How to Complain About a Bank or Debt Collector UK

If something has already gone wrong, start here:

• If contact has felt relentless or threatening, read Debt Collector Harassment UK: Know Your Rights & Get Help.
• If you are not sure what a collector is allowed to do, read How to Deal with Debt Collectors in the UK: Your Rights & FCA Rules.
• If you are deciding how to communicate, read Should You Call or Write to a Debt Collector in the UK?.
• If you think the debt may be too old to enforce, read What Is Statute Barred Debt and How Do I Know If Mine Qualifies?.
• If you have been pushed into payments you cannot maintain, read UK Token Payments: 8 Steps to Manage Debt Repayments.
• If letters have been piling up unopened, read Should You Ignore Debt Collection Letters in the UK?.

The aim is to work out exactly what you are complaining about before you start writing.

You may want to complain if:

• you were pressured to pay more than you could afford;
• you were pushed to borrow more, or to sell something, to clear the debt;
• contact felt excessive, or happened at unreasonable times;
• you disputed the debt and they carried on chasing anyway;
• they discussed your debt with someone else;
• they ignored health, mental health or vulnerability information you gave them;
• they gave unclear, misleading or contradictory information;
• charges or interest were added that you do not understand;
• paperwork looked official when it was not;
• they implied court action or enforcement that was not actually happening.

Several of those points are not just unfair. They sit against the FCA’s conduct rules for debt collection. For example, a firm must not pressurise a customer to pay a debt in one single or very few repayments, within an unreasonably short period of time, or by selling their property, borrowing money or increasing existing borrowing.

The FCA rules also say a firm must suspend any steps it takes, or its agent takes, in the recovery of a debt where the customer disputes the debt on valid grounds or what may be valid grounds.

Keep it organised. A business cannot investigate what it cannot follow.

Include:

1. your name, address and the account or reference number;
2. the name of the business you are complaining about;
3. the date you are writing;
4. a short summary of what happened, in order;
5. key dates of calls, letters, emails and messages;
6. copies of your evidence, not the originals;
7. what you believe was unfair or wrong;
8. how it affected you, including any health impact;
9. what you want them to do to put it right;
10. how and when you want them to contact you.

Ask them to confirm they have received it, and keep a copy of everything you send.

If you need contact in a particular format, or you need them to stop phoning and write instead, say that clearly in the complaint.

The Financial Ombudsman Service normally expects the business to have had the chance to look at your complaint before it gets involved.

Send it using a method you can prove. Email is usually fine if you keep the sent copy. If you post it, consider recorded delivery for anything important, and keep the proof of postage.

Address it to the complaints team if the business names one. If not, send it to the main contact address and title it clearly as a complaint.

Do not bury the complaint inside a long payment discussion. Keep the complaint separate so it is obvious what you are asking them to investigate.

A final response letter tells you the business has finished looking at your complaint.

It should explain whether they are upholding your complaint, what they will do about it, and how to take the complaint further if you disagree.

Read it slowly and check:

• has it answered every point you raised, or only the easy ones;
• has it dealt with the evidence you sent;
• does it explain what happens next;
• does it give you the Financial Ombudsman referral information;
• what is the date on the letter, because that date matters for the six-month window.

Do not throw it away. If you escalate, you will normally need it.

The Financial Ombudsman Service may be able to look at your complaint once you have had a final response you are unhappy with, or once the business has had the time it is allowed and still has not resolved it.

You will need to explain what happened and send the relevant evidence, including your complaint and any response.

The Ombudsman is not there to punish a business for every mistake. It looks at what it thinks is fair and reasonable in the circumstances.

Bringing a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman does not cost you anything.

The FCA’s Consumer Duty sets a higher standard for how firms treat retail customers. In broad terms, firms have to act to deliver good outcomes for retail customers, including supporting customers to pursue their financial objectives and making sure communications help customers understand what is happening.

You do not need to quote regulations to make a complaint. But it can help to frame your points around outcomes and understanding rather than emotion alone. For example:

• “The letters did not make it clear what would happen next.”
• “I explained my situation twice and the same demand was repeated.”
• “I asked for the debt to be checked and collection continued anyway.”

That kind of wording keeps the focus on what the business did, and what a reasonable customer would have expected.

If debt contact is affecting your mental health, say so in the complaint. Do not leave it in the background. Explain:

• what you told them, and when;
• who you told;
• what you asked them to do differently;
• what happened afterwards.

The FCA rules also expect firms to treat customers in difficulty with forbearance and due consideration, and to point people towards free debt help from not-for-profit debt advice bodies.

Separately, if you live in England or Wales, Breathing Space is a scheme that can give temporary protection from creditors while you get debt help. GOV.UK says you can get temporary protection for up to 60 days, and if you are getting mental health crisis treatment, protection lasts for the length of your treatment plus another 30 days. You apply through a debt adviser, not directly.

Some conduct goes beyond a service failure. Citizens Advice lists examples of behaviour that could count as harassment by a creditor, including contacting you several times a day or late at night, using more than one debt collector at a time, using paperwork that looks official when it is not, pressuring you to sell your home or take out more credit, telling other people about your debt, or giving the impression that court action has been taken when it has not.

If any of that is in your situation, keep a dated log of every contact. A log turns a feeling into evidence.

You can still complain to the business first, and escalate to the Financial Ombudsman if you are unhappy with the answer.

A complaint is much stronger when it ends with a specific ask. Vague complaints get vague answers.

Depending on the situation, you might ask the business to:

• correct the account balance or remove charges you dispute;
• put the account on hold while they check the debt;
• confirm in writing what they hold, and who they say owns the debt;
• change the way they contact you;
• correct information reported to your credit file;
• explain a decision properly in plain English;
• confirm what they will do differently.

Say what you want, in a short numbered list, at the end of the complaint. Then keep a diary date for eight weeks after you send it.

Use this checklist:

1. Decide exactly what you are complaining about.
2. Write it in date order, briefly.
3. Attach copies of your evidence.
4. Say what was unfair and how it affected you.
5. Say what you want them to do to put it right.
6. Send it in a way you can prove.
7. Ask them to confirm receipt.
8. Diarise eight weeks from the date you sent it.
9. Keep the final response letter safe and note its date.
10. If you are unhappy, check the six-month Financial Ombudsman window before it closes.

Keep everything in writing. If you do speak on the phone, note the date, the time and the name of the person you spoke to.

Do I have to complain to the business first?
Usually yes. The Financial Ombudsman Service normally expects the business to have had the chance to look at your complaint first.

How long does a bank or debt collector have to reply?
The Financial Ombudsman Service says a business has 8 weeks to respond to your complaint.

How long do I have to escalate to the Financial Ombudsman?
You usually have to bring your complaint to the Ombudsman within six months of the date of the business’s final response.

Is there a longer time limit as well?
Yes. You usually have to bring a complaint within six years of the event, or, if later, within three years of when you realised, or should reasonably have realised, there was a problem.

Does it cost anything?
No. Bringing a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman does not cost you anything.

Can I complain if I still owe the money?
Yes. Owing a debt does not remove your right to complain about how you have been treated.

What if I disputed the debt and they kept chasing me?
The FCA rules say a firm must suspend recovery steps where the customer disputes the debt on valid grounds, or what may be valid grounds. That is worth raising in the complaint.

What if my mental health is involved?
Say so clearly, in writing, and explain what support you need. You can also ask a debt adviser about Breathing Space, which is applied for on your behalf.

The Real Debt Guy has completed the DipFA Level 4 qualification and shares general debt and money education for UK consumers.

This article is for general information and education only. It is not personal financial advice, regulated debt advice, debt counselling or debt adjusting.

The Real Debt Guy is not FCA authorised. The Real Debt Guy is a letter-drafting and administrative support service.