This outlines how we will act if we receive a complaint. These are the procedures we will undertake in accordance with the requirements of our Regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Our FCA number is 474013.
All complaints should be referred in the first instance to:
Ruth Whitehead
Ruth Whitehead Associates
St. Matthias Halls
Wordsworth Road
London N16 8DD
Email: info@rwafinance.co.uk
Telephone: 020 7254 8262
We will try to resolve your complaint within three working days of receipt. If we are able to do so within this time, we will issue you a written summary of the resolution. This will confirm that your complaint has been resolved and inform you of your right to take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service should you subsequently feel dissatisfied with the outcome.
Where we are unable to resolve your complaint within three working days, a written acknowledgement will be issued promptly and no later than five working days of receiving your complaint.
The written acknowledgement will include:
i. the name of the Compliance Oversight Officer and contact details;
ii. confirmation that a further letter will be sent if the complaint has not been resolved within four weeks of receipt;
iii. in the case of an oral complaint only, a statement of the firm’s understanding of the nature of the complaint and a request for the complainant to confirm this in writing.
Every effort will be made to resolve complaints within the first eight weeks following receipt.
If the investigation is still not completed after eight weeks, a further letter will be sent by the Compliance Oversight Officer explaining that the firm is still not in a position to provide a final response, the reason why and when we expect to be able to provide one.
You have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) if we are unable to complete our investigation within the 8-week time period. The FOS website is at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Once the investigation is complete a letter will be sent by the Compliance Oversight Officer that will provide a summary of our investigation and our decision in the matter. This will also include a copy of the FOS’s explanatory booklet (if not already issued). If at this stage the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of our investigation and wishes to refer the matter to the FOS (if they’re an eligible complainant), they must do so within six months of the date of the letter or they may lose the right to refer the complaint.
If you do not refer your complaint in time, the Ombudsman will not have our permission to consider the complaint and so will only be able to do so in very limited circumstances. For example, if the Ombudsman believes that the delay was as a result of ‘exceptional circumstances.’
The Firm will co-operate with the Ombudsman in resolving any complaints made against it.
Complaints which relate to advice or services provided by another firm:
In the event that Ruth Whitehead Associates receives a complaint where we have reasonable grounds to be satisfied that it relates to another firm, we will carry out the following within 5 days of receiving the initial complaint:
– Positively identify the other firm who we believe are responsible, and establish a current address and point of contact.
– Write to the firm, enclosing a copy of the original complaint letter / notification, explaining why we believe they are responsible for dealing with the complaint.
– Write to the complainant, explaining the action taken, enclose a copy of the letter sent to the other firm and invite the client to contact the new firm.