieved by ensuring that your consideration of these cases includes the proper assessment of the consumer’s personal financial information at an early stage in the complaint.
