information for businesses covered by the ombudsman service
This section answers a number of frequently-asked questions (FAQs) about:
our funding
why consumers don't pay
why don't consumers have to pay to bring a complaint to the ombudsman?
All ombudsman schemes in the UK provide their services free to consumers. This is fundamental to the ombudsman concept – providing a free, open and accessible public service available to everyone.
When the Financial Ombudsman Service was set up – and again when its remit was extended to cover consumer-credit disputes – it was agreed in parliament that free consumer access to the ombudsman was essential, to underpin public confidence in financial services.
This is why parliament decided that the businesses covered by the ombudsman service, and not consumers, should meet the costs of resolving disputes brought to the ombudsman.