Complaints procedure

As a member-owned and member-run organisation, we hope you will never need to use our complaints procedure. Our members are at the heart of everything we do and whilst we always aim to provide the best possible service, we recognise that sometimes things can go wrong. When they do, we aim to resolve matters fairly and promptly.

How to complain

If you are unhappy with any of our products or services, please contact us in the way that suits you best:

• in writing  
• by phone  
• by email at mail@westcountry.org.uk (please include “My Complaint” in the subject line).  

Westcountry Savings & Loans takes complaints very seriously. Every complaint will be fully investigated to identify the cause of the issue and resolved fairly. In some cases, a complaint may result from a misunderstanding that can be resolved quickly, and we will always aim to deal with this appropriately.

What we do

Once we receive your complaint, we will do everything we can to resolve it in a timely manner, normally within three business days.

What happens next

We will send you a letter confirming the resolution and advising you of your right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you remain dissatisfied.

If we are unable to resolve your complaint within three business days, we will send you a written acknowledgement.

If you are unhappy with our response

You have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service free of charge. You must do this within six months of the date of our final response.

If you do not refer your complaint within this time, the Ombudsman may only be able to consider your complaint in exceptional circumstances. Full details of the Financial Ombudsman Service will be included in our final response.

We ask that you give us the opportunity to resolve the issue before referring your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. However, you may refer your complaint earlier if Westcountry Savings & Loans agrees to this.

We aim to provide a full response as quickly as possible. In some cases, a more detailed investigation may be required to review your concerns fully. If this happens, we will keep you updated throughout the process and will always try to respond sooner where possible.

If we are unable to provide a final response within eight weeks, we will explain why, provide an expected timescale for our response and advise you of your right to refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

You can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service at:

Financial Ombudsman Service 
Exchange Tower 
London 
E14 9SR 

Telephone: 0800 023 4567 

Website: financial-ombudsman.org.uk 
Financial Ombudsman Service

And finally...

We recognise the importance of understanding how and why an issue occurred. As part of our investigation, we will identify the root cause of the complaint to ensure that any appropriate remedial action or redress is provided and to help prevent the issue from happening again.