Which outcomes can the Financial Services & Pensions Ombudsman exercise when investigating a complaint?

• A. Substantially upheld the complaint
• B. All three outcomes (uphold, substantially uphold, and partially uphold)
• C. Upheld the complaint
• D. Partially upheld the complaint

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is understanding the range of findings the ombudsman can make when assessing a complaint. The Financial Services & Pensions Ombudsman decides not just yes or no, but the level of merit of the case and the remedy needed. They can fully uphold the complaint, meaning the service provider’s fault covers all the issues raised and the remedy should address everything. They can substantially uphold the complaint, which means the vast majority of the issues are upheld and a remedy is warranted for the main losses or detriments, even if one small point isn’t fully resolved. They can partially uphold the complaint, narrowing the remedy to the specific parts of the complaint that are proven. Because the ombudsman’s role is to fairly determine what happened and tailor redress to what the evidence supports, all three outcomes are possible.