frequently-asked questions
This section answers a number of frequently-asked questions (FAQs) about:
complaining to the ombudsman
how long does it take?
how long will the ombudsman service take to consider and resolve my complaint?
This depends largely on
- whether both you and the business you are complaining about agree, at an early stage, to any recommendation or informal settlement that we may suggest; or
- whether either of you ask for the next, more formal stage of our process.
The more formal stage may involve investigations and a full appeals process – so it is likely to take longer.
On average, we resolve around 50% of complaints informally at the earliest stage. 40% of complaints go on to the stage that may require an investigation and a more formal report, setting out our recommendations. Only about 10% of complaints need an individual final decision by an ombudsman – although ombudsmen are also involved indirectly at all earlier stages, to make sure their approach to different types of complaints is followed consistently at all times.
We aim to resolve most disputes within six to nine months – and we settle a third of cases within three months. But how we allocate and prioritise cases is affected by the number and type of complaints that consumers refer to us.
Like the courts, the ombudsman service is entirely impartial. We are also open about our work. We publish complaints statistics about the proportion of cases we uphold, so that everyone can see the outcome of complaints following our involvement.
We send our consumer factsheet to consumers who bring complaints to us, explaining in brief how our complaints-handling process works: