Use cases

Check complaint response letters before they go out (UK)

Finds the point the letter never answered, an unclear outcome and missing referral rights, against the rules in the context (FCA DISP by default).

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Example · A partly upheld final response that skips the taxi costs

The complaint as logged, point by point: Complaint CMP-240917-0412, received 2 September by phone. Customer: Mr Jamie Hale. 1. His debit card was blocked for four days while he was on holiday in Lisbon, with no text or call to warn him. 2. On 28 August he was told by phone that the block would be lifted within an hour. It was not. 3. He wants a refund of £62 in taxi fares he paid in cash because he could not use his card. 4. He was on hold for 50 minutes on 28 August before anyone answered.

Draft response letter

Harbourside Bank Customer Care, PO Box 4410, Leeds LS1 9ZZ 11 September 2026 Mr J Hale 18 Fernhill Road Harrogate HG1 2PD Our reference: CMP-240917-0412 Dear Mr Hale, Your complaint about your debit card Thank you for speaking to us on 2 September. I'm sorry your holiday was disrupted, and I have now finished looking into your complaint. What happened On 26 August our fraud checks saw two card payments a few minutes apart, in a country where you had not used your card before and for unusual amounts. When this happens we place a temporary block on the card and send a text asking the customer to confirm the payments. That text went to the mobile number we hold for you, ending 402, which you have since told us you no longer use. Because we did not receive a reply, the block stayed in place until you called us on 29 August and passed security. Our decision on the block The block was placed to protect your account from payments you had not made, and we sent the warning to the number we held. I have not upheld this part of your complaint. Please update your mobile number in the app so that these messages reach you in future. Your call on 28 August I have listened to your call on 28 August. You were told the block would be lifted within the hour. That was wrong: the adviser could not remove the block until you had passed our security checks, and should have told you so. You were also on hold for 50 minutes before your call was answered. I have upheld this part of your complaint and shared the call with the team involved. To apologise for the wrong information and the time you lost, I have paid £50 into your current account today. This means I have partly upheld your complaint. If you are unhappy with our response If you are not happy with our response, you can refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge. You must do so within six months of the date of this letter. You can find out more at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk or by calling 0800 023 4567. I have enclosed the ombudsman's leaflet, which explains how it works. Yours sincerely, Rachel Moore Customer Care Manager Harbourside Bank plc is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
  1. What kind of complaint letter is this draft?Final response99%
  2. What outcome does the letter give the customer?Partly upheld100%
  3. Does the letter leave any point in the complaint summary unanswered?Yes93%
  4. Does the letter give reasons for its outcome that are specific to this complaint?Yes96%
  5. What does the letter say the firm will pay or do to put things right?Specific redress100%
  6. Does the letter tell the customer they can refer the complaint to the ombudsman named in the context, with its website address?Yes98%
  7. Does the letter give the time limit for referring to the ombudsman that the context sets?Yes98%
  8. Does the letter say whether the firm consents to the ombudsman considering a complaint referred late?No78%
  9. Does the letter say the ombudsman's explanatory leaflet is enclosed or linked?Yes99%
  10. Does the letter point the customer to an ombudsman, regulator or scheme other than the one the context names?No93%
  11. How easy is the letter for the customer to follow?Some jargon69%

These are real answers stored from one run on this example.

The prism behind it

Check complaint response letters before they go out (UK)11 questions

Fields

  • The complaint as logged, point by point
  • Draft response letter

Context

Rule set: UK, FCA Handbook DISP 1.5 and 1.6. The firm is a UK retail bank. The ombudsman is the Financial Ombudsman Service, www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk. A final response is the firm's last word on the complaint. It must: - accept the complaint and offer redress or remedial action, or offer redress without accepting it, or reject it, and give the reasons; - enclose a copy of the ombudsman's standard explanatory leaflet; - tell the customer that if they are still dissatisfied they may refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, and give its website address; - tell the customer they must refer within six months of the date of the final response; - say whether or not the firm consents to the ombudsman considering the complaint if it is referred outside the time limits. A holding response is sent when the firm cannot give its final answer in time (eight weeks, or 15 business days for payment services). It must explain why, say when the firm expects to answer, tell the customer they may now refer the complaint to the ombudsman, and enclose the leaflet. A summary resolution communication confirms a complaint resolved by the close of the third business day after it was received. It must say that if the customer later becomes dissatisfied they may be able to refer the complaint to the ombudsman, and give the website address. Our letter standards: - Answer every point in the complaint summary with a finding or an action. - State the outcome in one of our words: upheld, partly upheld or not upheld. - Give reasons that refer to what happened to this customer, not only to our procedures. - Say exactly what we will pay or do, and when. - Plain words. No internal system names, team codes or rule numbers. Our required sentences: - Referral: "If you are not happy with our response, you can refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge. You must do so within six months of the date of this letter." - Consent, one of: "We consent to the ombudsman considering your complaint if you refer it after six months." or "We do not consent to the ombudsman considering your complaint if you refer it after six months."

Questions

  1. What kind of complaint letter is this draft? Choice

    Use the letter types described in the context. Judge from what the letter does, not from its heading.

    • Final response Gives the firm's final position on the complaint: accepts it, rejects it or offers redress.
    • Holding response Says the firm cannot give its final answer yet, explains why, and says when it expects to.
    • Summary resolution Confirms a complaint that was put right soon after it was made and that the customer accepted.
    • Acknowledgement or update Confirms the complaint was received, or gives progress, and is none of the three letters above.

  2. What outcome does the letter give the customer? Choice

    Read the letter as the customer would. Pick the outcome a customer would take from it.

    • Upheld The firm accepts the complaint in full.
    • Partly upheld The firm accepts some points and rejects others.
    • Not upheld The firm rejects the complaint.
    • Outcome unclear The letter reads as a final answer, but a customer could not tell whether the complaint is accepted or rejected.
    • No outcome yet The letter says the firm has not reached an outcome.

  3. Does the letter leave any point in the complaint summary unanswered? Yes / No

    Take each point in the complaint summary in turn. A point is answered when the letter gives a finding on it or says what will be done about it. A general apology, or "we have reviewed your account", does not answer a point. Yes: At least one point in the summary gets no finding and no action in the letter. No: Every point in the summary gets a finding or an action.

  4. Does the letter give reasons for its outcome that are specific to this complaint? Yes / No

    Our standard: reasons refer to what happened to this customer, not only to our procedures. Yes: The letter explains why it reached its outcome, with reference to the facts of this complaint. No: The letter states an outcome with no reasons, or only generic lines such as "in line with our procedures", or gives no outcome.

  5. What does the letter say the firm will pay or do to put things right? Choice

    Judge only what the letter itself says, not whether the amount is right.

    • Specific redress Says what will be paid, refunded, corrected or done, and when or how.
    • Vague redress Says things will be put right without saying what, how much or when.
    • Apology only Apologises but offers no payment and no action.
    • No redress Offers no apology, payment or action.

  6. Does the letter tell the customer they can refer the complaint to the ombudsman named in the context, with its website address? Yes / No

    Answer for the letter as written, whatever its type. Yes: The letter says the customer can refer the complaint to the ombudsman the context names, and gives its website address. No: The referral right or the website address is missing, or a different body is named.

  7. Does the letter give the time limit for referring to the ombudsman that the context sets? Yes / No

    Answer for the letter as written, whatever its type. Yes: The letter states the time limit the context gives, in any clear words. No: No time limit is given, or a different one is.

  8. Does the letter say whether the firm consents to the ombudsman considering a complaint referred late? Yes / No

    Answer for the letter as written, whatever its type. Yes: The letter says the firm does, or does not, consent to the ombudsman considering the complaint if it is referred outside the time limit. No: The letter says nothing about consent to a late referral.

  9. Does the letter say the ombudsman's explanatory leaflet is enclosed or linked? Yes / No

    Answer for the letter as written, whatever its type. Yes: The letter says the ombudsman's leaflet is enclosed, attached or linked. No: The leaflet is not mentioned.

  10. Does the letter point the customer to an ombudsman, regulator or scheme other than the one the context names? Yes / No

    Count a body named as the place to take the complaint next. Do not count a body named for another reason, such as a regulator in the firm's legal footer. Yes: The letter tells the customer to take the complaint to a body other than the ombudsman in the context. No: The only body offered for the next step is the one in the context, or none is offered.

  11. How easy is the letter for the customer to follow? Scale

    Judge the letter as a customer with no banking knowledge would read it.

    • Clear Short sentences, terms explained, no internal names or codes.
    • Some jargon Mostly clear, with a few unexplained terms, internal names or long passages.
    • Hard to follow Legal or internal wording throughout, or a structure the customer could not follow.

Lens columns

letter_type, letter_type_probability, outcome, outcome_probability, points_unanswered, points_unanswered_probability, reasons_given, reasons_given_probability, redress, redress_probability, referral_right, referral_right_probability, referral_time_limit, referral_time_limit_probability, time_limit_consent, time_limit_consent_probability, leaflet, leaflet_probability, wrong_body_named, wrong_body_named_probability, plain_language, plain_language_average

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