Sharper Teeth: The Customer Need For Ombudsman Reform a Further Update By The Ombudsmans61percent Campaign (94): DJS Research Set The Gold Standard in Research/Customer satisfaction Reports.

Sharper Teeth: The Consumer Need For Ombudsman Reform a further update by The Ombudsmans61percent Campaign (94): DJS Research Set The Gold Standard In Independent Research/Customer Satisfaction Reports. We attempted to raise the following issues with Martin Lewis on twitter but without success: A) THE DEPARTMENT OF BEIS AND THE OMBUDSMAN ASSOCIATION - SETTING GOLD STANDARDS? 1) Martin Lewis, should: Sharper Teeth: The Consumer Need For Ombudsman Reform be implemented - especially the recommendations that the BEIS and OA set the gold standard in what is to be an ombudsman then consumers will be at an even greater disadvantage than they are today. Both ignored us. 2) The BEIS was the BIS back in the day when our campaign - The ombudsmans61percent Campaign began. We tried raising the issue of an ombudsman who "arrived at decisions in an illogical manner" (DJS Research) with: Vince Cable, Joe Swinson, Sajid Javid and Greg Clark. All of them ignored us. 3) Had Vince Cable, Joe Swinson, Sajid Javid and Greg Clark acted upon our complaint consumers would have been stopped form taking their complaints to an ombudsman who, "arrived at decisions in an illogical manner." But they didn't act. Consumer dissatisfaction levels thus rose from 61% to 85%. PLEASE NOTE: we've fact-checked your table on p60 and think the "unfairness" level is 84%. The table is hard to read. 4) On page 8 of the report it states you did "desk research" and "on the record fact checking." DJS Research conducted independent CSRs for Ombudsman Services (2008-11). Their reports are dynamite They stated that the property ombudsman "arrived at decisions in an illogical manner." 5) When you did your "on the record fact checking" with the CEO and Chief ombudsman at Ombudsman Services what did he have to say about his property ombudsman who arriving at decisions in an "illogical manner?" Q. Would you care to comment now? Q. What do you to say to those complainants? 6) We contacted DJS Research to confirm that they had indeed discovered an ombudsman who was arriving at decisions "in an illogical manner." They had They said we could use their name in our campaign. Q. Did you fact check this startling revelation with DJS Research and if not why not? 7) DJS Research also report that: * investigators/ombudsman did not understand the complexity of property disputes. When you did your "on the record fact checking" what did the CEO and Chief Ombudsman have to say to that? When an ombudsman is confused by the complexity of disputes how can this a proper investigation of a consumer's complaint? 8) DJS Research also report that: * investigators/ombudsman did not understand the complexity of property disputes. Q. Martin, when you did your "on the record fact checking" what did the CEO and Chief Ombudsman have to say to that? Is this a proper investigation of a consumer's complaint? 9) DJS Research say: * evidence was omitted and/or misrepresented. When you carried out your "on the record fact checking" with the CEO and Chief Ombudsman what did he have to say to that? What do you say to consumers who suffered this terrible injustice? 10) DJS Research continue: FURTHER REPRESENTATION - 83% had submitted further rep. 66% submitted further evidence. Most complainants said this didn't alter the outcome. Q. What did the CEO and Chief Ombudsman say about this when you contacted him? 11) DJS Research in what was to be their final report state at 8.24: "To be effective the SOS (later rebranded as OS) must be seen as an impartial arbitrator between parties - currently this does not seem to be the consensus of opinion." Q. What did the CEO say to that? 12) When you desk researched Ombudsman Services minutes what response did you make to: Minutes for Dec 2009: "The Chief Executive noted that there had been some concern over the apparent increases in levels of award." Q. Surely the ombudsman is independent and free to make awards? ISSUES: Independence of Ombudsman / Integrity / Fit-and-proper-person / OFT Guidelines / Role of Regulator. 13) DJS Research have a different take on this. They state, "OSP is different to OS Energy and OS Communications in that the financial implications of complaints are much larger as they relate to expensive purchasing decisions. This should be looked at .. the scale of financial award be increased to be more in line with financial losses incurred by the complainant as a result of the problem." (DJS Research) Q. When you had an on the record fact check with the CEO and Chief Ombudsman what did he say to this and why did his property ombudsman instead REDUCE financial awards significantly? 14) The RICS had a Memorandum of Understanding with OS:Property its "appointed" company. It had a Director of Regulation sitting on its appointed company's board. Q. When you fact checked this with the OS CEO how did he justify this in terms of the ombudsman's independence? 15) The RICS monitored its appointed company for "the effective resolution of disputes." Q. When you fact checked this with the OS CEO had did he explain a decision "not arrived at in a logical manner" as being "effective?" Q. Effective for fee-paying members or consumers? B) THE OFT CRITERIA FOR APPROVING OMBUDSMAN SERVICES PROPERTY: When you did desk research you will have read the OFT's criteria for the approval of its approved and monitored ADR scheme - OS:P. Criterion 5 states: "The ombudsman must proceed fairly and in accordance with principles of natural justice." Q. Martin how is an illogical ombudsman able to proceed fairly? Q. Where is the the natural justice when an ombudsman is illogical?