Ombudsman Services | May 26, 2022
We have seen a number of queries from our suppliers and providers around Facilitated Complaint Resolution (FCR) and agreeing a resolution with the consumer outside of our processes.
We want to clarify our process and remind our suppliers and suppliers and providers of our position.
When we accept a complaint, a notification via our case management system will be sent, asking for a response. Suppliers and providers will then have the option to either provide us with their views and evidence in relation to the complaint, within a case file, or to make an offer of resolution to the consumer. If an offer is made and accepted, we call this a Facilitated Complaint Resolution or an FCR.
Suppliers and providers usually have 18 calendar days from the initial complaint notification to attempt to achieve an FCR.
In recent months, we’ve seen a number of queries around the FCR process where our suppliers and providers may have been in contact with the consumer and agreed a reasonable resolution outside of the prepare case window. The root causes of these late agreements are often due to late acceptance from the consumer, or the supplier/provider failing to make the consumer aware of the offer.
We allow a fair opportunity for a resolution to be offered which may have been missed during the complaint handling procedure. We’re keen to ensure that our suppliers and providers have a good understanding of how our process works and the fees associated.
To ensure that it’s clear, we wanted to confirm the following:
More information:
Any questions, please speak with your Partnership Manager or our Partner Support team.