You don’t need to use a Claims Management Company like SCAMFISH to get your money back (and can save paying a fee if you don’t). If you feel confident doing it yourself, you can. Here’s a guide on how to do it.
Don’t be put off doing it yourself. While it might help, you don’t need to have a ‘technical’ argument quoting legislation, regulations or good industry practice. The bank should know what these laws, regulations or standards are when you complain to them. You simply need to state why you feel wronged and what you’d like them to do to put it right.
The first step is to tell your bank what happened.
If your bank says no or doesn't reply in time, escalate to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
You can complain to your bank however you like — it just depends on how your bank operates. For example:
Tip: The easiest way to find out where to complain is to Google your bank’s name and “complaints procedure” (e.g. “Barclays complaints procedure”). Banks are legally required to publish this information clearly on their website.
Banks have up to 8 weeks to respond to your complaint and issue what is called a ‘final response’ (and just 15 days for payments-related complaints). It should be clear that it’s their final response on the matter and at the end of the letter/email you’ll find details on how to appeal to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) should you wish to do so.
Your bank refunds the money you lost. In this case, happy days. You’re done and the case is closed.
Your bank rejects your complaint. In this case you now have the right to escalate it to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for an independent review.
IMPORTANT: You must escalate your complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) within 6 months of your final response or you’ll likely lose your right to do so.
More so than complaining to your bank, you don’t need to quote laws, regulations or codes of practice to succeed. Despite its official sounding name, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is set up to ‘level the playing field’ between consumers and large businesses such as banks. They’ll know the relevant laws, regulations and codes of practice.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) website shows you how to complain to them. It’s free to use the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Timescales for cases that end up with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) can vary hugely, so you might need to be patient. It’s not unheard of for cases to take many years; however, most cases should take much less time than that.
There are two stages within the Ombudsman service process. Stage 1 is where an ‘investigator’ looks into your case and tries to resolve it. They’ll provide you with their first assessment of the merits of your case. If you or the bank you complained about are unhappy with the outcome, either party can ask for an “Ombudsman decision”. This is the second and final stage of their process.
Whether an Ombudsman final decision is legally binding or not is the decision of you, the consumer. So if you’re unhappy with their decision you can reject or ignore it.
At this point you’ll need to decide whether you wish to pursue your claim in court. This is also where your journey with SCAMFISH would end, as we don’t represent clients in court cases.
If at any point you feel the process is too complicated, time-consuming, or you’re not getting the result you deserve — we can take over.
No upfront fees. Only paid if successful.