ConsumerWise complaints system

Complaints & Disputes

A complaint is not just a letter. It is the process of defining what went wrong, proving it, asking for a remedy, testing the response and moving the unresolved issues to the right next body.

Start where you are

What stage is your complaint at?

The next step changes depending on whether the issue is new, already under complaint, at final response, or already with an ombudsman.

I have a problemWork out whether this is a service request, formal complaint, statutory appeal, information-rights request or another route.I need to complainTurn the facts into a clear complaint with issues, evidence, impact, remedy and questions that can actually be answered.I have a final responseAudit what was decided, what was not answered, which deadlines have started, and whether ADR or an ombudsman is now available.I disagree with an ombudsmanSeparate merits disagreement, material decision error, review or challenge rights, service complaints and court options.

The complaint lifecycle

A dispute usually moves through several different jobs.

ConsumerWise treats each job separately so that a strong complaint does not become a confused bundle of facts, law, remedies and escalation requests.

Identify the problem
Decide what actually happened and whether you are asking for service, correction, review, redress or a formal complaint investigation.
Define the complaint scope
List the issues that need a decision. Keep the chronology separate from the issue list.
Build the record
Keep contracts, bills, screenshots, account records, call notes, correspondence and later disclosures linked to the issue they prove.
Ask for a reasoned response
A final response should do more than announce an outcome. It should address the important issues, explain the evidence used and state what happens next.
Audit the answer
Check factual accuracy, chronology, framework, evidence, unanswered issues, contradictions and whether the remedy follows from the findings.
Escalate intelligently
Use the right ombudsman, ADR scheme, regulator, statutory review, tribunal or court route. The same facts can engage more than one route, but the routes do different jobs.

Timing matters

There is no universal complaints clock.

Telecoms, energy, finance, data protection, councils, social housing, legal services and public bodies all use different response and escalation rules.

Sector or route	Typical internal timing	External escalation point	ConsumerWise guide
Telecoms	Provider complaint process	Six weeks from the initial complaint, or earlier with deadlock	Telecom complaints
Energy	Supplier complaint process	Eight weeks, or earlier with deadlock	Energy & Utilities
Financial services	Usually eight weeks; shorter regimes apply to some payment complaints	Final response or applicable response deadline, then FOS eligibility	Complaint timeframes
Data protection complaint	Acknowledge within 30 days	ICO after the organisation has had the opportunity to deal with the complaint	Data protection complaints
General council complaint	Stage 1 and Stage 2 under the council process	Normally after final Stage 2 response, or unreasonable delay	Council complaints
Social housing	Stage 1 and Stage 2 Complaint Handling Code	Housing Ombudsman route after the landlord process	Housing & Renting
Legal services	Up to eight weeks for the legal service provider	Legal Ombudsman after final response or eight weeks	Legal service complaints

See the full complaints timing table

Complaint skills

Build a complaint that still makes sense when somebody independent reads it.

Making a strong complaintIssue structure, facts, evidence, impact, remedy and precise questions.Building a chronologyPut events in order without turning the chronology into argument.Mapping contradictionsShow exactly where two statements, records or decisions cannot be reconciled.Failure to answerTest whether a response actually dealt with the issue rather than merely mentioning it.Challenging a decisionChallenge factual, evidential, framework, reasoning, jurisdiction or remedy errors.Remedies and redressMatch the requested outcome to the problem and the powers of the body handling it.

By sector

The complaint method is shared. The rules are not.

Use the sector route to see the correct complaint process, external body and parallel routes such as data protection, credit reporting or court action.

Retail and consumer purchasesFaulty goods, services, refunds, repairs, terms and payment remedies.Credit and financial servicesFCA-regulated complaints, FOS, credit files, defaults and payment routes.Telecoms and broadbandProvider complaints, six-week ADR access, billing, contracts and credit reporting.Energy and utilitiesSupplier complaints, eight-week/deadlock Energy Ombudsman route, billing, metering and credit reporting.Data and privacyData protection complaints, rights requests, ICO routes and evidence from SARs.Councils and public bodiesStage processes, statutory complaint schemes, internal reviews, ombudsmen and appeal routes.Legal servicesFirm complaint, Legal Ombudsman, SRA regulatory reporting and court remedies.Housing and rentingLandlord complaint stages, Housing Ombudsman and other housing routes.

Choose the correct route

Complaint, appeal and review are different tools.

Before escalating, identify what kind of decision you are challenging and which body has power to change it.

Complaint, appeal, review or escalation?Choose the route by function, deadline and remedy.Complaint routes by sectorCompare internal process, ombudsman, ADR and regulator routes.Children’s social careUse the statutory three stage procedure where it applies.Adult social careUnderstand the statutory single stage framework.

The ConsumerWise approach

A confident response is still only a position.

Do not treat a company final response, a council Stage 2 letter or an ombudsman decision as automatically correct because it looks formal. Read the reasons, test the chronology, identify the evidence, check the framework and understand the consequence of accepting, rejecting or escalating the outcome.

Audit a response Explore escalation routes