Treating Customers Fairly
We are committed to providing the highest standard of financial advice possible. As a firm we take very seriously the requirements of the FSA, in particular the requirement to treat our clients fairly. We strive to do this in all that we do.
We undertake that all of our actions will be guided by the principle that the interests of our clients are paramount. Our systems and procedures are designed to place our clients at the heart of our business.
In our dealings with you:
- We will be open and transparent in the way we deal with you
- We will place your interests above ours
- We will communicate clearly and without the use of jargon
- We will inform you of our charges before undertaking any work for you
- We will deal with any complaints promptly and fairly
As examples of how the principles and guidelines mentioned above work in practice we set out below details of what you can expect from us.
When we give advice:
- We will explain our advice process to you so you understand what is involved
- Before you incur any costs, we will issue a Terms of Business document for you to sign that confirms our understanding of your objectives, future services required and our fees
- We will only recommend suitable investments and other products after gathering sufficient information about your circumstances, objectives and attitude towards risk
- Where we are fee based and our advice will always be impartial and in the best interest of our clients
- We will confirm our advice in writing and in clear concise terms. We will not ask you to decide whether to accept our advice until you have had the opportunity to read our advice letter/report and any other relevant documentation
- If we propose to take part or all of your fees as commission, we will confirm this in writing and give you the option, where possible, of being invoiced instead
- In the event that there is any conflict of interest between us and you we will tell you as soon as we can after becoming aware of it
- We will keep comprehensive records of our dealings with you
- Where agreed between us (in our Terms of Business), we will review your investment and/or pension funds and other financial products and arrange a review meeting with you
When we deal with you:
- When you contact us we will be polite and courteous
- All of our staff are trained in dealing with our clients and in treating them fairly
- When we write to you we will be clear and straightforward
- We will try not to use jargon and technical terms
- We will be happy to discuss or clarify any matter
- We will remunerate and incentivise our staff in ways that encourage them to deal with our clients fairly and impartially
- All of our staff are trained properly for their roles and are subject to an ongoing Training and Competence Scheme
When things go wrong:
- If you complain about any aspect of our service then you can expect that your complaint will be dealt with professionally, impartially and in accordance with the rules laid down by our regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA)
- We are insured as required by the rules laid down by the FSA
- We will provide details of our complaints procedure on request
- We always welcome comments and observations about the way we deal with our clients and would encourage you to contact us if you have any comments on the way we deal with you.
