Issue with Ombudsman Service

Neato

I suspect the answer to this is no, but I thought I'd try!

Is there any avenue for escalation about the service the Ombudsman provides?

I've had an ongoing complaint with Scottish Power, I raised it with the ombudsman while in Deadlock and after asking for some supporting documents, they didn't do anything with it. Now I'm out of deadlock, left with a huge bill and any calls I've made to them seem to have me going round in circles.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm at my wits end and I think I'm going to have to pay the incorrect bill since I seem to be down to my final demand.

Also, as an aside, do energy bills now affect your credit rating? I have a horrible feeling this is going to be making a bigger impact than I'm aware of.

Thanks in advance

naedanger

Neato wrote: »

I suspect the answer to this is no, but I thought I'd try!

Is there any avenue for escalation about the service the Ombudsman provides?

I've had an ongoing complaint with Scottish Power, I raised it with the ombudsman while in Deadlock and after asking for some supporting documents, they didn't do anything with it. Now I'm out of deadlock, left with a huge bill and any calls I've made to them seem to have me going round in circles.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm at my wits end and I think I'm going to have to pay the incorrect bill since I seem to be down to my final demand.

Also, as an aside, do energy bills now affect your credit rating? I have a horrible feeling this is going to be making a bigger impact than I'm aware of.

Thanks in advance

Yes. There is a process for escalating a complaint about the level of service the Ombudsman has provided. See the following two links for details:

http://www.ombudsman-services.org/service-standards.html

http://www.ombudsman-services.org/unhappy-with-our-service-form-os.html

They will not investigate a complaint about their final decision only their service. However it seems to be their service you are complaining about. (I cannot see why they would say your complaint is "out of deadlock". Nor can I understand why it would be time-barred for two reasons. Firstly the timescales are measured from when you first complain to the Ombudsman, and secondly I believe they have discretion, which I would expect them to operate in your favour if they contributed to any delay.)

I have used the above process, and the Ombudsman Service were dreadful at dealing with my complaint about their service. I had to follow the process to the bitter end, and even then the Ombudsman Service, including their MD, never replied to my questions (which were polite and reasonable). However the final step of the process involves an "Independent Assessor" who is separate from the Ombudsman Service.

footyguy

Neato wrote: »

I suspect the answer to this is no, but I thought I'd try!

Is there any avenue for escalation about the service the Ombudsman provides?

I've had an ongoing complaint with Scottish Power, I raised it with the ombudsman while in Deadlock and after asking for some supporting documents, they didn't do anything with it. Now I'm out of deadlock, left with a huge bill and any calls I've made to them seem to have me going round in circles.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm at my wits end and I think I'm going to have to pay the incorrect bill since I seem to be down to my final demand.

Also, as an aside, do energy bills now affect your credit rating? I have a horrible feeling this is going to be making a bigger impact than I'm aware of.

Thanks in advance

Please explain the bit I highlighted further, and the circumstances that has led to this situation.

:huh:

Have you contacted the case handler that requested the supporting documentation from you to enquire as to what is happening?

Many suppliers do indeed report energy account conduct to one or more credit reference agencies (save for any period such an account is formally in dispute, and that such conduct relates to such dispute)

Neato

naedanger wrote: »

Yes. There is a process for escalating a complaint about the level of service the Ombudsman has provided. See the following two links for details:

http://www.ombudsman-services.org/service-standards.html

http://www.ombudsman-services.org/unhappy-with-our-service-form-os.html

They will not investigate a complaint about their final decision only their service. However it seems to be their service you are complaining about. (I cannot see why they would say your complaint is "out of deadlock". Nor can I understand why it would be time-barred for two reasons. Firstly the timescales are measured from when you first complain to the Ombudsman, and secondly I believe they have discretion, which I would expect them to operate in your favour if they contributed to any delay.)

I have used the above process, and the Ombudsman Service were dreadful at dealing with my complaint about their service. I had to follow the process to the bitter end, and even then the Ombudsman Service, including their MD, never replied to my questions (which were polite and reasonable). However the final step of the process involves an "Independent Assessor" who is separate from the Ombudsman Service.

Thanks – It’s not about a final decision, in fact, I don’t think they’ve made a decision as far as I’m aware.

I’d read about an independent assessor but I thought it was only the financial ombudsman for some reason. I guess that doesn’t sound too promising then.

footyguy wrote: »

Please explain the bit I highlighted further, and the circumstances that has led to this situation.

To explain the expired deadlock…

I was informed (by the ombudsman) on a recent follow up call that a deadlock was only in place for 6 months. As such, from the time Scottish Power issued a deadlock letter, to now, this has expired. Basically, Scottish Power told me I was in deadlock, I complained to the ombudsman, I was asked to follow up with some documents, I replied with the documents and then was taken into hospital and didn’t follow up frequently – I sent a few mails asking for updates on my case but got nothing back. I have since followed up with about 3 different call handlers and have been advised different things each time.

The first seemed to suggest my case had been ‘lost’ in an old file system, but after digging it out, summarized my case asked for one of the supporting docs to be sent through again and said she’d take it to the ombudsman right away as the deadlock would have officially expired, she advised they would call me back the next day. They didn’t.

So as far as I’m aware, I’m no longer in deadlock and after since chasing up with two more call handlers I’m not convinced they’re doing anything with my case and at this point with the worry of the bill, I just want to give up.

footyguy wrote: »

Have you contacted the case handler that requested the supporting documentation from you to enquire as to what is happening?

I don't seem to have an actual case handler. All my mails go a general inbox. I have follow up on a few occasions.

First seemed to suggest my case had been lost in an old file system, but after digging it out, they summarized my case and asked for one of the supporting docs to be sent through again and said they’d take it to the ombudsman right away and call me back the next day. I got no call. Second time I called they advised that maybe the first person didn’t summarize well enough and that my verbal agreement hadn’t been logged so they were sending out a copy of my case to me to sign and send back and also asked me again to send through my supporting documents. Then I received the summary (which was what I’d already agreed to verbally) and signed it and sent it back. I then called to follow up today and they said the supporting documents weren’t loading correctly and asked me to send them in a new format.

naedanger

Neato wrote: »

I guess that doesn’t sound too promising then.

My intention was not to discourage you from complaining about the Ombudsman, but rather just to warn you that it might take some time and effort. However if you put everything in writing there is a definite process, and even if the Ombudsman does not help you will eventually get to an independent assessor.

To explain the expired deadlock…

I was informed (by the ombudsman) on a recent follow up call that a deadlock was only in place for 6 months. As such, from the time Scottish Power issued a deadlock letter, to now, this has expired. Basically, Scottish Power told me I was in deadlock, I complained to the ombudsman, I was asked to follow up with some documents, I replied with the documents and then was taken into hospital and didn’t follow up frequently – I sent a few mails asking for updates on my case but got nothing back. I have since followed up with about 3 different call handlers and have been advised different things each time.

The first seemed to suggest my case had been ‘lost’ in an old file system, but after digging it out, summarized my case asked for one of the supporting docs to be sent through again and said she’d take it to the ombudsman right away as the deadlock would have officially expired, she advised they would call me back the next day. They didn’t.

You have clear grounds to complain about the Ombudsman's poor service.

It seems they are now saying your case is time-barred because you did not respond to them with information they were seeking. If your case is time barred then it is unlikely either they or SP will help you any further with it unless you dispute the decision to time bar it.

I suggest you complain in writing using their complaint process (see my earlier link).

I think you have strong grounds for disputing their decision to time bar the case. There are:

1) They failed to inform you in advance that they would time bar your case if you did not meet their deadlines. (Similarly SP did not give you details of any complaint deadlines). [I am inferring this point is true. If not then obviously omit it.]
2) Their poor service, e.g. failure to return your calls, and to have a clear point of contact for your complaint, contributed significantly to the time taken to deal with your complaint.
3) They have discretion in their deadlines but failed to enquire whether their was any reason they should apply discretion. In addition to the previous two reasons you were also in hospital for a period and could obviously not deal with this matter then and while you were recovering.

I don't seem to have an actual case handler. All my mails go a general inbox. I have follow up on a few occasions.

First seemed to suggest my case had been lost in an old file system, but after digging it out, they summarized my case and asked for one of the supporting docs to be sent through again and said they’d take it to the ombudsman right away and call me back the next day. I got no call. Second time I called they advised that maybe the first person didn’t summarize well enough and that my verbal agreement hadn’t been logged so they were sending out a copy of my case to me to sign and send back and also asked me again to send through my supporting documents. Then I received the summary (which was what I’d already agreed to verbally) and signed it and sent it back. I then called to follow up today and they said the supporting documents weren’t loading correctly and asked me to send them in a new format.

In my view, this is all indicative of poor service on their part. Based on what you say you have strong grounds for complaint. I suggest you now either only correspond in writing of ensure you follow up any telephone conversation with an email summary of what was agreed. This will ensure you have good evidence to support your case.

keiran

The Energy Ombudsman is an arrogant, self-aggrandising "service" which is neither independent nor impartial, as any number of threads on this site by well-informed MSE consumers will clearly show

Quite why it wasn't included in the recent Energy Review by the MCA is an unanswered question.

I, too had a complaint about Scottish Power a couple of years ago. But dealing with the EO was far more traumatic and taxing.

Don't do what I did and give them several pieces of your mind in the most unequivocal terms....they've had the time and resources to formulate an "unacceptable behaviour policy" by dint of which they refuse to serve me in any way. - As though there was anything they could offer of any worth!!!

A complete and utter waste of time and resources. Needs putting down and the savings redistributed into lower bills for all

cing0

The internal complaints process is torturous.

You mentioned the independent assessor at the ombudsman service. They are an important part of the process.
Initially, the Ombudsman service will not accept a service complaint so you have to email the independent assessor (ia@ombudsman-services.org) expecting the complaints process to be concluded but it ends up starting over.
Once begun, the process is still gruesome. 2 weeks for the initial stage, 4 weeks for the boss to look at it and then a couple of months for the independent assessor.

Probably best to leave it until you have an agreed final decision.

footyguy

Neato wrote: »

...To explain the expired deadlock…

I was informed (by the ombudsman) on a recent follow up call that a deadlock was only in place for 6 months. As such, from the time Scottish Power issued a deadlock letter, to now, this has expired. Basically, Scottish Power told me I was in deadlock, I complained to the ombudsman, I was asked to follow up with some documents, I replied with the documents and then was taken into hospital and didn’t follow up frequently – I sent a few mails asking for updates on my case but got nothing back. I have since followed up with about 3 different call handlers and have been advised different things each time.

The first seemed to suggest my case had been ‘lost’ in an old file system, but after digging it out, summarized my case asked for one of the supporting docs to be sent through again and said she’d take it to the ombudsman right away as the deadlock would have officially expired, she advised they would call me back the next day. They didn’t.

So as far as I’m aware, I’m no longer in deadlock and after since chasing up with two more call handlers I’m not convinced they’re doing anything with my case and at this point with the worry of the bill, I just want to give up.



I don't seem to have an actual case handler. All my mails go a general inbox. I have follow up on a few occasions.

First seemed to suggest my case had been lost in an old file system, but after digging it out, they summarized my case and asked for one of the supporting docs to be sent through again and said they’d take it to the ombudsman right away and call me back the next day. I got no call. Second time I called they advised that maybe the first person didn’t summarize well enough and that my verbal agreement hadn’t been logged so they were sending out a copy of my case to me to sign and send back and also asked me again to send through my supporting documents. Then I received the summary (which was what I’d already agreed to verbally) and signed it and sent it back. I then called to follow up today and they said the supporting documents weren’t loading correctly and asked me to send them in a new format.

There appears to be some misunderstanding here.

A Deadlock letter is normally issued by a supplier when, having failed to come to an agreement, it allows the complainant to ask the ombudsman to become involved before the usual 8 week time limit.

However, a supplier may also issue a Deadlock letter anyway as that puts starts the clock ticking - you only have 6 months from the time of the deadlock letter to complain to the ombudsman if that is what you want to do. (The deadlock letter must clearly state this time limit)

However, you claim in your OP that you did complain "with the ombudsman while in Deadlock", so that's ok.
Your complaint will now be dealt with by the ombudsman, no matter how long it takes.

Did you ever get a acknowledgement by the ombudsman of the complaint? (If not, have you any proof the ombudsman received your complaint?) That acknowledgement is usually received well within a month telling you what to expect and when.
Typically it can take up to about 3 months before the ombudsman then even starts to look at the case, and that is when you would be advised of the case handler (but the initial letter would have a name on if things didn't happen by the time stated in that letter)

If, as you say, your claim was lost but has now been found, then the ombudsman will have a record of when (a) it was originally dated and (b) when they originally received it.

To clarify, the purpose of the deadlock letter is only to either allow you to go immediately to the ombudsman or to start the 6 month time clock ticking. As long as you got your complaint in within those 6 months, the deadlock letter takes no further involvement. (other than the ombudsman will refer to it for the reasons for failure to agree)

Neato

naedanger wrote: »

My intention was not to discourage you from complaining about the Ombudsman, but rather just to warn you that it might take some time and effort. However if you put everything in writing there is a definite process, and even if the Ombudsman does not help you will eventually get to an independent assessor.

Thanks you for your advice, it’s hugely appreciated. I’ve been arguing with Scottish Power for so long that I was hoping this might be a bit easier, but I guess not. I’ll follow the process anyway and hope it gets to a point where some action is taken.

naedanger wrote: »

It seems they are now saying your case is time-barred because you did not respond to them with information they were seeking. If your case is time barred then it is unlikely either they or SP will help you any further with it unless you dispute the decision to time bar it.

Yes, as I understand it - They didn’t act on my case when I logged it, so now I am no longer in deadlock and Scottish Power are now billing me again. My immediate concern is this meant I’ve received a final demand payment from them and I‘m not sure how to act on it. I can’t afford to (due to my illness I sometime work from home) be cut off, so I’m unsure whether to just pay it and hope I eventually get traction with the ombudsman.

The other downside to this is they tell me that part of my original complaint (around having a high amount of credit on my account and SP refusing to refund and then receiving an unusually high bill that seemed to wipe out all the credit and put me in debit) is no longer valid and my current case is more about SP failing to respond on time. This, to me, was part of the problem, but certainly not the bulk of it.

I’m hoping to point out that this is poor service, I logged the case in time for them to resolve it and I submitted supporting documents within time for my claim to be reviewed. I feel that if they had investigated and ran over I wouldn’t mind as much as the fact that it never seemed to be looked into until I called recently. I had no updates from them despite asking and only realized something had changed when I received a new bill from Scottish Power. I’ll probably add in the points about not having a claims handler and having to repeatedly send over my supporting documents (I have a mail trail for these).

naedanger wrote: »

I suggest you now either only correspond in writing of ensure you follow up any telephone conversation with an email summary of what was agreed. This will ensure you have good evidence to support your case.

My concern with putting things in writing is just that everything I’ve ever sent seems to be ignored, I’m only given any sort of answer when on the phone, so I think I’ll have to go down the route of following up each telephone conversation with an email.

keiran wrote: »

The Energy Ombudsman is an arrogant, self-aggrandising "service" which is neither independent nor impartial, as any number of threads on this site by well-informed MSE consumers will clearly show

Quite why it wasn't included in the recent Energy Review by the MCA is an unanswered question.

I, too had a complaint about Scottish Power a couple of years ago. But dealing with the EO was far more traumatic and taxing.

Don't do what I did and give them several pieces of your mind in the most unequivocal terms....they've had the time and resources to formulate an "unacceptable behaviour policy" by dint of which they refuse to serve me in any way. - As though there was anything they could offer of any worth!!!

A complete and utter waste of time and resources. Needs putting down and the savings redistributed into lower bills for all

Thanks for the advice!

That’s really interesting – I won’t lie, I knew nothing about them until SP told me I was in deadlock and needed to contact them.

I think it would be safe to say a number of my emails have been curt, especially when I have sent through documents for the 4th/5th time. I’m fairly sure all my phone conversations have been polite - if frustrated.

cing0 wrote: »

The internal complaints process is torturous.

You mentioned the independent assessor at the ombudsman service. They are an important part of the process.
Initially, the Ombudsman service will not accept a service complaint so you have to email the independent assessor (ia@ombudsman-services.org) expecting the complaints process to be concluded but it ends up starting over.
Once begun, the process is still gruesome. 2 weeks for the initial stage, 4 weeks for the boss to look at it and the a couple of months for the independent assessor.

Probably best to leave it until you have an agreed final decision.

Okay – so, it’s better to wait until the ombudsman have made some sort of decision on what is happening with SP and then raise the issues about the service?

I can deal with the time lengths, everything that has preceded this has gone on for months too, so at least I’m conditioned for it!

Neato

footyguy wrote: »

There appears to be some misunderstanding here.

A Deadlock letter is normally issued by a supplier when, having failed to come to an agreement, it allows the complainant to ask the ombudsman to become involved before the usual 8 week time limit.

However, a supplier may also issue a Deadlock letter anyway as that puts starts the clock ticking - you only have 6 months from the time of the deadlock letter to complain to the ombudsman if that is what you want to do. (The deadlock letter must clearly state this time limit)

However, you claim in your OP that you did complain "with the ombudsman while in Deadlock", so that's ok.
Your complaint will now be dealt with by the ombudsman, no matter how long it takes.

Did you ever get a acknowledgement by the ombudsman of the complaint? (If not, have you any proof the ombudsman received your complaint?) That acknowledgement is usually received well within a month telling you what to expect and when.
Typically it can take up to about 3 months before the ombudsman then even starts to look at the case, and that is when you would be advised of the case handler (but the initial letter would have a name on if things didn't happen by the time stated in that letter)

If, as you say, your claim was lost but has now been found, then the ombudsman will have a record of when (a) it was originally dated and (b) when they originally received it.

To clarify, the purpose of the deadlock letter is only to either allow you to go immediately to the ombudsman or to start the 6 month time clock ticking. As long as you got your complaint in within those 6 months, the deadlock letter takes no further involvement. (other than the ombudsman will refer to it for the reasons for failure to agree)

I've just had a dig through my emails. I have a mail from the ombudsman services saying my complaint form was received and then another mail four days later asking for some extra info/supporting docs, I sent these three days after this request. The request for more info did have a name on, however, their job title was 'Enquiry Officer', not claim handler and I didn't hear from that person again.

They do have my claim on the older system as when I first called up they got the details from there to make a summary of my complaint to put on the new system.

Okay - it seems I misunderstood deadlock but was also advised by someone I recently spoke to that my claim was out of date :mad:

footyguy

Neato wrote: »

...Okay - it seems I misunderstood deadlock but was also advised by someone I recently spoke to that my claim was out of date :mad:

Who did you speak to?
Ask them to explain on what basis your claim is out of date.
Get them to put that in writing (not email) to you