Livingstone Finance Complaints Policy
At Livingstone Finance we place our strongest focus on customer care. However, we do understand that on occasions situations happen that result in the need to make a complaint. Rest assured that should you feel the need to do this, we take any complaints seriously and we will handle your complaint in a professional unbiased manner.
How to make a complaint?
If your complaint is in relation to a vehicle you have on finance, please contact your finance provider directly.
If your complaint is about a product or service offered through Livingstone Finance, please see below:
The first step is for us to understand your complaint; you can contact us by via email on complaints@livingstonefinance.co.uk
Please provide your name and daytime contact number where we can contact you between the hours of 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday.
We will log your complaint within 24 hours.
If the complaint can be dealt with, within 3 business days we will send you a summary resolution communication within 2 business days of resolving the complaint, this will include information on what to do if you are dissatisfied with the resolution of the complaint and that you may be able to refer the complaint back to us for further consideration or alternatively refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
If your complaint can not be dealt with, in 3 business days, we will send you our initial response letter within 2 days of either receiving the complaint or realising the complaint cannot be resolved within 3 business days.
We will investigate your complaint fully and if the complaint cannot be dealt with within 4 weeks, we will send you an update on the progress of your complaint.
We endeavour to send you a final response within 8 weeks of receipt of the complaint. If we are unable to provide you with a final response within this time, we will send you an update.
Within our final response, we will explain what to do if you are not happy with our response/resolution and if you are an eligible complainant, you can escalate your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman, you must do so within 6 months of the date of the final response letter. You can contact them:
By phone:
0800 023 4567
VS29012023
By post:
The Financial Ombudsman Service,
Exchange Tower,
London,
E14 9SR.
By Email:
complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Further information can be obtained from the Financial Ombudsman Service's website at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Eligible complainants are:
▪
A consumer
▪
Companies within the EU definition of a microenterprise
▪
Charities with an annual income of under £6,500,000
▪
Trustees of a trust with assets of under £5,000,000
▪
A small business (only an eligible complainant if the conduct took place after the 1st April 2019)
▪
A guarantor
Alternatively, you may also contact the BVRLA Conciliation Service as an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution service. Details can be found at www.bvrla.co.uk or by contacting complaint@bvrla.co.uk
Discretionary Commission Arrangements (DCA’s)
If your complaint is regarding Discretionary Commission Arrangements (DCAs), the Financial Conduct Authority have introduced temporary complaint-handling rules relating to Discretionary Commission Arrangements, if:
•
You bought a car/vehicle using car finance before 28 January 2021
•
the lender/dealer/broker (acting as credit broker) had a discretionary commission arrangement, and
•
If you made a complaint to the lender/dealer/broker between 17 November 2023 and 25 September 2024, or
•
You received a final response to your complaint from the business between 12 July 2023 and 20 November 2024.
The FCA have paused the requirement on firms to provide a final response within 8 weeks of receiving the complaint. You can still complain to us however we may not send you a final response until after 25 September 2024, at the earliest.
For new or ongoing complaints, they have paused, for 37 weeks, the time you have to refer DCA complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service from 6 to 15 months.
If you're unhappy with a response you've had from us previously, the FCA have extended the maximum referral time you have to take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service also from 6 months of getting a final response from us to 15 months, if you were sent a final response between 12 July 2023 and 20 November 2024.
For more information, please see the Financial Conduct Authority’s website by following the link Car finance complaints | FCA
Or The Financial Ombudsman Service website on Complaints about car finance commission (financial-ombudsman.org.uk)