The Financial Ombudsman

“An ombudsman service for everyone”

Representatives from Scope, RNID, Help the Aged, the British Dyslexic Association and the National Autistic Society came together recently at a two-day Different Needs Awareness event organised by the Financial Ombudsman Service.

In the first event of its kind, ombudsman employees had a few hours away from settling consumers’ financial disputes – to learn more about the practical difficulties that people with different communication needs can face.

The event was one of the biggest staff training and awareness-raising events ever undertaken by the ombudsman service. By the time it was over, all 800 employees – as well as the chief ombudsman who heads the service – had attended the interactive training sessions led by five of the UK’s leading charities. But what led to the event – and what does it mean to people who might need to refer a complaint about a bank, insurance company or finance firm to the ombudsman? Able spoke to David Millington, ombudsman, to findout more:

Why did you decide to organise a Different Needs Awareness event?

“As a free service, we’re here for everyone. We want our staff and our service to be as accessible as possible. We deal with a wide-range of complaints from insurance and banking to investments and mortgages, and the people who refer complaints to the ombudsman service are no less varied themselves.

We felt that by meeting and interacting with specialist charities, we could get a really practical insight and understanding into some of the challenges that people contacting us might face. It was an opportunity that staff really valued and it’s helped us think in a new light about the issues involved, with lots of fresh ideas!”

How does this help people who might have a different communication need?

“Well, the Different Needs Awareness event is only a small part of the work we have been doing, to try and ensure the ombudsman service is as easy to use as possible. It’s important that consumers feel confident in contacting the ombudsman service – so we need to remove any barriers that might stand in their way.

We have always offered information about our service in a wide range of formats (large-print, Braille, audio etc), as well as in a number of different languages. We regularly review and update what we provide, to reflect demand and help ensure we continue to meet the individual needs of consumers. Currently, for example, our website offers information in over 20 different languages, as well as in mp3 format, video, easyread and British Sign Language. http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/accessibility/index.htm

We have also recently enhanced our procedures – the way we work – to help us identify right at the start what the customer’s individual needs are and how best we can communicate with them in the way they prefer.”

And what did the charities involved make of the event?

Patricia Wilfort, RNID, who was there for both days, and gave over 40 twenty-minute presentations, said she was impressed. “The Financial Ombudsman Service is the first organisation to have received such a large amount of RNID’s Deaf Awareness-training in a short space of time – it’s a real achievement.”

And Jules Twells, Scope, said: “Scope works with a range of organisations to increase understanding about the barriers faced by disabled people and help ensure that their practices are accessible to them. Events like these play an important part in raising awareness about this.”

What’s next?

“Well, this is just the start. We’ll continue to build on the work we’ve done, but there’s always going to be a lot more we can do!

We currently have a pilot-project underway involving “casework advisers” to help guide more vulnerable consumers through the ombudsman procedure.  Their job is to answer queries and explain each step of the procedure to the consumer. But they don’t influence the decision-making process and they can’t promise that every consumer will win their case!”

Any tips for someone who needs to make a complaint to a bank, insurance company or finance firm?

“The first thing to do is to contact the business you believe is responsible – and explain to them what happened and what you want them to do to put things right. If they are unable to resolve things, you might want to make a formal complaint. The business has up to eight weeks to sort thing out directly with you – and the majority of complaints get sorted out at this stage. But, if you have any problems, and don’t know who to contact or how to get hold of them, the ombudsman service can point you in the right direction.”

To find out more about the ombudsman service, visit www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk or phone us on 0845 080 1800.