To the Business Secretary and the Business Secretary.
Ombudsman Services Part 4: The Full English Cover-Up. Attempt 28.
28) Some Real Pearlers Form The Ombudsman Services' Spin Attack.
Dear Mrs Leadsom and Mr Clark,
It's astonishing how a few seconds of ball tampering can produce such a rapid and dramatic response by the authorities whereas years of broken solutions to consumers' complaints, can't.
The Full English Cover-Up is indeed an impressive operation and peerless.
Pearlers:
1) 2009-2010: "Our Decisions are our product." CEO and Chief Ombudsman, Lewis Shand Smith.
The Straight Bat:
"Most, 61% felt the outcome went against them, 43% completely against them." " Satisfaction levels have dropped across all the attributes we measured." And," The number satisfied that the report's conclusions were supported by the evidence available has fallen from 35% in 2010 to 27% in 2011." (DJS Research's Final Customer Satisfaction Report)
That's 73% of property complainants saying that Lewis Shand Smith's product, sucked.
2) 2010-11: "It is a matter of great pride that Ombudsman Services has been able to meet almost all of these targets on a consistent basis. This indicates the success of the measures which the executive team has introduced to improve productivity, whilst maintain and enhancing the quality of the service we provide" (Professor Dame Janet Finch, Chair)
The Straight Bat:
One of the measures was to dispense with DJS Research's services. The new researchers couldn't agree more with Professor Finch's pride in her achievements. Gone was the 73% dissatisfaction rate of property complainants. They were able to report: "Positive findings with strong levels of satisfaction."
When something's too good to believe surely it's too good to believe.
3) "We also welcomed over 140 new participating companies to our service and have been asked to provide advice on proposed changes to government policy"
(CEO and Chief Ombudsman Lewis Shand Smith)
The Straight Bat:
We asked government to provide answers to our concerns about Ombudsman Services' achievement but were told it would not be an appropriate use of taxpayers' money and scarce resources.
4) "Lewis continues: 'All of this is geared towards adding value. We don't just resolve complaints; we must ensure that our service is high quality, cost-effective and sets a good example." (CEO and Chief Ombudsman, Lewis Shand Smith)
The Straight Bat:
The Property Ombudsman added real value to her Members' business practices by reducing the awards paid to dissatisfied RICS clients from £1.511.75p to £950 thereby ensuring that the service they paid for was indeed, "high quality."
5) "Ombudsman Services goes out of its way to respond to complainants who object to the service's decisions and who are persistent in seeking explanations.
I have seen in the files that there is often considerable correspondence after the final decision has been reached and when the investigation is formally at an end
- This of course reflects good service." (Roger Jefferies. Ombudsman Services Independent Assessor)
The Straight Bat:
The Independent Assessor complained that some complainants were even rude which will never do.
Ombudsman Services went out of its way not to answer our questions as did the Government's OFT. Then it was the turn of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Dame Julie Mellor who went so far as to threaten us with prosecution should we publish her findings. Which we will of course do.
5) 2012-2013:
"Our product is dispute resolution and we aim to deliver this quickly, effectively and at a reasonable cost. We owe it to our customers to provide the best possible service and we constantly seek ways to improve and become ever more efficient." CEO and Chief Ombudsman Lewis Shand Smith)
The Straight Bat:
Unfortunately, property complainants no longer knew if the CEO was delivering on his promises as his Ombudsman's performance was no longer being monitored by the researchers who replaced DJS Research. The Property Ombudsman had very efficiently failed to record what the average financial award was and there were no breakdown of these so-called, "awards." This as in contravention of the OFT Criteria.
6) 2013-14:
"We have been co-operating with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills on the interpretation, development and implementation of the directive, which must be transposed into UK law by July 2015 ... Proposals for an independent Scotland include the creation of a single consumer ombudsman. We believe this should be a reality for all of the UK."
(Professor Dame Janet Finch, Chair, Ombudsman Services)
The Straight Bat:
We sent a number of questions to the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills suggesting areas in which Ombudsman Services failed to meet the EU Directive's requirements. Requirements to be; transparent and accountable. None of our questions was answered. The Property Ombudsman again failed to publish the average financial award paid to property complainants and there was again no breakdown of those awards. This again contravened the BIS' OFT's criteria.
7) 2014-15:
"Despite the economic challenges that have arisen from the increased demand
complainants tell us that we're doing a good job and meeting their expectations across a number of important measures, including the efficiency of our processes and understanding of the problems presented to us." (CEO and Chief Ombudsman, Lewis Shand Smith
The Straight Bat:
Regarding property complaints, no-one knows whether that was true or not because whereas DJS Research specifically asked questions about the speed, accuracy and fairness of the investigation of heir complaint, the new researchers don't. There has been a deliberate cover-up of the Property ombudsman's performance. However, his financial awards were now averaging £100. There was no breakdown of those so-called, "awards."
8) "I was concerned by the scale and significance of the failing I identified in certain cases... I was surprised to find such instances of maladministration within an ombudsman organisation." (The Independent Assessor)
The Straight Bat:
Couldn't be straighter than that.
9) 2015-2016
"A model in which data insights drive improvement where consumer detriment is reduced by the Ombudsman with suppliers and sectors to put things right, to stop problems arising in the first place and to make a real difference to the whole consumer journey." (CEO and Chief Ombudsman, Lewis Shand Smith)
The Straight Bat:
There was by now virtually no data on the consumer detriment suffered by property complainants at the hands of RICS' surveyor and RICS' Property Ombudsman. The Property Ombudsman's average financial award was now £50. There was again no breakdown of awards. Complainants were apparently 100% satisfied with customer journey
10) Ombudsman Services say they are providing, "a broken solution to a broken market." Their spokesman said: "Ombudsman Services will come back into the housing market as quickly as we can - once we feel that action is being taken to make the system for redress less confusing and more transparent."
Lewis Shand Smith said, "We fully support Sajid Javid regarding the need for a single ombudsman for housing - only then will the housing sector be able to retsore trust and ensure that consumers get a much better standard of service." And, "Housing is one of the biggest issues we face as a nation, and a fair, balanced, redress system will make sure that it serves the whole of society. We want to work to develop a model that works for everyone."
The Straight Bat:
MoneySavingExperts' report for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Consumer Protection Sharper Teeth: The Consumer Need For Ombudsman Reform state that nearly 90% of property complainants are dissatisfied with Lewis Shand Smith's existing model describing it as, "unfair."
We sent hundreds of emails to Sajid Javid when he was the Business Secretary. He didn't answer a single one of them.
Lewis Shand Smith's researchers were unable to discover that themselves.
Q. Mrs Leadsom and Mr Clark, was the action to make Ombudsman Services for redress more transparent?
Q. Mrs Leadsom and Mr Clark, how can the consumer trust Lewis Shand Smith when nearly 90% of property complainants are reported as describing his system of redress as being, "unfair?"
Q. Mrs Leadsom and Mr Clark, why didn't Sajid Javid answer any of our questions about Ombudsman Services and why did he permit property complainants to take their complaints to this government approved and monitored scheme when there was so little transparency about its performance in handling complex property complaints?
Q. Mrs Leadsom and Mr Clark, have politically influenced and engaged civil servants prevented this information from reaching you and your colleague, Sajid Javid?
Q. Mr Clark, why have you permitted property complainants to continue taking their complaints to this broken solution?
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