When consumers feel they have been financially mistreated by a company or financial organisation of any sort, such as a bank, an energy company, or a mobile network, in the UK they may contact an ombudsman to resolve the issue on their behalf.

What is an ombudsman?

An ombudsman is an independent service that investigates complaints between consumers and organisations when the organisation hasn’t resolved the problem. You should consider contacting an ombudsman when:

• You’ve tried to resolve the issue directly with the company or provider and they haven’t fixed it
• You’ve followed the provider’s complaints process and reached the end, often called the final response or internal review
• The issue involves poor service, billing errors, unfair treatment, delays that cause harm, or breaches of a published policy or contract.

Most ombudsmen require you to complete the organisation’s complaint process first. Save copies of emails, letters, bills and any replies as the ombudsman will want evidence, such as a letter of deadlock which you can request from the company.