Financial Services / Banks / Loans / Car Finance
FULL COMPLAINT PROCESS
If your issue involves banks, loans, credit cards, overdrafts, mortgages, car finance (HP/PCP), payday loans, affordability checks, irresponsible lending, hidden commissions, mis-sold finance, unfair charges, defaults, fraud handling, or account closures, the main complaint path in the UK is:
Complain to the company first
Escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)
If personal data issues exist → also consider the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
If serious misconduct/regulatory issue → sometimes also the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
STEP 1 — COMPLAIN TO THE BANK / LENDER FIRST
This is mandatory.
Examples:
- Barclays
- Lloyds Bank
- Santander UK
- Black Horse
- Close Brothers Motor Finance
- MotoNovo Finance
- Moneybarn
Use their official complaints department.
You should request:
- full complaint investigation
- account records
- lending checks
- affordability assessment
- commission disclosure
- underwriting notes
- internal complaint notes
- call recordings
- account statements
- default records
- vehicle finance agreement
- broker commission details
STEP 2 — WAIT FOR FINAL RESPONSE
They usually have:
8 weeks
to issue a final response.
Sometimes sooner.
If they reject, delay, or underpay → move to FOS.
STEP 3 — ESCALATE TO FOS
Official route:
Financial Ombudsman Service complaint page
FOS handles:
- car finance
- PCP / HP disputes
- hidden commissions
- irresponsible lending
- payday loans
- overdraft complaints
- credit file damage
- bank errors
- fraud complaints
- payment disputes
- insurance disputes
- mortgage complaints
- affordability complaints
STEP 4 — ICO (if data is missing)
If:
- DSAR ignored
- hidden commission records missing
- internal notes withheld
- call recordings missing
- incorrect credit data exists
Use:
ICO complaint page
STEP 5 — FCA (regulatory concerns)
FCA does NOT resolve personal disputes directly.
But important for:
- unlawful lending practices
- systemic mis-selling
- hidden commissions
- serious compliance failures
Official site:
CAR FINANCE (VERY IMPORTANT)
Especially for:
PCP / HP / Broker Commission Complaints
This is huge in the UK right now.
Ask for:
- dealer commission structure
- discretionary commission arrangement
- hidden broker commission
- interest manipulation
- lender commission disclosure
- affordability assessment
- underwriting documents
- commission paid to dealer
This is often the strongest claim.
PAYDAY LOANS / AFFORDABILITY
Ask:
- why repeated lending approved
- affordability checks
- income verification
- expenditure review
- rollovers allowed
- hardship ignored
BANK CHARGES / ACCOUNT CLOSURE
Ask for:
- closure rationale
- fraud markers
- CIFAS markers
- internal fraud notes
- account restrictions
- suspicious activity notes
IMPORTANT TIME LIMITS
Usually:
Within 6 months
from final response to go to FOS.
Do not miss this.
STRONG EVIDENCE TO KEEP
Keep:
- complaint emails
- final response letter
- finance agreement
- payment history
- rejection letters
- call logs
- screenshots
- credit report
- DSAR response
- affordability evidence
- bank statements
POWERFUL WORDING
Good wording:
“I believe the lender failed to carry out proper affordability checks and failed to disclose commission arrangements that materially affected the finance agreement. I request full disclosure of commission, underwriting notes, affordability checks, and internal complaint records.”
MAIN LINKS
FOS
ICO
Information Commissioner’s Office
FCA
GOV.UK Financial Services Help