Complain about mis-sold PPI

You can usually complain to your PPI company if they broke the rules when you bought it - known as ‘mis-selling’. If you’re not sure, check if you can complain about mis-sold PPI.

The deadline for most complaints is 29 August 2019. You might have to complain earlier if you’ve made a claim on your PPI policy or you’ve had a letter from the company that sold you the PPI.

You can complain for someone else if they need help.

It’s free to complain, and you don’t need a company to do it for you. If you use a company they usually take some of the money you get back.

Complain to the PPI company

Before you complain, it’s useful to know:

• your PPI policy number - if you have it

• when you got the loan or credit

• when you bought the PPI - usually the same date as the loan or credit

• if you were employed or self-employed at the time

You’ll usually need to complain to the company you got the loan or items from - they’ll tell you if you need to complain to someone else instead. If you’re complaining about a store card, ask the store which company provides the card or check your paperwork - it will usually say ‘credit provided by’.

You can complain on the Financial Ombudsman Service website - find the company you borrowed from and fill in the complaint form.

If you can’t find the company, they might have changed their name or gone out of business - ask the FCA who you should complain to.

The PPI company should write to you within 8 weeks to tell you if they accept your complaint - or to explain why they need more time.

If they don’t write to you or you’re not happy with their decision, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service. You’ll need to do this within 6 months after:

• the date on the company’s letter - if they rejected your complaint

• the date you complained plus 8 weeks - if they didn’t write to you

If it was more than 6 months ago, the Financial Ombudsman Service might still help you if you couldn’t complain earlier - for example if you were seriously ill.

If they can’t help you, you might get some money back if you complain about the company’s commission.

If your complaint is accepted

Before you accept an offer, check it’s the amount you should get. You can’t change your mind once you’ve accepted.

The company should offer you an amount that includes:

• the amount you paid for PPI

• any extra interest you’ve paid because of the PPI

• any commission you paid over 50% - if they didn’t tell you how much the commission was when you bought it

• 8% interest on the amount they’re offering

If the company pays you the money before you’ve accepted it, you can still challenge it.

Your nearest Citizens Advice can help you work out how much you should get.

If you don’t think the amount is right you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service within 6 months after you get the company’s offer.

The Financial Ombudsman Service might still help after 6 months if you couldn’t complain earlier - for example because you were seriously ill.

If you agree with the offer, you might need to tell the company you accept it. Contact them if you’re not sure what you need to do or they haven’t paid you after 2 weeks.