How to complain yourself

Download the FSA's Factsheet on endowment mortgage complaints - go to this link to download the Adobe Acrobat document dated 3/10/00.

You need to complain to the insurance company first. We have general advice on how to complain here.

The insurance company should give you the ombudsman's contact details, in case you need them. Or you can call the Ombudsman yourself on 0845 080 1800.

Bizarrely, if you bought your endowment before 29 April 1988 through an IFA you may not be covered by this scheme. The Financial Services Act - which deals with compensation for mis-selling - only came into force in 1988. Insurance companies have voluntarily agreed to treat pre-1988 cases as if they happened after the Act came into force. But IFA's have not.

Professional help with your complaint

For information about firms that specialise in insurance claims, click here.

More about endowment complaints

People who are considering complaining about their endowment policies are contacting us. Complaining like this will be a new experience for almost everyone doing it, and the amounts involved can be large.

Here's one reader's comment about the start of the complaining process:

The standard form L & G asked me to fill in also requested information relating to our current finances - my advice to any other person is to refuse to give this information. I provided details of my finances at the time of the sale only, and the ombudsman standard form relates to the time of the sale only as well.

We are happy to post more details of people's experiences here. Feel free to contact us. If you do, please say

• The name of the insurance company concerned
   
• Brief details of how you feel the policy was mis-sold to you.

There are too many problems for us to mention them all, but we will post brief details of some of them.

The FSA has told firms that complainants' oral evidence can be good and sufficient:

The regulator believes that people tell the truth; clients would have believed what they were told by the [customer representative] and heavily relied upon it; due weight must be given to the customer's word now about what was said at the point of sale; if finally [the case is] balanced, uphold the customer's complaint.

We would also like to hear from people who have been through the complaints procedure, successfully or otherwise. Your experiences may be able to help others. Please use the endowments discussion board.

What next?

Visit our guide to endowments complaints questionnaires.