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Complaints procedure

Complaints Handling Procedure

It is the aim of 1st Choice Vehicle Finance to provide a very high standard of service to every client. It is important to us that all complaints are resolved as quickly as possible and to the complete satisfaction of our clients.

This procedure explains how we will deal with any complaints. It also tells you what you can do if you think your complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction.

If you have a complaint:

Any complaint verbal or written will be referred to our complaints manager at the earliest opportunity or to a member of the senior management if the complaints manager is unavailable. We will also:

• Acknowledge in writing promptly
• Give details in our acknowledgement letter of the Financial Ombudsman Service
• Make contact to seek clarification on any points where necessary
• Fully investigate the complaint
• Keep you informed of our progress
• Discuss with you our findings and proposed response

You will receive contact from us advising on progress if we cannot respond immediately. We will let you have our final response as soon as possible and not later than eight weeks.

Adviser or Provider
Clients often express dissatisfaction to their adviser about the product provider. We will need to establish whether or not your complaint relates to the advice given, the adviser service or the service or performance of the product provider. If unclear, this must not delay investigation and we will proceed with our own investigation. The complaints manager will review this matter and take the complaint to the provider if appropriate in consultation with you.

Investigation
The complaints manager will establish the nature and scope of your complaint having due regards to the Financial Conduct Authority’s direction:

• Deal with complaints promptly and fairly
• Give complainants clear replies and, where appropriate, fair redress

Eligible Complainants
It is the firm’s policy to treat all complainants the same, however, eligible complainants are legally defined and have additional rights in law that we must acknowledge and adhere to.

The Financial Conduct Authority complaints rules apply to complaints:

• The Financial Conduct Authority complaints rules apply to complaints:
• Relating to regulated activity;
• Involving an allegation that the complainant has suffered, or may suffer, financial loss, material distress or material inconvenience;

Final response

This will set out clearly the firm’s decision and the reasons for it. If any compensation is offered a clear method of calculation will be shown.

We must include details of the Financial Ombudsman Service in the final response if dealing with an eligible complainant and a regulated activity, we will:

• Explain that the complainant must refer the matter to the ombudsman within six months of the date of this letter or the right to use this service is lost
• Indicate whether or not we consent to waive the relevant time limits.

Complaints Settled within 3 business days
Complaints that can be settled to your satisfaction within 3 business days can be recorded and communicated differently.

Where we consider a complaint to be resolved to your satisfaction under this section, we will promptly send you a ‘Summary Resolution Communication’, being a written communication from us which:

1. refers to the fact that you have made a complaint and informs you that we now consider the complaint to have been resolved to your satisfaction;
2. We will tell you that if you subsequently decide that you are dissatisfied with the resolution of the complaint you may be able to refer the complaint back to us for further consideration or alternatively refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service;
3. Indicates whether or not the we consent to waive the relevant time limits, (where we have discretion in such matters)
4. Provide the website address of the Financial Ombudsman Service; and
5. Refer to the availability of further information on the website of the Financial Ombudsman Service.

In addition to sending you a Summary Resolution Communication, we may also use other methods to communicate the information where:

1. We consider that doing so may better meet your needs; or
2. We have already been using another method to communicate about the complaint.

Closing a complaint
We will consider a complaint closed when we have made our final response to you. This does not prevent you from exercising any rights you may have to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

To register a complaint contact us by either:
email [email protected]
calling us on 01323 489 806
or write to us at Pacific House Sovereign Harbour Innovation Park 1 Easter Island Place Eastbourne BN23 6FA

BVRLA
We are members of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) and operate within their published code of conduct. Unresolved disputes may be referred to the BVRLA’s conciliation service, further details can be found http://www.bvrla.co.uk/advice/guidance/using-bvrlas-conciliation-service. To use this service, details should be submitted either by:
email : [email protected]
or write to: BVRLA, River Lodge, Badminton Court, Amersham, HP7 0DD

Financial Ombudsman Service
If you have a regulated contract with us and are not satisfied with our final response, you may be eligible to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service. You must do this within six months of our final response. When we send you our final response, we will also provide you with a copy of the Financial Ombudsman Service's explanatory leaflet.

We will co-operate fully with the Ombudsman in resolving any complaints made against us and agree to be bound by any awards made by the Ombudsman. The firm undertakes to pay promptly any fees levied by the Ombudsman.

If you have any questions in relation to our Complaints Handling Procedure, please contact us in writing at the address on the contact page of our website.