Ombudsman Services: No Documentary And No Letter To The Chair. That's "Troubling." Attempt 24

To: the Leader of the House of Commons / the Business Secretary / the Chair of Ombudsman Services and the Ombudsman Services CEO and Chief Ombudsman.

Ombudsman Services Part 4: The Full English Cover-Up Attempt 24.

24) Ombudsman Services: No Documentary And No Letter To The Chair. That's, "Troubling."

Dear Mrs Leadsom, Mr Clark, Lord Tim Clement Jones and the Rev Shand Smith,

Today's Telegraph article tells us of the sterling work of  Channel 4's Dispatches Documentary and Nicky Morgan MP Chair of the Treasury Committee.

"Financial ombudsman agrees to independent review after 'troubling' documentary."

(The Independent. Amelia Murray)

The FOS has promised an independent review in response to a probing letter from Nicky Morgan, MP and chair of the Treasury Committee about the apparent failings exposed in a documentary Credit: Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg

• Amelia Murray

26 March 2018 • 6:40pm

The head of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has agreed to an "independent review" of the business following the "troubling" revelations that were exposed in a Channel 4 investigation earlier this month that cases may not have been "decided correctly".
 

Q. Mrs Leadsom and Mr Clark, DJS Research's Customer Satisfaction Reports also strongly suggested that case may not have been decided correctly. Is it not deeply troubling that to date there has been no independent inquiry?

 

Caroline Wayman, the chief ombudsman, responded to a probing letter from Nicky Morgan, MP and chair of the Treasury Committee, which questioned the processes at the FOS to avoid “poor decision making”, as well as the “alleged errors” and “improper handling of cases”.

 

Q. Lord Tim Clement Jones and the Rev Shand Smith, DJS Research's Customer Satisfaction Reports suggested; investigating officers did not understand the complexity of property cases, misrepresented the evidence, that the Property Ombudsman arrived at decisions in an illogical manner, that complainants were reduced to submitting further evidence and that it made no difference to the outcome of their cases - where were your, "processes to avoid poor decision making" the, "alleged errors" and "improper handling of cases?"

Ms Wayman confirmed an "independent person" would be appointed to to carry out a review, so the business can "better understand and address the concerns raised by the programme".
 

Q. Mrs Leadsom and Mr Clark, if those running the business need a Channel 4 documentary and Nicky Morgan's searching letter to get them up to speed, why on earth were they running the operation in the first place?

In response, Ms Morgan said the possibility that cases may have been handled incorrectly was "troubling" and suggested complaints should be looked at again even if a final decision has been reached.    

Q. Mrs Leadsom, Mr Clark, Lord Tim Clement Jones and the Rev Shand Smith, is it not also troubling that according to DJS Research, Ombudsman Services appear to had mishandled 61% of cases in 2010 and 64% in 2011 and that according to MoneySavingExperts this had rocketed to 80%+ in 2017. Shouldn't all of these cases not also be looked at again by independent reviewers even though a final decision had also been reached?

She said: "It’s right that cases be reopened if there is any new evidence that might affect the outcome. That must surely include failures in the FOS’ own processes."

 

Q. Mrs Leadsom and Mr Clark, both the Financial Ombudsman Service and Ombudsman Services appear to have got it hopelessly wrong in the first place. Indeed the Rev Shand Smith has gone so far as to say that his was, "a broken solution in a broken market." Don't the victims of these broken solutions deserve to have their cases re-surveyed by people who a re capable of acting without fear or favour? 

• 'The Ombudsman ordered Lloyds to repay us £47,500 - and then changed its mind'
• BT ignored ombudsman's instruction to repay customer £5,371

Ms Morgan said the review promised by the chief ombudsman "must consider the FOS’ approach to decision-making" and "the assurance process" and be "demonstrably independent".  
 

Q. Mrs Leadsom and Mr Clark, when the RICS - who can't force their Members and Regulated Firms to do anything or refrain from doing anything even if that means they are in breach of RICS Rules and regulation, but have a Memorandum of Understanding with their appointed company and appointed Property Ombudsman and who are in regular communication with said Property Ombudsman to ensure the, "effective resolution of disputes," "resolutions" which now see 80%+ of property complainants, "dissatisfied" - isn't it stretching credulity to breaking point to suggest that their processes are, "demonstrably independent?" 

Other issues which were exposed in the Dispatches documentary included staff admitting they rushed through cases to meet targets and ruled in favour of the banks, because it was easier to just "make one phone call" to an individual then persuade a business to pay out.
 

Q. The Rev Shand Smith, your company minutes record that there was some concern expressed over, "the recent rise in the levels of award" and that the Property Ombudsman subsequently reduced her financial awards, "significantly." In 20109-10 they stood at £1.511.75p then the Property Ombudsman cut them to £900 and by 2016 they were 50 quid. Today the consumer has no idea what they stand at because you haven't yet produced an Annual report for 2017. Is this because it was easier to do as the RICS said rather than as the consumer needed?

 

 

The FOS, which handles complaints between consumers and financial service firms, had already agreed to a review "overseen by the non-executive board" of the "concerns raised in the programme".
However consumer campaigner James Daley, from Fairer Finance, said he was sceptical of this suggestion. He said the board were "implicated" in the ombudsman failings that "happened on their watch". 

 

Q. Lord Tim Clement Jones, the broken solution to a broken market which saw 80%+ of property complainants dissatisfied with your best efforts, has happened on your watch. Shouldn't there not now be; a public inquiry into the RICS and its appointed company Ombudsman Services:Property, compensation for the victims of the Property Ombudsman's illogical Final Decisions and the executives' maladministration and the setting up of a publically run fair and independent ombudsman service?

 

Ms Morgan added that she would be writing to Ms Wayman to set out in more detail the Treasury Committee's "expectation of the review" and will be considering whether any further action is needed.

 

The Ombudsmans61percent Campaign would like to congratulate Channel 4 and Nicky Morgan MP on their work to protect the consumer from, "farcical ombudsman."

 

Is it not time that some were detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure so that they could have time to reflect on their broken solutions?

 

Yours sincerely,

Steve Gilbert - Workstock Number - 510458.
The Ombudsmans61percent Campaign is at: www.blogger.com