Consumer glossary

The right word can reveal the right route

Consumer disputes become harder when different processes are given the same label. This glossary explains the recurring terms and points to the source or guide that gives them practical effect.

Search terms

Plain-English definitions for complaint and consumer routes

Search by term or by words in the definition. Definitions explain the practical meaning, but the governing statute or scheme may use a more specific test.

Search the glossary

A

ADR: Alternative dispute resolution. A process outside court in which an approved or recognised body may help settle or decide an eligible dispute. Scheme scope and rules vary.
APR: Annual percentage rate. A standardised measure intended to help compare the cost of borrowing. It is not the same as every pound payable under an agreement.
Arrears: Payments that have fallen due but remain unpaid. An arrears balance should be checked against the contract, payment history, interest and charges.
Assignment: A transfer of rights, such as a creditor assigning a debt. Assignment does not automatically prove the amount, enforceability or accuracy of the alleged balance.

B

Breach of contract: Failure to perform a contractual obligation. The remedy depends on the term, seriousness, causation, loss and any statutory rights.
Burden of proof: The obligation to prove a disputed fact or case to the required standard. In most civil disputes, the usual standard is the balance of probabilities.

C

Cancellation period: The period in which a qualifying contract may be cancelled. The start date, length and exceptions depend on the contract and legal regime.
Canonical URL: The preferred URL declared for indexing when several URLs could show the same page. It is a publishing term, not a consumer-law concept.
Chargeback: A card-scheme process through which a card issuer may seek to reverse a qualifying transaction. It is separate from statutory Section 75 liability.
Complaint: A clear expression of dissatisfaction that requires a response. Regulated sectors may define when a communication counts as a complaint.
Compensation: Money intended to address proven loss, impact or inconvenience. The available basis and amount depend on the legal or scheme route.
Consumer: Generally an individual acting wholly or mainly outside their trade, business, craft or profession, though definitions vary between regimes.
Consumer duty: An FCA regulatory framework requiring firms to act to deliver good outcomes for retail customers. It is not a single automatic compensation rule.

D

Deadlock letter: A final response stating that the organisation and consumer cannot agree. It may allow referral to an ADR or ombudsman scheme before a normal waiting period ends.
Default: A failure to meet an obligation, commonly a payment obligation. Credit reporting, contractual default and statutory enforcement steps should not be treated as identical.
Default notice: A notice required before certain enforcement steps under regulated consumer credit agreements. Its statutory validity depends on content, timing and the action proposed.
DSAR: Data subject access request. Another common name for a subject access request under data-protection law.
Durable medium: A method that lets a person store information addressed personally to them and reproduce it unchanged for long enough to use it, such as certain emails or documents.

E

EIR: Environmental Information Regulations 2004. A distinct public-information regime for environmental information.
Evidence: Material capable of supporting or testing a disputed fact. Strong evidence is relevant, authentic, dated and connected to the issue it is offered to prove.
Exhaustion: Completion of required internal complaint stages before an external body will accept a case. It does not necessarily pause other legal deadlines.

F

Final response: The organisation's concluded response to a complaint. In regulated sectors it can trigger or explain an external referral right and deadline.
FOIA: Freedom of Information Act 2000. A regime for access to recorded information held by covered public authorities, subject to exemptions and procedure.
Forbearance: Restraint or flexibility shown by a creditor, such as pausing action or agreeing support. The FCA uses related expectations in financial difficulty contexts.

J

Jurisdiction: A court, tribunal, ombudsman or regulator's legal or scheme authority to deal with the person, subject matter, location and time period involved.

L

Limitation: The legal time limit for bringing a claim. The period and start point vary, and a complaint or ombudsman process may not stop time running.
Linked credit: Credit connected with the supply of goods or services. Different statutory protections use specific tests and should be checked against the agreement.

M

Maladministration: Poor administration or service failure by a public body, such as avoidable delay, failure to follow procedure or inadequate reasons. Ombudsmen also consider injustice caused.
Material omission: Important information left out or presented unclearly where that omission affects, or is likely to affect, a consumer's transactional decision under the applicable regime.
Mitigation: Reasonable steps taken to avoid increasing a loss. A claimant is not normally expected to take disproportionate or unsafe action.

O

Ombudsman: An independent complaint body with a defined jurisdiction, procedure and remedy powers. Not every organisation using the term has the same statutory status.

P

Pre-action conduct: Steps expected before civil proceedings, including exchanging sufficient information, considering resolution and acting proportionately.
PRAAD: The Principles of Reciprocity and Data Sharing, industry principles used for sharing credit-account data with credit reference agencies.
Precedent: A legal decision that may bind or persuade later courts depending on court hierarchy, legal issue and factual context.

R

Reasonable care and skill: The statutory standard generally implied into consumer service contracts by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Rectification: Correction of inaccurate personal data, and completion of incomplete data where appropriate, under the UK GDPR.
Redress: An outcome intended to put a problem right, such as a refund, repair, correction, apology, compensation or procedural action.
Regulator: A body overseeing compliance in a market or profession. A regulator may take enforcement action without deciding an individual's compensation claim.
Remedy: The practical or legal outcome available for a proven wrong. A remedy should be connected to the rule, loss and powers of the decision-maker.

S

SAR: Subject access request. A request for personal data and specified information about its processing under data-protection law.
Section 75: A Consumer Credit Act 1974 protection that can make a qualifying creditor jointly liable for certain supplier breaches or misrepresentations, subject to statutory tests.
Statutory instrument: A form of secondary legislation made under powers in an Act, commonly used for detailed regulations, rules and commencement orders.
Subject access: The data-protection right to obtain confirmation, a copy of personal data and specified supplementary information, subject to the legal framework and exemptions.

T

Terms of reference: The rules defining an ombudsman or scheme's jurisdiction, exclusions, procedure and powers.
Trading Standards: Local authority enforcement services. In England and Wales consumers normally use the Citizens Advice consumer service, which may pass suitable intelligence to Trading Standards.

U

Unfair term: A consumer contract term that fails the statutory fairness test. An unfair term is not binding on the consumer, but the precise assessment is contextual.
Unfair commercial practice: Commercial conduct prohibited under the current consumer-protection framework, including specified misleading, aggressive and automatically unfair practices.

V

Vulnerable customer: A person whose circumstances can make them especially susceptible to harm if a firm does not act with appropriate care. Sector definitions and expectations vary.

W

Without prejudice: A rule that can protect genuine settlement communications from being put before the court on the merits. Adding the label does not automatically create protection.

Use precise language

Name the concept that matches the route

Several everyday words have narrower legal or scheme meanings. Accuracy helps the reader understand what must be proved and what outcome is available.

Define abbreviations once. Write the full name before using SAR, ADR, FCA or another abbreviation.
Separate route terms. A regulator, ombudsman, adjudicator and court do not have identical powers.
Separate outcome terms. Refund, damages, compensation, reimbursement and redress may depend on different legal bases.
Use the source definition where it matters. For eligibility or litigation, check the exact statute, rulebook or terms of reference.

Translate the dispute

Use definitions to separate facts, tests and outcomes

The same everyday word can conceal several legal questions. Translate it into the precise event, legal test and remedy before drafting a complaint.

Everyday wording	Questions to separate	More useful wording
It was a scam	Was there fraud, a misleading practice, breach of contract, non-delivery or an authorised payment dispute?	Describe the representation, payment, identity used and what did not happen.
I want compensation	Refund, reimbursement, damages, interest, inconvenience award or goodwill?	List each requested remedy, amount and basis separately.
I appealed	Was it an internal review, complaint escalation, statutory appeal or court appeal?	Name the procedure, decision challenged, deadline and decision-maker.
The regulator ruled in my favour	Was it advice, a published ruling, enforcement action or an ombudsman decision?	Name the body, document, status and exact finding.
The company ignored the law	Which duty, on what date, based on which facts and with what consequence?	State the precise provision or standard and connect it to evidence.

Common errors

Words that can send a complaint down the wrong route

Precision is practical. It helps the recipient identify jurisdiction, evidence and the outcome being requested.

Regulator and ombudsman

A regulator supervises or enforces a market framework. An ombudsman or ADR body considers eligible individual disputes. Some organisations have linked roles, but the terms are not interchangeable.

Appeal and complaint

An appeal usually challenges a decision through a defined legal or scheme route. A complaint may concern service, fairness or administration. Sending a complaint does not necessarily preserve an appeal deadline.

Refund, reimbursement and damages

A refund reverses or repays a price, reimbursement covers an expense and damages compensate loss under a legal cause of action. A scheme may use compensation more broadly. Name the amount and basis.

Evidence and proof

A document is evidence; whether it proves a disputed proposition depends on authenticity, relevance, context and contrary evidence. Describe what each item shows without exaggeration.

Deadline and target date

A statutory or scheme time limit can affect jurisdiction or legal rights. A customer-service target is usually different. Record both, but do not treat them as having the same consequence.

Use the reference

Turn research into an effective consumer case

Reference material earns its place only when it helps the reader decide, explain or prove something. Keep the working file short enough to use and complete enough to be checked.

01Question

Write the factual or procedural question before opening sources.

02Authority

Use the most authoritative current source that actually answers it.

03Application

Connect the source to dated evidence and the remedy or next step.

Keep a research log

For each important point, record the source title, publisher, URL, relevant provision or heading, effective date where known, access date and a short note explaining relevance. If the page can change, retain a PDF or screenshot. A search result or generated summary is not the source.

Use a proportionate evidence pack

Start with a case summary, issue list and chronology. Attach the contract, key communications, payment or account record, disputed decision and loss calculation. Add sources only where they clarify the standard or procedure. Do not send an entire Act, rulebook or website capture when a pinpoint link and saved extract will do.

Ask the recipient to answer something specific

A trader can be asked to provide the contractual remedy; an ombudsman to determine stated issues; a regulator to consider supported compliance information; and a court to grant a pleaded remedy. Match the wording to the recipient's powers. If you are unsure about jurisdiction, ask for confirmation without allowing another deadline to expire.

Review before sending

Names and dates are consistent across the summary and evidence.
Each allegation is expressed as a fact or supported inference, not an unsupported conclusion.
Every amount is calculated and avoids double recovery.
Personal data is necessary, relevant and sent securely.
The requested outcome is possible on this route.
Other complaint, appeal and court deadlines are recorded separately.

Practical workflow

A repeatable research and complaint process

Use the page as one stage in a controlled workflow. This prevents a useful source, definition or organisation name from becoming a substitute for the factual case.

Write the outcome. State what should change, who can change it and whether the request is advice, enforcement, redress or a legal order.
Identify the parties. Record the legal trader, contracting party, agent, platform, payment provider, regulated firm and decision-maker where they differ.
Freeze the evidence. Save the contract, terms, advert, account, decision, correspondence and website material before it changes. Keep originals and record capture dates.
Build the chronology. Use a table with date, event, actor, document and significance. Highlight trigger dates for cancellation, complaint escalation, appeal or limitation.
Research one issue at a time. For each issue, find the source that defines the duty, jurisdiction or procedure. Record uncertainty and conflicting material.
Choose parallel routes deliberately. A provider complaint, card claim, regulator report and ombudsman referral may coexist. Give each body only the issue and outcome within its role.
Send a bounded case. Number the issues, provide a compact indexed bundle and ask for a response to each material point within a reasonable or prescribed period.
Audit the response. Mark each issue answered, partly answered or unanswered. Record new evidence, concessions, reasons and the next eligible escalation date.

Keep an issue schedule

Use columns for issue, disputed fact, evidence, rule or standard, respondent position, requested outcome and current status. This exposes gaps before submission and makes a later ombudsman or court file much easier to prepare.

Quality control

Mistakes that make a well-researched case weaker

Most problems arise from scope, status or application rather than from failing to find another source. Review these points before adding more material.

Citing a title instead of a rule

Naming an Act, regulator or code does not show what duty applied. Identify the provision, rule, scheme term or published remit and explain its connection to the event.

Using today's wording for an older event

Web pages, legislation, rulebooks and scheme terms change. Record the event date and source version. If the historical position cannot be verified, say so instead of silently applying the current page.

Treating guidance as a guarantee

Official guidance can be authoritative and useful without resolving every exception or disputed fact. Describe its status accurately and check the underlying source when the point affects eligibility, liability or a deadline.

Confusing public enforcement with private redress

A finding that conduct may affect a market does not automatically calculate an individual's loss. Equally, an ombudsman award does not necessarily prove a market-wide breach. Explain which decision you are asking each body to make.

Sending personal data without a purpose

Remove irrelevant account numbers, identity documents and third-party information. Keep an unredacted original, use secure channels and tell the recipient if sensitive material is essential to understanding the case.

Overstating certainty

Use language such as appears, may, or I understand where a point is an inference or legal position open to dispute. Reserve direct statements for facts and sources that the evidence establishes.

When to get help

Recognise when self-help is no longer proportionate

ConsumerWise can help organise the issue and identify routes, but some cases need urgent, technical or legally privileged advice. Early help can protect a position that cannot easily be restored later.

Situation	Why help may be needed	Possible source
Immediate danger, fraud or loss of an essential service	Protective action is more urgent than completing the ordinary complaint process.	Emergency service, bank, supplier emergency team, council or specialist safety body.
Eviction, homelessness, employment dismissal or statutory appeal	Short deadlines and specialist procedure can determine whether the case can be heard.	Relevant advice charity, union, law centre, solicitor or authorised representative.
High-value or technically complex loss	Expert evidence, pleading, causation, costs and enforcement risk may exceed the value of informal self-help.	Qualified legal adviser and an appropriately instructed independent expert.
Vulnerability or difficulty managing the process	Adjustments, representation or advocacy may be needed for effective participation.	Provider accessibility team, local advice service, advocate or trusted representative.
Threats, defamation concerns or allegations of dishonesty	Public accusations or poorly framed allegations can create additional risk.	Legal advice before publication or formal escalation.

When seeking help, provide the one-page summary, chronology, issue schedule, key decision and deadline list first. This lets an adviser assess urgency and scope before reading the full file.

Questions

Detailed questions about using this resource

These answers explain the usual approach. Check the linked official source where the result depends on current law, scheme rules, jurisdiction or a deadline.

Are glossary definitions legal definitions?

They are plain-English explanations. Where eligibility, liability or procedure depends on a defined term, use the governing legislation, rulebook or scheme definition.

Why does the same word have several meanings?

Legal systems and schemes define terms for particular purposes. Context, territory, date and source determine which meaning controls.

Should I use legal language in a complaint?

Use precise ordinary language first. Add the legal term where it clarifies the test or route, and define any abbreviation or specialist expression.

Can wording change the deadline?

Calling a letter an appeal does not make it one. Use the required procedure, recipient and content, and record proof of submission within the actual time limit.

What if the business uses a different label?

Focus on substance. Record its label, then explain the legal or scheme concept you believe applies and why. Ask the business to clarify any ambiguity.

Can I rely on an AI definition?

Use generated material only as a research prompt. Verify important terms against an official source and cite that source in the complaint.

Maintain the file

Review the case as facts and sources change

A consumer case is a controlled record, not a single letter. Update it when the respondent gives reasons, a source changes or a route reaches a decision point.

After each response

Save the original file or message, record its date and mark each issue answered, partly answered or unanswered. Add any admission, factual correction, new reason or request for evidence to the issue schedule. Do not rewrite the earlier chronology to hide a misunderstanding; correct it transparently.

Before escalation

Check that the respondent has had the opportunity required by the next scheme, the complaint is framed consistently, and every new issue has first been raised where necessary. Update the remedy and deduct any payment already received. Recheck jurisdiction and time limits on the official route.

When a source changes

Keep the version originally relied on and record the new one separately. Decide whether the change applies to the event, affects only future conduct or clarifies an existing rule. If the point is important and uncertain, obtain legal advice rather than presenting an assumption as settled.

At closure

Record the outcome, acceptance terms, payment or action due, compliance date and any continuing rights. Keep the file for a proportionate period, securely delete unnecessary copies and avoid publishing personal or confidential material merely because the dispute has ended.