Complaints policy

Introduction

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All of our customers are important to us, which is why we believe you have the right to a quick, friendly and efficient service at all times.

We’re committed to ensuring that all complaints received are handled fairly, consistently and efficiently.  We aim to identify and remedy any recurring or systematic problems, as well as any specific problems identified by a complainant.

This document sets out the complaints handling procedures that we follow if you make a complaint about our services.

Acre Support UK Limited provides regulated Credit Information Services and  consequently, is required to have  clear and effective procedures for the reasonable and prompt handling of complaints in place.

The Acre platform is used by a large number of financial service firms to provide service to their direct customers. If we believe your complaint is more appropriately direct to one of those financial services firms, we will advise you as such.

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Document Control

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Definition of a Complaint

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A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction whether oral or written, and whether justified or not, that the complainant has suffered, or may suffer, financial loss, material inconvenience or material distress.

A regulated complaint is any complaint, from or on behalf of an eligible complainant about Acre Support UK Limited’s provision of, or failure to provide, a regulated financial service activity.

We will treat all complaints the same, but only a regulated complaint may be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you’re not satisfied with the way we have handled your complaint.

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Eligible Complainants for Regulated Complaints

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An eligible complainant is a private individual, a business with group annual turnover of less that £1m, a charity with an annual income of less that £1m or a trustee of a trust with less that £1m in assets.

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Making a complaint

We recommend that all complaints are made by e-mail, but you may make a complaint by letter, email or telephone. The following details should be used for making complaints:

Once we receive your complaint

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Your complaint will be referred to the Compliance Officer as soon as possible. If your complaint directly involves the compliance officer, your complaint will be referred to another senior management of Acre Support UK Ltd.

We will acknowledge your complaint in writing, electronically if you raise your complaint by e-mail, or if you raise your complaint by telephone and we have an e-mail address. Otherwise, we will acknowledge your complaint by post.    

The Acre platform is used by a large number of financial services firms to provide service to their direct customers. If we believe your complaint is more appropriately direct to one of those financial services firms, we will advise you as such and provide you the appropriate contact details to make a complaint with that firm.  We will also, with your consent, provide any relevant details directly to that firm.

Our acknowledgement will include the name and title of the individual managing your complaint and a copy of this policy.

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Resolving your complaint

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We will investigate your complaint fairly, consistently and efficiently, determine whether the complaint should be upheld, and (if appropriate) determine remedial action and / or redress.  

While investigating your complaint, we will keep you informed at least every 2 weeks of our progress using the same communication method as we used to acknowledge your complaint.

Once we have completed our investigation, we will set out our conclusions in a final response to you.

If we decide that redress is appropriate, we will aim to provide you with fair compensation for any acts or omissions for which we’re responsible. If you accept our offer, we will promptly provide the compensation to you.

If we have not been able to make a final response within 8 weeks, we will write to you outlining:

• Why we are not able to make a final response.

• If your complaint is a regulated complaint, that you’re now entitled to refer the complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service “FOS”.  

If your complaint is a regulated complaint, we will also include a copy of the FOS standard explanatory leaflet.

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Financial Ombudsman Service

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If you’re an eligible complainant making a regulated complaint you can refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you’re not satisfied with our response. Your rights are set out in the FOS’s leaflet “Your Complaint and the Ombudsman” which we will provide to you as part of the Complaints process. Please remember that if you wish to refer a complaint to the FOS, you must do so within 6 months of receiving our final response.

You should allow us to complete our internal Complaints Procedure before you refer your complaint to FOS.

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Closing Complaints

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We will regard your complaint as closed in the following circumstances:

• One week after we have sent you a final response.
• Where you have told us in writing that you accept an earlier response, or that you otherwise wish to withdraw your complaint.
• Where you’ve referred your complaint to the FOS, when the FOS informs us in writing that the complaint has been closed.
• It’s clear beyond any reasonable doubt, that your complaint is better handled by another organisation who is using the Acre platform to provide you with a service.