in this section

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help for businesses and consumer advice agencies

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the rules we follow (in FSA's handbook)

online PPI resource

how does the ombudsman service assess PPI sales-complaints?

In reaching an assessment of an individual complaint, the ombudsman needs to take into account all the circumstances of the case. This will include:

any relevant circumstances particular to the individual consumer and sale; and
where it appears that the sales process used by the firm is designed and delivered as a standardised process, the features of that sales process.

To assist in the process of assessing the sale, we will take into account all the evidence available. This might include:

the documentation produced at the time;
the consumer's (or the firm's) recollections of the sales process;
recordings of relevant phone conversations;
sales scripts and staff training-material
the typical outcomes of the sales process at the time; and
information from regulatory authorities.

We need to consider the overall picture, not specific issues in isolation. So, for example, a piece of information given to a customer during a sales process cannot be read in isolation. Instead, some consideration needs to be given to:

the point in the process at which the information was provided;
the way in which the information was communicated; and
the issues facing the customer at the time.

If a standardised sales process is found to have been inadequate, it may be difficult to avoid the conclusion that most complaints about sales made under that process should be upheld.