About

Making a Complaint

At Western Provident Association we aim to offer the highest standards of service, but mistakes can happen anywhere. We want to ensure that our complaints procedure process is simple to follow.

We and the FSA define a complaint as?

"Any expression of dissatisfaction whether justified or not which alleges that the person concerned has suffered (or may suffer) financial loss, material distress or material inconvenience."

How do I make a complaint?

This process is overseen by the Director of Best Practice.

If you have a complaint you can write, e-mail or telephone the member of staff/Appointed Representative you have been dealing with and ask them to refer the matter to the appropriate level of management.

The manager will review your complaint and send you a decision letter. This letter will let you know about the services of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). If at any stage you feel your complaint has not been satisfactorily resolved, please do not hesitate to contact the Director of Best Practice at WPA.

We have a free leaflet, which explains our complaints procedure and we will be pleased to send you a copy if you ask for one. We can also send you a leaflet setting out details of the service the FOS provides.

The laws of England will apply in the event of any dispute.

What happens if I am still dissatisfied?

We accept that if we have been unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction you should have the opportunity to refer your complaint to an independent body. WPA is a member of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). This provides an independent and impartial method of resolving certain disputes between insurers and policyholders.

Telephone: 08000 234 567

or email complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk

If your complaint involves a sum of money which you feel we should pay, we will as a gesture of good faith, pay the disputed amount to your private practice solicitor to be held in an interest bearing client account until the Ombudsman has made a decision. If the Ombudsman decides in your favour the money (and any interest) will be released to you. If not, it (and any interest) will be returned to us. We must accept the Ombudsman´s decision.

Is there any restriction on applying to the Ombudsman?

The Ombudsman will need to know that you have given us the chance to put things right and cannot investigate your complaint if you haven´t contacted us to let us try to resolve your complaint or if the matter is already the subject of legal proceedings or arbitration.