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 to make a complaint
These are the steps to take.
- Write, e-mail or phone the department that normally deals with your policy / plan. They will respond to your complaint within 4 working days, or if this not possible, they will contact you to let you know what is happening.
- If you are not satisfied with the decision we have made, you can write to either the Managing Director of the Business Division (if they have not already been involved) or direct to the Independent Review Team. The Independent Review Team will not have been directly involved in your case and will therefore look at your complaint afresh and independently. We will send you a decision letter within ten (10) working days.
The process in summary
In the interests of resolving your complaint as effectively as possible we may, if appropriate, refer it directly to a Managing Director or the Independent Review Team.
What happens if I am still dissatisfied?
If at any stage you feel that your complaint has not been satisfactorily resolved, please contact the Director of Best Practice.
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. The response letter from our Independent Review Team will include full details of how to apply to the Ombudsman.
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The Ombudsman´s address is: Financial Ombudsman Service |
The Director of Best Practice´s address is: WPA |
Telephone: 0845 080 1800
or email complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
In the last 17 years, WPA has settled claims in excess of £1.2 billion. In this period, out of the complaints that we have not been able to settle internally and were therefore submitted to the Financial Ombudsman Service, only 8 have been upheld against WPA - with none, not one, over the last 12 years. This is a record of which we are extremely proud.
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. However, you may take further action if you wish, as your legal rights are not affected. We have a free leaflet, which explains what the Ombudsman does and we will be pleased to send you a copy if you ask for one.
The laws of England will apply if there is any dispute.
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.
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