Unhappy with complaint outcome from bank

luiza8

Long storey short. I complained to my bank and they tried to get in touch with me twice while I was at work and unable to call. I called back but the complaints team are only open when I am at work.

They sent a letter to me with compensation that I’m not happy with. They’ve actually paid the compensation into my account without speaking with me to see if I was happy with it.

If I tell them I want to take this complaint further, and to The financial ombudsman, can the bank withdraw the compensation they gave me, if they feel the ombudsman won’t be on my side?

Thanks.

McKneff

In a word 'yes'

colsten

Surely if you are not happy with the bank's conclusion, you are not happy with taking the money they offer as full and final settlement? So pay it back and then tell the bank you will take the matter to the Ombudsman.

[Deleted User]

It depends.

How much was the compensation?
What was the cause for complaint in the first place?

colsten

!!! wrote: »

It depends.

How much was the compensation?
What was the cause for complaint in the first place?

It doesn't depend, and it's immaterial what the complaint was about or how much the compensation offer is. The OP doesn't accept the bank's conclusion and wants to exercise their right to take the case to the Ombudsman. Keeping the money the bank are willing to pay means accepting the case is closed, meaning the FOS can't do anything about it any longer as the case is closed.

Thrugelmir

luiza8 wrote: »

I called back but the complaints team are only open when I am at work.

You are entitled to a break during your working day. Why didn't you call them then, or ask them to call you during that period.

tempus_fugit

Thrugelmir wrote: »

You are entitled to a break during your working day. Why didn't you call them then, or ask them to call you during that period.

You don't always get the option. I was recently notified by text by TSB regarding a complaint I had with them that they would call me that day, and if I couldn't answer they would call again later in the day. There was no option to call them or reply to the text. As it was, I was on holiday in Spain at the time and I was busy at the time they called, and wasn't going to take a break from my holiday just to wait for their call. The call came and went, but they didn't call back later.

They seem to make it hard to deal with them these days and will only allow for calls from them to you, rather than the other way round, and with no time agreed for the call. We're not all sitting waiting around for calls and I tend to find that I am often doing something that prevents me from answering, like driving, having a shower or having a dump, for example. Personally I would prefer if they just wrote but they insist on phoning and of course sometimes this is fine, but not always, and as I say, if you miss the call that's it, they then say they "couldn't get an answer".

I used to have the work problem too, as the signal at my work was god awful and you would have had to drive a few miles to get a decent one and couldn't just leave to take the call (which would be at a time of their choosing, not mine), or I'd be in a meeting at which we all had to have our phones switched off, etc etc, but this was never allowed for. So it's not always that easy.