About Ombudsman Services

What we do

Ombudsman Services provides independent dispute resolution for the communications, energy, property and copyright licensing sectors.

When a complaint is made to a company in one of these sectors and it has not been resolved within eight weeks we may be able to sort it out. We only look at complaints about companies that have signed up to our service. We call these participating companies.

Our purpose is to resolve consumer disputes

We are a private company limited by guarantee. We investigate complaints with a view to reaching a speedy resolution. We are entirely independent, meaning that we do not take sides and we make our decisions based on the facts.  

We are an alternative to the courts and our services are free of charge.

We operate by the British and Irish Ombudsman Association (BIOA) principles of good governance.

Our vision is:

• to provide excellent, independent complaint resolution for consumers and participating companies;
• to make recommendations for improvements or changes to companies procedures within the sectors; and
• to promote the benefits of independent complaint handling to other industries and their customers.

Our values are to:

• treat people with courtesy and sensitivity;
• behave with integrity, acting independently of consumers and companies;
• have rigorous processes that lead to reasoned and consistent decisions;
• use our resources efficiently and effectively; and
• provide a service that is accessible to all.