Are we an extension of the complaint department the business?

No. As an Ombudsman we are a separate organisation from our members. Each business has their own complaint handling procedure which should be followed when a complaint is raised. If you have a complaint, you should engage with the business to try and resolve your complaint with them directly – we would not be involved at this stage.

We can step in if your complaint remains unresolved after you have followed their complaint handling procedure. We operate independently to reach a fair outcome and each case is assessed on an individual basis.