Ombudsman Services. The OFT. Consumer Focus: "See No Evil. Hear No Evil. Speak No Evil. (690)

To the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary / Chair of Ombudsman Services / CEO and Chair of Ombudsman Services and Chair of the Ombudsman Association.

For Clarity - Attempt 690.

690. Ombudsman Services. The OFT. Consumer Focus: "See No Evil. Hear No Evil. Speak No Evil."

Dear Mr Clark, Lord Tim Clement Jones and The Rev Shand Smith.

On the 16/05/2013 Jeanette Harvey told us,

"Surveyors and The SOS have not been an active area of work for Consumer Focus."

And,

"I believe the meeting between Lord Whitty and SOS was part of a general engagement programme with other consumer or consumer service organisations rather than as part of our active advocacy programme.

Our focus on the property market has been confined to energy efficiency measures in homes and not on issues associated with the SOS."

Surveyors and SOS (the Surveyors Ombudsman Service now re-branded as Ombudsman Services:Property) do not interest Consumer Focus.

Q. Mr Clark, Consumer Focus was funded by the BIS. The SOS Minutes state, "AP1. The Chief Ombudsman and the Chair had met with Lord Whitty, Chair of Consumer Focus. Consumer Focus is aware of the effect that increased numbers of complaints is having on the service. Consumer Focus will be looking more closely at the communications industry and some parts of the property industry in the coming year." Why were we told that surveyors and the SOS had not been an active area of work for Consumer Focus?

Q. Mr Clark, if Consumer Focus had no interest in surveyors or the SOS it would mean that The RICS is left totally free to not only regulate its surveyors but also to regulate the decisions made by its Property Ombudsman. Is this not a most obvious conflict of interest and does it not fundamentally undermine the supposed independence of the Ombudsman?

On the 04/06/2013 Susannah Hughes wrote,

'"Jonathan May has had sight of your email but you raise issues about which he has no responsibility or knowledge. I know that you have also previously written to and had a response from the Consumer Futures Chief Executive, Mike O'Connor. The issues you raise are issues which neither Mr May nor Consumer Futures are involved with.

Mr May left the OFT in 2010 having had the most minimal involvement with the codes work while he was there."

In short; Mr May approved a redress consumer and told consumers that,

"there will be access to free, easily accessible speedy redress schemes that will ensure fairness and transparency." Bu,t apparently, knew virtually nothing about the criteria upon which he had made his approval.

However, the consumer was told that it would ensure,"fairness" and "transparency."

Q. The Rev Shand Smith, your redress scheme is required to ensure fairness and transparency. Why then did you allow the Property Ombudsman to arrive at decisions in an illogical manner and why did you remove the Minutes from the company's website?

Q. Lord Tim Clement Jones, your redress scheme has a Property Ombudsman who is member of the RICS and yet he freely investigates complaints about his colleagues brought by their clients. This in in contravention of your Terms of Reference which were approved by the OFT. How does this arrangement ensure, "fairness" and transparency?"

Q. Lord Tim Clement Jones, this cosy relationship has seen financial awards plummet from an average of £1.511.75 to 50 quid. Does this not go some way in explaining why some complainants - you don't say many - are so very dissatisfied with what you say are your, "best efforts?"

Q. Mr Clark, why did the Executive Director of the OFT approve the Ombudsman Services:Property redress scheme when he had had only the, "most minimal involvement" with the most important part of it?

This dysfunctional (rigged) market in private so-called redress and so-called civil justice, walks like a cover-up for expensively poor service and talks like a cover-up for expensively poor service. It is indeed an exemplary model. A blueprint for private justice in post-Brexit Britain

Yours sincerely,

Steve Gilbert - Workstock Number - 510458.

The Ombudsmans61percent Campaign is at: www.blogger.com and www.facebook.com - Ombudsmans Sixtyone-percent.