Treating Customers Fairly

Treating Customers Fairly

All firms regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) must pay due regard to the interests of its customers and as a consequence, Treating Customers Fairly (“TCF”) is an integral part of our culture and is embedded in all areas of our business from systems and controls to training, remuneration and staff behaviour.

The principles of TCF are not new and are part of existing regulatory requirements. They aim to raise standards by introducing a series of changes that will benefit consumers and increase their confidence in the financial services industry.

As TCF is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ concept, GRIDSERVE has put together some information on what TCF means to us including what you can expect from us, how we deliver this, what is expected of you and what to do if you feel you have been treated unfairly.

The FCA has outlined six outcomes as part of TCF. These include:

Outcome 1

Consumers can be confident that they are dealing with firms where the fair treatment of customers is central to the corporate culture.

Outcome 2

Products and services marketed and sold in the retail market are designed to meet the needs of identified consumer groups and are targeted accordingly

Outcome 3

Consumers are provided with clear information and are kept appropriately informed before, during and after the point of sale.

Outcome 4

Where consumers receive advice, the advice is suitable and takes account of their circumstances.

Outcome 5

Consumers are provided with products that perform as firms have led them to expect, and the associated service is both of an acceptable standard and as they have been led to expect.

Outcome 6

Consumers do not face unreasonable post-sale barriers imposed by firms to change product, switch provider, submit a claim or make a complaint.

What you can expect from us

Treating Customers Fairly is an integral part of GRIDSERVES business culture and we are continuously working to ensure customers are treated fairly.

As a result, you can expect the following services when dealing with us:

• Clear, fair and transparent pricing;
• Continual monitoring of competitive market to ensure consumers achieve value for money;
• Fair and quality advice from our experienced sales team based on customer needs, priorities and circumstances;
• Clear and transparent information regarding our fees in our Initial Disclosure Document;
• Continual advice and support throughout all stages of the product life-cycle;
• Clear and jargon free information on the product with adequate opportunity for customers to ask questions;
• After-sales information and services including contract reminders, product updates and help and advice regarding additional services; and
• Full complaints handling procedure.

How we work to deliver this

TCF is a continuous process, and we are constantly looking at ways to continuously improve our processes and procedures in order to provide an optimal service and to ensure that we comply.

These include:

• Continual investment in internal systems to improve communication and processes;
• Robust training and competence programmes to support sales staff and ensure they understand the target market;
• Giving customers access to clear and jargon free information on the products and services provided;
• Regular internal audits by senior management to measure and monitoring TCF performance;
• Undertaking gap analysis to highlight areas where improvements can be made;
• Regular audit of telephone and electronic correspondence to ensure quality of advice;
• Collecting qualitative input from customers and staff to develop a range of metrics to measure progress and monitor performance; and
• Regularly reviewing FCA material and attending workshops and conferences.

What is expected of you?

In order to deliver the best possible service, we rely on you (the Customer) to also play your part. An efficient service relies as much on capable and confident consumers as it does on the firms who are committed to treating customers fairly.

When dealing with us, we expect you to:

• Engage with us properly and provide accurate information;
• Raise questions if you are uncertain about any aspect of the product or service;
• Read advertisements and other material carefully;
• Read any suitability letter and ensure that it properly reflects the discussion;
• Use cooling off periods to consider whether to go ahead;
• Review your financial needs on a regular basis and consider taking further advice when circumstances change;
• Acknowledge that some financial products or services being provided may involve market risk for the buyer, such as stock market movements and interest rate rises; and
• Complain to us if you perceive unfair treatment and give us the opportunity to resolve your complaint in a timely manner.

What do you do if you feel you’ve been treated unfairly

A critical element of TCF is how we handle customer complaints. It is our aim to provide a very high standard of service to every client but on occasion, things do go wrong. If you have a complaint about any aspect of our service, we would like to hear from you.

To help us investigate and resolve your concerns as quickly as possible, you should contact our Customer Services team in writing

The Complaints Team
GRIDSERVE UK OMM Ltd,
Thorney Weir House,
Thorney Mill Rd,
Iver
SL0 9AQ
United Kingdom

Email: complaints@gridserve.com.

A full explanation of how we will deal with your complaints and what to do if you think your complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction is in our Complaints Procedure.

If you have a regulated consumer contract with us and are not satisfied with our final response, you may be eligible to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service. You must do this within six months of our final response and we will also provide you with a copy of the Financial Ombudsman Service’s explanatory leaflet when we send our final response.

You can download a copy of our Treating Customers Fairly policy below

GRIDSERVE EVS Treating Customers Fairly (PDF, 146 KB)