Accountability 7: Mutually Acceptable Settlements. (527)

To the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary:
For Clarity - Attempt 527.

527) Accountability 7: Mutually Acceptable Settlements.

Dear Mr Clark,

Ombudsman Services puts great store by its Mutually Acceptable Settlements. Tracey Newman believes that;
"The two pillars of successful complaint handling are time lines and quality. A big initiative at OS was to increase the number of mutually acceptable settlements (MAS) ... The process benefits all parties. Complaints are resolved more quickly, which means that consumers are likely to be more satisfied."
(Tracey Newman, p13 201/12 Annual Report)

Time lines and quality are the mark of successful complaint handling and, apparently, MAS is a fundamental part of the process.

So just how successful was Tracey Newman's big Initiative?

There were no Property Reports for the next two years but in 2013/14 the figures were:
Mutually Acceptable Settlements - 8% Ombudsman Decision 92%

For 2014/15 the figures were:
Mutually Acceptable Settlements - 4% Ombudsman Decision 95%

And for 2015:
Mutually Acceptable Settlements - 2% Ombudsman Decision 98%.

This has been a MAS con. And how many satisfied customers were there? At its high point, 8% but now down to a dismal 2%

In other words the Big Initiative was a Big Disaster for complainants. The RICS, however, clearly see this as an effective outcome for a property dispute otherwise, as sector regulators, they would have acted to put matters right. Perhaps for the RICS, 2% is effective?

Q. Mr Clark, these figures are a damning indictment of rigged redress, when are you going to act to protect citizens from OS' MAS? 

Yours sincerely,
Steve Gilbert - The Ombudsmans61percent Campaign.