cc fosguide

							         How to fill in the Financial Ombudsman Service complaint form

This guide is designed to be printed and used along side the complaint form.
Replace the information below in brackets with your personal details, then all
blue text can be copied onto the relevant section of your form.

IMPORTANT You will need to complete a new form for each bank you’re
claiming from. If you’re claiming for more than one credit card from the same
bank, use one form.

                                        Page 1

Q. First please give us your details
A. Insert the name, address and phone numbers of the credit card account holder.

Q. If you’re complaining on behalf of a business charity or trust
A. Complete this if you’re claiming for a business card account, otherwise ignore. The
Financial Ombudsman Service cannot help businesses with a turnover of more than
£1 million.

Q. If someone is complaining on your behalf
A. If a friend or relative is complaining on your behalf, complete this with their name,
address and phone numbers, otherwise ignore.

                                        Page 2

Q. Details of the business you think is responsible for your complaint
A. Fill in the name, address and phone number of the bank you’re complaining about.
This can be for either the head office or details of your own branch.

Q. Details of the adviser or business who originally sold the product or service
you’re complaining about
A. You can ignore this section.

Q The kind of product or service you’re complaining about
A First box – enter the text “Credit card charges”. Second box – enter your credit
card number (if you have more than one account with the bank then list them all).

Q. Please tell us what your complaint is about
A. Enter the text “I have written to my credit card provider asking for a full refund of
all the late payment fees and/or over limit fees that have been applied to the account
I hold with them, over the past 6 years. I do not believe these charges reflect the true
cost to my bank so are disproportionate and I have therefore been unlawfully
deprived of this money, as also stated by the OFT in its April 06 statement. NOTE –
Include the following sentence if you asked for interest on top of your claim – For this
reason I have added statutory interest, the amount a court would award, to my claim.
A full schedule of the charges and interest is attached.”

                                        Page 3

Q. When did the advice, transaction, or poor service that you’re complaining
about take place?
A. Enter the date of the earliest charge you are complaining about, e.g. six years
ago. (and add the note “I am attaching a full schedule of both charges and interest to
this form”)
Q. When did you first realise there might be a problem?
A. Enter the date you first contacted the bank. This can be an estimate so you can
leave off the day if you need to.

Q. When did you first complain to the business you think is responsible?
A. Enter the date of your first letter to the bank.

Q. Has the business you’re complaining about sent you its final response?
A. Tick YES if:                             Tick NO if:
    You have received a final response      Your first letter to your bank was
    letter from your bank                   more than eight weeks ago and
    You have received a letter from your    you have not resolved the
    bank telling you to contact the FOS     complaint

Q. What do you want the business you’re complaining about to do to put
things right for you?
A. Enter the text “I would like a full refund of the credit card charges added to my
account (including the interest I would be entitled to if I had taken my claim to the
county court) between the dates of [ENTER DATE OF EARLIEST CHARGE] to
[ENTER DATE OF FIRST LETTER].” NOTE – The following text is optional if you
would like to include it and know the details – “My claim is for the value of £[ENTER
AMOUNT YOU HAVE BEEN ASKING THE BANK TO REPAY INCLUDING
INTEREST]”. NOTE – if you have not added interest until now the credit card
reclaiming article includes a calculator to help you work this out.

Q. Has there been any court action relating to your complaint or is court action
planned?
A. Tick NO even if you have threatened to take court action but have changed your
mind.
NOTE – if there has been court action the FOS will not be able to help you.

Q. Have you contacted any regulator or other complaint body about your
complaint?
A. Tick NO.

Q. Please give us any more details
A. You can leave this blank if you want or you can use to enter any other information
that is personal to your case, such as: why you believe the bank hasn’t treated you
fairly (NOTE – fairly is a key word as the financial regulator requires banks to “treat
customers fairly”) or if you tried to contact your bank for help at the time you received
the charges to ask for help and they were unhelpful.

                                        Page 4

Q. Finally, please read and sign this declaration
A. Sign and date on the lines provided. If you are completing the form for someone
else, this should be the person who holds the account.

NOTE – Have you included all copies of letters to and from your bank (you should
keep the originals) and a list of the charges and interest you’re claiming?


Now send the completed form to the address listed on the form.