Making a complaint

You should first contact your supplying dealer to discuss the problem. If you are unhappy with the outcome and require further assistance, you can submit a Satisfactory Quality Complaint to Santander Consumer Finance.

We value our customers highly and aim to provide a positive experience, from the proposal right through to the final payment and beyond. The fair treatment of our customers is very important to us. However, if you are less than satisfied, please let us know so that we can put things right. For more details, click here to read our complaints procedure. Alternatively, you can contact our complaints team on 0800 085 2050*.

If we are unable to resolve your complaint within 3 business days following the day on which it is received, we will send you an acknowledgment letter. If, by 4 weeks after your complaint is received, we are unable to provide a final response, we will inform you and indicate when we expect to be in a position to send our final response. The majority of complaints will be quickly and satisfactorily resolved by this stage. However, if the matter is more complex and involves a third party, it may take longer to resolve. In our final response letter we will set out our final view on the issues raised in your complaint and tell you whether we:

• Accept your complaint and, where appropriate, are offering redress
• Are offering redress without accepting your complaint or reject your complaint

If we reject your complaint, our final response letter will explain why we have reached this decision. If, by 8 weeks after your complaint is received, we are still unable to provide a final response, we will issue a letter to advise you of your escalation rights.

At this point, if your agreement is regulated by the Consumer Credit Act or your complaint relates to an insurance product linked to your account, you will be entitled to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Additionally, if you are a small to medium-sized business, you may also be able to refer your complaint. If you wish to refer your complaint at this point, please contact them directly and they will be able to confirm whether they are able to help.

We will provide a full response as soon as possible but no later than 8 weeks from the receipt of your complaint. If we don’t resolve your complaint within 8 weeks we will write to you with an update and let you know how to take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service should you wish to do so. If you have any questions about your complaint, you can contact our Complaints team on 0800 085 2050*.

Our final response letter will tell you that if you remain dissatisfied with our response you may refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service within 6 months of the date of our final response.

Yes, you can. If you employ a solicitor, claims management company or a third party (e.g. a financial advisor) to handle your complaint, we’ll investigate your complaint in the same way as we would if we were dealing with you directly. Please be aware that:

• We don’t charge to investigate your complaint
• We’re not liable for any fees you need to pay for a third party’s services
• If we agree with your complaint and we make a redress payment, we’ll generally only make this payment directly to you

If you’re not happy with our final decision about your complaint, you may be able to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The Financial Ombudsman Service acts as an independent and impartial organisation which helps to settle disputes between consumers and financial services businesses. The FOS is only able to investigate your complaint if Santander Consumer Finance has issued a final response or if your complaint has exceeded the 8-week limit from when it was first raised.

How to contact the Financial Ombudsman Service

• Phone: 0800 023 4567 – Calls to this number are normally free for people ringing from a fixed line phone but charges may apply if you call from a mobile phone
  
  or
  
  0300 123 9123 – Calls to this number are charged at the same rate as 01 or 02 numbers on mobile phone tariffs.
• Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
• Write: Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, Exchange Tower, London E14 9SR.

Further details about the Financial Ombudsman Service will be given with our final decision letter.

The FCA deadline date of 29 August 2019 for submitting PPI mis-selling or commission complaints has now passed.

New complaints will not be considered unless you can submit a significant reason for being unable to complain prior to the PPI deadline of 29 August 2019, or you’ve received correspondence from us advising you to submit a complaint about the level of commission on a PPI policy.

Click here for more information.

To put these figures into context:

We have around 410,000 customers. For every 1,000 customers, 8 raised a complaint.

Of the total complaints, 32% related to the vehicle.