If we can take your complaint further, one of our team will contact you to introduce themselves and explain what they will do.

Our job then is to collect information and evidence. We will contact the Service Provider and ask them to respond to your complaint – giving their side of the story. We expect them to do this within 10 working days.

We will then weigh up the evidence provided, taking into consideration the rights and duties set out in law and what is fair, reasonable and practical. We may need more information either from you or the Service Provider or both of you; and we’ll ask for that.

We aim to keep you regularly updated on how things are going. If there are delays – we will let you know (for example, some information is proving difficult to get, or a person we need to speak to is on leave or off sick).

The outcome of our investigation will depend on the evidence and information that has been provided. To allow us to fully investigate your complaint, we ask that you provide evidence to support your case.

The Ombudsman is entitled but not obliged to disclose to either party such information, documents and other materials as shall have been obtained from the other. We won’t disclose information if a valid reason to not make such a disclosure is known (such as sensitive information or where disclosure would be in breach of the law). We will always make such a disclosure where we are required to do so by law.

Parties wishing to see information, documents and other materials obtained from the other party should make their request known to the Ombudsman who will respond as appropriate on a case by case basis giving the parties a reasonable chance to respond to this. If a request for information is directly relevant to or advances a case it is our policy to share this information as a matter of course.