We value our members and take any complaint very seriously. We view a complaint as an opportunity to identify how we can improve the service we provide to our members.

1. Making a Complaint
2. The Financial Ombudsman and The European Commission On-line Dispute Resolution Platform

Making a complaint

When things go wrong

Shepherds Friendly Society greatly values its customers and aims to provide the very best products and services. If you are reading this and you have a complaint, something may have gone wrong.

We take all complaints very seriously and investigate each one thoroughly and fairly so we can give each customer a full and considered response. We would like to explain how we respond to your complaint, and what you can expect us to do if you complain.

How to make a complaint

In the first instance please let us know what has happened by telling us:

• Exactly what has gone wrong, and how and when it happened
• Your name, address, and contact phone number
• Your plan details (if applicable)
• What you would like us to do to put things right

You can get in touch by:

Telephone:
If you would like to get in touch by telephone please call 0800 526 249

Email:
If you would like to get in touch by email you can send all your details to [email protected]

Post:
If you would like to make a complaint in writing, please send a letter to us at:

Member Complaints
Shepherds Friendly Society
Haw Bank House
High Street
Cheadle
Cheshire
SK8 1AL

What can I expect if I complain?

We may be able to resolve your complaint straight away. If not, we will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint within 5 working days of receiving it. In this letter we’ll summarise your complaint so you can check we have understood it correctly and we will give you a complaint reference number to quote, so we can always find your information quickly when you contact us.

We would expect to complete our investigation within 4 weeks of receiving your complaint. If we cannot do this, we will get in touch with you by letter or email explaining the reason for the delay.

If there is any further delay in investigating your complaint, we will write to you 8 weeks after receiving your complaint to explain the reason for the delay.

If you are not satisfied with the reason for the delay, you can refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. When we update you at this stage we will enclose a leaflet explaining how to do this.

When we have completed our investigation of your complaint we will write to you to provide our final response. This will be a detailed letter that outlines what we found, what we plan to do as a result, and why we arrived at our decision.

What do I do if I am still unhappy?

If you’re not satisfied with how we have dealt with your complaint or you are not happy with the decision we’ve taken and wish to take it further, you can ask the Financial Ombudsman Service to look into your complaint for you. This is a free independent service for resolving disputes between customers and financial services institutions.

You can find out more on their website or by calling them on 0800 0234567.

The Financial Ombudsman & The European Commission On-line Dispute Resolution Platform

The Financial Ombudsman is a free service that looks into disputes between insurance companies and their customers. You can find out more or contact them directly using one of the links below. You have six months from the date of our final response letter to refer your complaint to them.

The European Commission also provides an on-line dispute resolution (ODR) platform which allows consumers to submit their complaint through a central site which will forward the complaint to the right Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme. In relation to Shepherds Friendly Society, this is Financial Ombudsman Service and you can go to them directly as shown in the contact details above. For more information about ODR please visit their website http://ec.europa.eu/odr