Monday 16 December 2013

FOI FIRST CONTACT PART TWO

For those of you that recall I have been in touch with most Ombudsman...

they first inform you that your in the right and that it was terriblke what was done, go away an then come back and change their minds.

Then and as in my case you tell them that you have proof and they do not even request to see said proof which can only mean one single solitary thing, they never have any intention of doing anything.

Now as this has happened with all the Ombudsman and Governing bodies I have contacted and all on this blog then one can only assume that all Ombudsman do nothing and no intention of doing anything else other than nothing. Probably all relatives of MPs and Business types and such, lol.

Anyway I decided to conduct a little experiment and find out how much is spent on all the Ombudsman, ooh OK it may not turn out to be all of them but I did find 40 of them!

Hopefully at the end of January 2014 I should have a complete list and a spreadsheet of all the figures.

I may also be shouting, screaming and swearing at any that are not playing ball as the law demands that they do, lol.

This is part two and with the previous post I have had 19 replies from 40, lol. God this is gonna be a bloody headache!! LMAO!

11 – Information Assessor


Independent Assessor


5 Dec (11 days ago)
to me






By email: 05/12/2013
 
 
Dear Mr Haswell
 
Your Freedom of Information Request
 
Thank you for your email of 4 December 2013. The Independent Assessor is appointed by the board of the Financial Ombudsman Service and her role is to examine the service provided by the Financial Ombudsman Service. I help her with correspondence.
 
The email you have sent relates to your request under the Freedom of Information Act for information relating to the Ombudsman Service. I have therefore forwarded your email to the Ombudsman Service’s Information Rights Officers for consideration.
 
The Ombudsman Service should respond to your request within 20 working days.
 
Yours sincerely
 
(Miss) Megan Webster
Senior Caseworker for the Independent Assessor
PO Box 35738
London
E14 9YU 
We use the Financial Ombudsman Service mail system to send emails. The confidentiality information below is added automatically
From: Martin Haswell [mailto:saintallnights@gmail.com] Sent: 04 December 2013 21:37To: Independent AssessorSubject: FOI

2 – INDEPENDENT ACCREDITATION SERVICE (UKAS)

(Private Company that umm tests machines for private companies?!)


Martin Haswell
4 Dec (12 days ago)
Dear Sirs BREAKDOWN: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST This is a standard letter...


Philip Russell (Clear Group) <prussell@clear-group.co.uk>


5 Dec (11 days ago)
to me






Dear Martin,

Thank you for your enquiry.

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is not an ombudsman.  Instead it is a private company limited by guarantee (with members instead of shareholders) and all profits are ploughed back into the business.

UKAS is the National Accreditation Body (NAB) for the United Kingdom.  As such its role is to check that organisations providing certification, testing, inspection and calibration services are meeting a required standard of performance.  Day to day this means that UKAS checks the checkers, to make sure that they are applying the relevant assessment criteria as they should.  However, in addition to not being an ombudsman, UKAS is neither a policing nor regulatory authority.

UKAS assessment is recognised as a rigorous process that underpins the competence of staff, the validity and suitability of methods, the appropriateness of equipment and facilities, and ongoing assurance through internal quality control.  The assessment criteria used by UKAS are internationally recognised as being the best indicators of accurate, impartial and consistent performance.

'The Economics of Accreditation' report commissioned by the Department for Business Innovation and skills assessed the economic benefits derived from the accreditation of laboratory, certification, measurement and inspection services.  Researchers from Birkbeck, University of London, surveyed a selection of businesses and other independent analysis to provide a financial evaluation of accreditation's contribution to the UK economy of over £600m per annum.

More information on UKAS and accreditation can be found here: http://www.ukas.com/about-accreditation/default.asp

If you have any further questions about accreditation please do let me know.

Kind regards,
Phil

4 – HOUSING OMBUDSMAN


Koysor Amin <KAmin@housing-ombudsman.org.uk>


5 Dec (11 days ago)
to me


Images are not displayed. Display images below - Always display images from KAmin@housing-ombudsman.org.uk


Dear Mr Haswell,
 
Please follow the link below which will go some way to answering your questions.
This is freely available and in the public domain.
 
 
If you need further assistance, please get in touch.
 
With kind regards,
 
Koysor Amin
Administrator

5 – SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE


Information Officer <Information.Officer@sfo.gsi.gov.uk>


5 Dec (11 days ago)
to me






Dear Mr Haswell,
 
Thank you for your email below, received on 4 December 2013.  We are considering your request under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“FOIA”). 
 
The SFO has assigned the reference number ‘2013-130’ to your request for reference purposes.  Please refer to it in any future correspondence.
 
The FOIA requires us to reply to you promptly and within 20 working days following the day of receipt of your request.  The deadline for replying to your request is Monday 6 January 2014. If you have any queries in the meantime, please contact me at information.officer@sfo.gsi.gov.uk.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
David Burke
Serious Fraud Office

6 – PROPERTY OMBUDSMAN

(Err an Ombudsman not funded by the tax payer?! Weird)


Martin Haswell
4 Dec (12 days ago)
Dear Sirs BREAKDOWN: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST This is a standard letter...


Gemma Stacey


5 Dec (11 days ago)
to me






Dear Mr Haswell
 
The Property Ombudsman is not funded by the tax payer. The Ombudsman is funded through subscriptions and the service is offered free to consumers. There is no cost to the tax paying public. The Ombudsman’s governance structure (validated by the Ombudsman Association) secures his independence and impartiality when dealing with consumer disputes.
 
Our Annual Report will provide you with further detailed information should you require it, which available to view on our website via the link below:
 
Kind regards
 
Gemma Stacey
Press & Communications Manager
 
The Property Ombudsman Limited
M: 07415 684548

7 – WATERWAYS OMBUDSMAN

(also not funded by the tax payer?! Wow! Lol)


Andrew Walker


5 Dec (11 days ago)
to me






Dear Mr Haswell
 
The Waterways Ombudsman service is not  a public authority as defined  by the FOI Act. I shall therefore not be providing answers to your questions. My website (http://www.waterways-ombudsman.org/) contains information which you may find helpful.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Andrew Walker
Waterways Ombudsman
 
From: Martin Haswell [mailto:saintallnights@gmail.com] Sent: 04 December 2013 19:32To: enquiries@waterways-ombudsman.org
Subject: FOI

8 – OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING

(oddly long email but with no explanation to public or private funding or the FOI?! BIZARRE)


Enquiries <Enquiries@oft.gsi.gov.uk>


4 Dec (12 days ago)
to me






Thank you for your email to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
It is important to note that the OFT does not have the power to assist or advise consumers on an individual basis. To find out more information on the role of the OFT, please see our FAQs, or for details on our legislative powers please visit our website.
 
General Enquiries - We will aim to respond to you within 10 working days of your email being received. If your email relates to an individual dispute with a trader or you require individual advice about your consumer rights, including scams please contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service. The Citizens Advice Consumer Service is the first point of call for consumers, providing advice on a range of consumer matters, including information on consumer rights, practical guidance on individual problems and how to gain redress.
 
Reporting Scams - If you are contacting us to report a scam please contact Action Fraud (0300 123 2040) instead. Action Fraud provides information and advice about the whole range of frauds affecting consumers, businesses and the public sector.
If you have a company and require more information on scams which may impact on your business, please click here.
 
Complaint about a Credit or Debt company - If your complaint relates to a Credit or Debt company or the fitness of a consumer credit licensee, please note that we are currently receiving high volumes of contacts and although we will endeavour to respond to your email within 10 working days, there is a delay responding to these queries currently. If you require help with a complaint about a consumer credit product or service, the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) may be able to assist you. FOS can be contact at: Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9SR; 0845 080 1800; or www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.
 
Thank you for taking the time to contact us.

9 – FINANCIAL OMBUDSMAN SERVICE

(like one other reply this has no mention of funding nor of FOI?!)

(have you counted the no reply emails?!)


do_not_reply@financial-ombudsman.org.uk


4 Dec (12 days ago)
to me






Thank you for your email to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
 
First of all, we handle complaints only about financial businesses (like banks, insurance companies and finance firms). Our chief ombudsman, Natalie Ceeney, explains what we do in her online video on our website (www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk).
 
If your enquiry is about anything else, please look at the end of this email for details of other organisations who may be able to help you.
 
But if you:
 
  • are thinking of complaining about a financial business or
  • want more information about the Financial Ombudsman Service or
  • have questions about a complaint you have already raised with us …
 
... here is some general information that may help with your enquiry – along with our contact details, in case you need any additional help.
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
STEP 1 – complain to the financial business  
 
We can’t step in to investigate a complaint until the financial business you’re unhappy with has had the opportunity to look at it first. So you need to complain to the financial business, if you haven’t done so already. There are two ways to do this:
 
  1. You can contact the business yourself, asking them to deal with your complaint under their official “complaints procedure”. 
  2. You can phone us directly on 0800 0 234 567 or 0300 123 9 123 to discuss your complaint with us – and we can send details to the business for you. Our helpline is open Monday to Friday (8am-8pm) and Saturdays (9am-1pm).
 
Businesses normally have to complete an investigation of a complaint within eight weeks. If you are unhappy with the outcome of their investigation (or more than eight weeks have passed since you first complained) you can ask us to look into the complaint.
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
STEP 2 – ask us to look into your complaint
 
If you want us to look into a complaint, you need to complete our complaint form and post it to us along with copies of any relevant paperwork you have received from the business. There are important time limits for bringing a complaint to the ombudsman service – so you need to act quickly. There are two ways to do this:
 
  1. You can download our complaint form off our website yourself – then fill it in and post it to us.
  2. You can phone us directly on 0800 0 234 567 or 0300 123 9 123 – we will take some details and send you a complaint form for you to sign and return to us. Our helpline is open Monday to Friday (8am-8pm) and Saturdays (9am-1pm).
  
Our postal address is:
 
Financial Ombudsman Service
South Quay Plaza  
183 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SR
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
what we can’t help you with
 
We can only look at complaints about financial businesses (like banks, insurance companies and finance firms). We can’t help with other complaints – for example, about phone and utility companies, council tax or legal services. The following websites might help you with those complaints – but they are completely separate from the Financial Ombudsman Service.
 
For complaints about gas and electricity suppliers:
 
 
For complaints about water suppliers:
 
 
For complaints about phone, television and broadband services:
 
 
For complaints about councils:
 
 
For complaints about government departments and the NHS:
 

§         Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

 
 For complaints about legal services:
 
 
For help with benefits, housing disputes or fines:
 
 
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
meeting your needs
 
We can provide information about our service in different formats and languages. And we can adapt the way we communicate with you – depending on your needs. For example, we can use Braille, large print or audiotape and we can make and receive calls using Text Relay (formerly known as TypeTalk).
 
Please let us know what your particular needs are, and we will do our best to help.


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