There is no hard and fast rule about complaining - your actions will be influenced by the scale of the problem you feel you have experienced. There are some basic rules however which may help you win a dispute, or obtain better compensation. They apply more or less equally to personal and business problems...
Complain in writing - no matter what lengthy or emotional conversations have taken place already, and no matter what the current position of your complaint, write a carefully thought out, polite, and logical letter explaining what you think has happened and why you are unhappy.
Remember the Rule of Three - a least three people will see your letters; you, as writer: the recipient: and the Ombudsman (or Judge) who may eventually see the papers if the case is not resolved. Don't be tempted to be anything other than businesslike and polite, no matter what provocation is offered. You must not appear to be unreasonable or unhelpful - or a crank.
Read the letters you receive - you may be tempted not to open mail if you think it contains bad news, or you may look briefly at a letter and read into it what you most fear. Get someone else to help you if necessary, but read letters carefully. If you need to reply, do so on the basis of what the actually letter says, not what you assume it says.
Use the system - the banks and building societies have Codes of Practice and Ombudsman/ Arbitration schemes to deal with complaints. These are often free, and binding on the bank if a decision is made in your favour. If you are unhappy with the outcome you will virtually always still be able to ignore the outcome and go to court if necessary. Get details of the scheme(s) which apply and use them first.
Get Help - if you are in serious difficulty, sit down and make a list of anyone who could help you with your problem. Include the Citizen's Advice Bureau / Trading Standards / Trade Associations / Trade Unions / MP's / your professional adviser(s) / NABC. Get all the relevant addresses and telephone numbers. Write a one-page summary of your situation and contact all of them to see what help is available.
Forget the Press - "I'll take this to the papers/ TV/ Radio" is something everyone says, but very few actually mean. Even if you do carry this through, the press will want interviews and pictures - there is little chance you can complain without being at least willing to be quoted by name. If you generate bad publicity for your bank, this could easily affect your business or your private life; and once the publicity has appeared, what incentive do the bank have for settling your dispute?
Keep a careful record - of every telephone call, every letter, every journey you undertake to resolve the problem. Keep all receipts. If you succeed, send an account for the costs you have incurred. If you are in business and charge your time out, cost the time spent at a normal commercial rate. Otherwise expect to receive £5/10 per hour for the time you can show you have spent on the case.
Stay on Track - Don't get side-tracked by irrelevant issues, personal arguments, threats or any other pressures. If you have a complaint, you want something corrected, an apology, and (possibly) compensation. Keep pushing until you get an offer you can accept. Be prepared for the fact that a serious dispute will take months to resolve - and your bank can often afford to be patient, while you probably cannot.
CLAIM, don't 'Complain' - in many cases 'complaints' are made about serious overcharging, errors, and other breaches of the contract between bank and customer which should result in repayments and damages.
In our view 'complaints' are for not receiving cheque books or statements on time. If you have a serious problem, make it clear that you are making a claim against your bank to have matters put right, and -if necessary- receive compensation.
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