Complainants should not be chasing iPads
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Offering an iPad as an incentive for consumers to submit their “best complaint” sends out all the wrong signals at a time when policymakers say they are looking to encourage a more responsible society.
The fact that the event offering this prize, National Complaints Day, was promoted by the Financial Ombudsman Service is very worrying.
The FOS certainly needs to promote itself to all areas of society to ensure everyone knows they have a fair arbiter to turn to in the event that they believe they have been ripped off by the industry.
But this iPad prize both trivialises an important route for vulnerable consumers to get compensation from firms and encourages the type of complaints culture which does no-one any good.
The only encouragement anyone should need to complain is the belief that they have been missold and the desire to get their money back.
Bribing people to complain with such a prize is not too far of a jump from the claims management companies who wasted the time and money of so many people by dredging up unnecessary complaints in the past.
The mind does boggle over the process they went through to judge the best complaint. Were they looking for wit and humour? Were they looking for the most outlandish, fantastical complaint of the day? Were marks taken off for bad spelling or grammar?
For the spokesman of the website who organised the day to suggest that the prize was not meant to stimulate complaints is incredible.
Fair play to the FSA for publicly distancing itself from the event and asking for its logo to be removed.
At a time when the FSA is debating with the industry the rights and responsibilities of everyone involved in the buying, selling and advising of financial products this prize really does send out a terrible message.
Paul McMillan is editor of Money Marketing
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Readers' comments (17)
Andy Milburn | 26 Aug 2010 2:01 pm
If I complain about that competition and how badly considered it was can I win an i-pad please?
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You're having a laugh! | 26 Aug 2010 2:07 pm
To think that we thought all the idiots were in the FSA!
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vp73 | 26 Aug 2010 2:11 pm
What an outrage, I am speechless and disgusted with such an irresponsible idea. What next, a free car after 10 complaints submitted!
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Julian Stevens | 26 Aug 2010 2:15 pm
What's the prize for the best complaint against the FSA?
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Paul White | 26 Aug 2010 2:18 pm
For the FOS to run a "National Complaints Day" with a prize of an iPad implies that they have spare capacity in their organization. Is this really the case? This is a bit like an A&E Department running a competition for the "most amusing injury".
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Emma Prescott | 26 Aug 2010 2:25 pm
Is it April 1st? This is simply staggering, especially as complaints made result in a cost for the insurer/intermediary concerned regardless of whether a complaint is justified. I wonder how many unfounded complaints were made as a result of this ridiculous prize?
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David Cooper | 26 Aug 2010 2:27 pm
Who are the idiots responsible for dreaming up this idea - don't we have enough ambulance chasing dodgy claims handling companies without FOS joining in?
If FOS has so much spare capacity that it wants to encourage more complaints, it should deal with the ones it's already received in a more timely manner.
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Derek | 26 Aug 2010 2:32 pm
Quite right, it reads like an April fool, doesn't it? Best complaint wins an iPad, bonkers. I might complain about the iPad, it's too big to be an iPod and too crap to be a laptop. Can I win a netbook please?
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Steve Laird | 26 Aug 2010 2:52 pm
Nice one Derek - thank goodness for a sense of humour else we'd all be in the mad house!
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Anonymous | 26 Aug 2010 2:56 pm
Now we know why the FOS refuse to reveal the qualifications of their staff. The staff don't have any they are imbeciles just like the FSA staff. They all make my blood boil
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