The right scheme is the one with jurisdiction
Before building the merits of a complaint, prove that the business, activity, complainant and timing fall within the scheme's rules. Jurisdiction is the first decision point.
Before referral
Pass the scheme-fit test
An ombudsman name that sounds relevant may still lack jurisdiction. Check the business, activity, complainant, procedure, time limit and remedy.
Confirm the organisation or professional is covered.
Finish the internal procedure or meet the waiting rule.
Refer within the scheme deadline and preserve court limits.
Searchable directory
Ombudsmen and ADR schemes
Open the ConsumerWise profile for practical route guidance, then check current eligibility on the official scheme site.
Financial Ombudsman Service
Eligible complaints about banks, lenders, insurers, payment providers and other financial businesses after the firm has had the opportunity to respond.
Communications Ombudsman
One of Ofcom's approved ADR schemes for participating communications providers. Check which scheme the provider belongs to.
CISAS
CEDR's approved telecom ADR scheme for participating providers. The provider's scheme membership determines the route.
Energy Ombudsman
Handles eligible unresolved complaints about participating energy suppliers and network operators after deadlock or the waiting period.
Housing Ombudsman
Handles eligible complaints about member landlords after the landlord complaint process. Its Complaint Handling Code is statutory.
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
Considers complaints about councils and certain adult social care providers in England, usually after the local complaint procedure.
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Investigates eligible complaints about UK government departments and the NHS in England. Parliamentary complaints can require MP referral.
Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
Handles eligible complaints about public services in Wales and has additional functions concerning standards and social landlords.
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
The final stage for complaints about most devolved public services in Scotland, normally after the organisation's procedure.
Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman
Investigates eligible complaints about public bodies in Northern Ireland after the relevant complaint procedure.
Legal Ombudsman
Handles eligible service complaints about legal service providers in England and Wales. Conduct concerns may instead belong with the professional regulator.
The Pensions Ombudsman
Investigates eligible complaints and disputes involving occupational and personal pension schemes, including some maladministration disputes.
Rail Ombudsman
Handles eligible unresolved passenger complaints involving participating rail service providers after the operator process.
The Motor Ombudsman
ADR for participating automotive businesses, with different codes and case types. Business accreditation and complaint scope matter.
The Property Ombudsman
Redress scheme for member sales, lettings and property businesses. Check membership, activity and time limits.
Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman
ADR for participating businesses in furniture, floor coverings and home improvement. Membership and scheme scope are essential.
No matching scheme was found. Try the sector, business type or nation.
Build the referral
Give the investigator a decision-ready file
A long complaint is not necessarily a strong one. Make the disputed issues, evidence and requested outcome easy to locate.
- Opening summary. Identify the respondent, complaint period, disputed outcome and remedy sought.
- Short chronology. Use dates, events and document references rather than a running narrative.
- Issue schedule. Separate each alleged failure, the evidence, the organisation’s response and why it remains unresolved.
- Loss and impact. Distinguish direct financial loss, avoidable inconvenience and any other remedy supported by the scheme.
- Core bundle. Include the complaint, final response, contract or policy, decisive records and a compact index.
After the decision
Read acceptance, finality and challenge rules carefully
Schemes differ. A recommendation, investigator view, provisional decision and final determination may have different effects.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Must you accept? | Some outcomes become binding on the business only if the consumer accepts. |
| Can you request review? | The scheme may permit comments or escalation before finalisation, but not a general appeal afterwards. |
| Does court remain open? | Acceptance can affect later action. Separately, an ombudsman complaint may not stop a legal limitation period. |
| Was every issue addressed? | Identify material evidence or complaint heads that the reasoning omitted. |
Eligibility
Six checks before preparing an ombudsman complaint
Scheme eligibility is not established by the word ombudsman in a body's name. Check the current official scheme rules and keep a copy of the version relied on.
- Respondent. Confirm that the business, public body, landlord or provider is covered. Check the legal entity and any membership or jurisdiction list.
- Complainant. Verify whether individuals, micro-enterprises, charities, representatives or other categories can use the scheme.
- Subject. Check exclusions for commercial judgment, pricing, policy, court proceedings, employment, events before membership or other reserved issues.
- Complaint stage. Complete the provider's required process or obtain a final response, unless the scheme permits an earlier referral.
- Time. Record the event, first complaint, final response and filing deadline. Waiting for correspondence does not always extend a scheme limit.
- Remedy. Check financial limits and whether the scheme can order, direct, recommend or only facilitate a settlement.
Case preparation
Present a decision-ready case
An ombudsman should be able to see what happened, what remains disputed and what outcome is proportionate without reconstructing the entire relationship.
| Part | What to include | Common weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction note | Covered respondent, product or service, complaint stage and filing date. | Assuming the scheme can consider every issue involving a member. |
| Issue schedule | Each unresolved issue, the provider response, evidence and requested finding. | Submitting a long narrative with no clear questions to decide. |
| Chronology | Only the events that explain liability, impact, delay or complaint handling. | Including every chase while omitting the contract or final response. |
| Loss and remedy | Amounts, calculation, practical action and non-financial impact. | Requesting a punitive award outside the scheme's normal powers. |
| Source note | Relevant law, regulator rules, code or scheme standard with dates. | Treating guidance as conclusive or citing rules that did not apply. |
Answer the final response
Quote each material reason given by the provider and answer it with evidence. Do not merely repeat the original complaint. The ombudsman needs to understand why the final position did not resolve the issue.
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.
Write the factual or procedural question before opening sources.
Use the most authoritative current source that actually answers it.
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.
Does every sector have an ombudsman?
No. Some sectors use approved ADR bodies, trade schemes, regulators or courts. Coverage may also depend on the business joining a scheme.
Must I accept an ombudsman decision?
Rules differ. Some decisions become binding on the business only after consumer acceptance. Read the acceptance and finality terms before deciding.
Can I add new issues after referral?
A scheme may allow related clarification but decline matters not first put to the business. Define the complaint carefully before the final response.
Will the ombudsman hold a hearing?
Many schemes decide on documents and written submissions, but procedures differ. Provide a self-contained file and request adjustments where needed.
Does an ombudsman complaint stop court limitation?
Do not assume it does. Identify the legal limitation position separately and obtain advice if time may expire during the scheme process.
Can an ombudsman punish the business?
Ombudsman remedies are generally corrective or compensatory within scheme powers, not punitive. Regulators and enforcement bodies address wider compliance or sanctions.
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.