Complaints Procedure

1. What can I complain about?

You can contact us if you are unhappy about any aspect of a service or interaction involving Astute Finance. This may include concerns about:

• a telephone call made by Astute Finance;
• the way one of our representatives communicated with you;
• information provided during a call;
• how an enquiry or referral was handled;
• a compliance or verification process;
• the accuracy of information recorded about you;
• the way your personal information has been handled;
• an unwanted telephone call or other communication;
• the way we have provided services on behalf of one of our clients;
• delays or administrative errors;
• the conduct of an Astute Finance employee or representative; or
• any other aspect of our service.

You do not need to use the word "complaint" for us to treat your concern as one.

2. Astute Finance's role

Astute Finance provides business process outsourcing, customer contact, lead verification, compliance and intermediary services to organisations operating principally within the financial services sector. Because of the way these services operate, Astute Finance may not always be the organisation responsible for the underlying product, service or original customer enquiry.

We will therefore establish which organisation is responsible for the subject matter of your complaint when we receive it.

3. Complaints about Astute Finance

Where your complaint concerns something Astute Finance has done, we will investigate it ourselves. This could include:

• the conduct of our staff;
• the contents or manner of an Astute call;
• failure to follow an agreed process;
• an administrative error;
• information recorded or transferred incorrectly;
• failure to respect a request not to be contacted;
• a compliance process carried out by Astute;
• security or confidentiality concerns relating to our handling of information; or
• any other action for which Astute is responsible.

4–5. Complaints concerning other organisations

If your complaint relates specifically to matters such as how another organisation obtained your information, what you were told when your details were collected, or consent you gave to that organisation, the originating organisation may be responsible for investigating that part of the complaint. Where appropriate, we may refer the complaint to that organisation or provide you with its contact details.

If we have introduced or transferred you to a financial services provider and your complaint concerns advice given by that organisation, a financial product, fees or charges, or something that happened after your referral, the receiving business will usually be responsible for investigating the complaint.

6. How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint by email, telephone or in writing.

When contacting us, please provide as much information as possible including your full name, telephone number, the date and time of any call, any reference number, details of what happened, why you are dissatisfied, and what you would like us to do to resolve the matter.

7. What happens after you complain?

8. Our final response

Our response may uphold, partially uphold, or not uphold your complaint. It may also explain what happened, correct inaccurate information, confirm suppression, provide an apology, confirm remedial action, explain process improvements, or explain that another organisation is responsible.

9–10. Telephone marketing & data protection complaints

If your complaint concerns an unwanted marketing call, we take this seriously. We may investigate where your contact information originated, which organisation was responsible for the campaign, whether relevant screening or suppression requirements were followed, and any consent relied upon.

You may also complain if you believe your personal information has not been handled appropriately. Where Astute Finance is the data controller, we will investigate the complaint directly. Where we are processing information on behalf of another organisation, that organisation will normally be responsible for determining the outcome.

11. Complaining to the Information Commissioner's Office

If your complaint concerns the handling of your personal information and you remain dissatisfied after we have considered it, you have the right to raise the matter with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data-protection regulator.

12. Financial Ombudsman Service

Where your complaint relates to a financial-services provider to whom Astute has introduced or transferred you, that provider may be regulated by the FCA and your complaint may be eligible for consideration by the Financial Ombudsman Service. If this applies, the relevant provider's final response should explain your rights and how to refer the complaint.

13–16. Complaints on behalf of others, accessibility, continuous improvement & contact

You may make a complaint on behalf of another person. We may need to obtain evidence that you are authorised to act for them. If you require information in a different format or need reasonable assistance in making a complaint, please contact us. We regard complaints as an important source of feedback and may analyse them to identify recurring issues, training requirements, process weaknesses, and opportunities to improve customer outcomes.