The Cumberland Building Society has a formal complaints procedure, which is explained on this page...

As a Cumberland customer, you expect a first class service from us, and we aim to provide it. We have high standards, but if you believe we have made a mistake, please get in touch with us as soon as possible and we will do everything we can to put it right.

We are also subject to the rules of the Financial Services Authority.  In general terms this gives customers who are unable to resolve a complaint against us the right to have this reviewed by an independent person – the Ombudsman.

We hope that our complaints procedure will resolve any complaint without the need for you to contact the Financial Ombudsman Service.  Please note that the Financial Ombudsman Service will not investigate your complaint until the Society’s complaints procedure has been completed, and you have received a letter from the Society giving its final response.

This page shows the steps in our complaints procedure. At every stage we promise to listen, to do everything we can to resolve your problem and to make sure you're happy with the way we do it.

...our Complaints Procedure

  1. If you have a problem relating to the Society, please discuss this with one of our branch staff.  Alternatively, you can telephone Customer Services on 0845 601 8396.  Our aim is to deal with your problem sympathetically, fairly and quickly.  Please do not use any form of e-mail to send this information, as it is not 100% secure and should not be used to send confidential information.

  2. If you feel that the matter is not being resolved to your satisfaction, please ask to speak to the manager of the branch or the head office department dealing with your enquiry.  The manager will try to resolve the matter on the day you raise your complaint, although whether this is possible will, of course, depend on the nature of your complaint.

  3. If the response by our branch or head office department manager does not resolve the matter to your satisfaction, by the fourth working day following the day you raised the matter, a letter of acknowledgement will be sent to you.  This will also give the name and job title of the Head Office Controller or Assistant General Manager handling your complaint from this point onwards, set out our understanding of your complaint, and state when we will be able to reply in greater detail. You may also be asked for additional information if this is required to assist in resolving the matter. 

  4. If you are dissatisfied with the response from the Controller or Assistant General Manager and your problem has still not been resolved, please let the person dealing with your complaint know. Either the Secretary or another Executive Director will then fully investigate your complaint. You can also write directly to the Secretary at Cumberland Building Society, Cumberland House, Castle Street, Carlisle CA3 8RX. If there is any additional information that should be considered, or if you feel that particular points have not been given sufficient weight so far, please let us know.

  5. In all but very exceptional cases, by the end of eight weeks following receipt of your complaint, the Society will have given you its final response by letter.  This will be accompanied by the Financial Ombudsman Service’s explanatory leaflet.

  6. If you are still not satisfied with the steps taken by the Society and its final response letter, you can write to:

    Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR
    telephone: 0845 080 1800
    e-mail: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
    website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

    Your letter should give details of your complaint and enclose copies of correspondence you have had with the Society, and any other relevant documents.  You should also tell the Ombudsman that you have followed the Society’s Complaints Procedure but you are unhappy with the outcome.

    Please note that the Ombudsman cannot investigate your complaint until we have given you our final response letter, unless we have not done this within eight weeks following receipt of your complaint.  In these very exceptional cases, we will write to you to explain why this has not been possible, indicate when we expect to be able to make a final response, inform you that you may refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service, and enclose a copy of its explanatory leaflet.

  7. The Financial Ombudsman Service will consider your complaint, taking into account any points made by you and the Society.  The Financial Ombudsman Service may, however, refuse to investigate a complaint where you have not contacted them within six months of the Society’s final response letter, to tell them you are still dissatisfied.

  8. Having investigated a complaint, the Financial Ombudsman Service will decide whether it agrees with your complaint and whether any further action is necessary.  A date will be set by which you must respond to the Ombudsman’s decision.  If you do accept the decision within this time limit, it is normally final and binding on both yourself and the Society, although in exceptional circumstances the matter may be open to judicial review.  If you do not respond within the stated time limit, or do not accept the Ombudsman’s decision, then the Society is not bound by it.
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