Find out how to make a complaint about the regulators and how we investigate complaints.
The regulators cannot consider complaints about the firms we regulate. If you have a complaint about a firm, then you should raise this initially with the firm. If you remain unhappy with the outcome, you may be able to make a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service[1].
The definition of what is considered a complaint about the regulators is found in the Complaints Scheme.
Please refer to the Complaints Scheme (March 2016)[2] for complaints made to us on or before 31 October 2023.
For complaints made to us on or after 1 November 2023, you should refer to Complaints Scheme (November 2023)[3].
The Complaints Scheme also indicates what types of complaint we won’t investigate. Some examples of these are:
- complaints about our rules or guidance
- complaints about firms we regulate
- complaints about the actions or inactions of the Financial Ombudsman Service, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme or MoneyHelper
For clarity, it is possible to make complaints to different organisations simultaneously, for example you can make a complaint to us and the Financial Ombudsman about the same thing at the same time.
There is no need to allow one complaint to be concluded before you start another. However, the complaint about us must be about how we have carried out, or failed to carry out, our ‘relevant functions’ as defined in the Complaints Scheme.
We recommend that you make your complaint to us as soon as you are aware of the issue.
How to complain
There are several ways you can contact us if you want to make a complaint. You can either:
- complete an online complaints form[4]
- download a printable form[5] (PDF) or send a letter to us at: Complaints Department (Risk & Compliance Oversight Division), Financial Conduct Authority, 12 Endeavour Square, London, E20 1JN
If you are unable to complain in writing, you can call the Complaints Team’s voicemail service on 020 7066 9870 and we will aim to return your call within 2 working days of receiving it. Please note we are unable to answer general enquiries on this line.
If you want to contact us about something else that is not a complaint about the FCA or one of the other regulators, you can contact our consumer helpline on 0800 111 6768 or visit our contact us[6] page.
Please use one of these methods to contact the Financial Conduct Authority in the first instance even if your complaint is against the PRA or the Bank of England.
We want to make sure you can make a complaint and communicate with us effectively. If you need information in a different format, such as an audio recording, large print, or spoken rather than written communication, then please let us know when you raise your complaint or call the complaints voicemail service on 020 7066 9870 and we will do our best to help. With your consent, we can also talk to your representative, such as a relative, friend or community advocate about your complaint. If you have contacted us before about a complaint or problem, please have your case reference number ready to give us.
You can find out more about how we provide support[7] so you can communicate with us effectively.
We know the issues leading to a complaint can be frustrating or distressing. Please be polite to our people though, as we don’t allow abusive behaviour towards them and it may affect how well we are able to communicate with you about your complaint. Find out more[8].
Dealing with your complaint
Complaints help us learn lessons and improve our performance. We take these matters seriously and aim to resolve complaints quickly and impartially, while treating complainants with courtesy and sensitivity.
We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days. We will then let you know within 4 weeks if we cannot investigate it and explain why.
If we do investigate your complaint, we may decide it is best handled by our business area that is most closely connected with it. Alternatively, we may decide that our Complaints Team should conduct its own investigation. We will keep you informed of our investigation throughout.
During the course of your complaint, we welcome information from you about your experience with firms to help assist with our oversight of those firms.
If we consider your complaint to be justified we will apologise and, if appropriate, explain what we intend to do to fix the problem or prevent it happening again. Depending on the circumstances, we may offer you a goodwill payment in recognition of any inconvenience you have suffered.
If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint
If your complaint was handled by the business area it related to and you are unhappy with the response, you can refer it to the Complaints Team.
If you are unhappy with Complaints Team’s response, or the way your complaint was handled, you can refer your complaint to the Complaints Commissioner[9]. This should usually be done within 3 months of the date of our response to your complaint. Our decision letter will give you further information on how to do this, and when you need to do it by.
How we use your data
If you make a complaint by email, telephone or our complaints forms, you will be asked to give us some personal information about yourself, such as your name and email address. This is primarily to help us to respond to your complaint and to allow us to identify you if you contact us again. We will also record any other personal information about you and others that you may give us as part of your complaint.
The Complaints Scheme is a joint scheme used by the FCA, PRA and the Bank of England so to find out more about how and why we use personal information and who to contact if you have any questions, please see our privacy notices: FCA’s privacy notice[10], and the Bank of England’s privacy notice (available on its website).