Welcome to The Motor Ombudsman’s online complaint form.

You can use this form to log a complaint with us about a business located in the United Kingdom or Channel Islands that is accredited to our service.

Please note that if the business isn’t accredited, you can still log the complaint with us, but we may be unable to help you further.

Initial Complaint to Business: It's vital that you have first addressed your dispute directly with the business and allowed them time to respond. We will confirm with the business whether they have interacted with you regarding the complaint. If this step hasn’t been taken, we may have to reject your case and refer you back to the business.

Evidence Submission: If your case proceeds, you’ll need to provide us with the business's final written response (email or letter) when requested. If your interactions were by phone, request a written summary. Absence of a written response after a reasonable waiting period doesn’t preclude you from proceeding with your complaint.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS FORM REQUIRES JAVASCRIPT TO BE ENABLED ON YOUR WEBSITE BROWSER TO FUNCTION CORRECTLY.

  • To complete this form, you’ll need to answer some questions and provide us with information, including your personal information. This is so we can fully assess your complaint, and whether we can help, and also to help us understand what’s going on in the motor industry. For more information on how we collect, store and process your information, you can have a look at our Privacy Policy here.

  • We’re not going to ask for copies of your evidence right now, so don’t worry if you’re not able to provide this yet. Once we’ve checked your complaint and made sure it’s something we can investigate, we’ll let you know what evidence and information we need from you to progress the case.

  • Just so you know, before we can take on your case, you must have complained directly to the accredited business and given them up to 8 weeks to resolve your problem.

If you’ve already contacted the accredited business, and either it’s been more than 8 weeks since you complained or you’ve received their final response, then let’s get started!
Hidden Fields




Progress 1
Getting Started

The Motor Ombudsman won’t be able to look into your complaint until the accredited business has been given up to 8 weeks to investigate and try and resolve things with you directly. If you’ve already received a final response from them, or it’s been more than 8 weeks, then please continue.



You will need to send us a copy of the final response you’ve received, whether that’s by email or letter, if we ask for your evidence. If you’ve only dealt with the accredited business by phone, we’d strongly recommend that you ask the accredited business to put their position in writing, and that you keep contact to email or letter if possible, as then you can send this to us if we need it. However, if you have given the business time to respond but you have not received anything in writing, please continue.
If you have not given the business time to respond to your dispute, we would be unable to progress your case further.





If court action is in progress, or you have already received a judgment from the court, we probably won’t be able to help you. However, you can continue to submit your complaint and we can assess this further.




As your complaint is already being handled by another service, we would be unable to assist you.

You will need to decide who you wish to progress your complaint with as you cannot have the same dispute with two different services, you will need to withdraw from the other service to continue your complaint with us.
Progress 2
Your Details

So that we know we’re talking to the right person, we need you to provide the registered keeper’s details here, as we will log them as the person making the complaint. However, if you’d like someone to represent you – for example, a friend, family or a third party – then that’s not a problem, and you can provide their details at the bottom of this page. We can either contact your representative directly about your complaint, instead of you, or we can make a note that we’re able to discuss the complaint with you and another person.

We’ll contact you to ask for further information, or to provide updates, usually by email, text message or call. We won’t usually do things by post unless you ask us to do so.







If n/a, enter your mobile number.

If you do not have an email address, please contact us for assistance.










Please tell us who you are being represented by:                                                                                        









If n/a, enter their mobile number.



We will need permission from you, the registered keeper, to show you’re happy for us to speak with your representative and pass them information about your complaint. Usually, the best way to provide this is either an email from your email address or a signed letter of authorisation. However, if you can’t provide those you can call our contact team to give permission over the phone.

We’ll ask for this when we confirm that we’re able to investigate your complaint, so it’s worth getting it prepared now. We won’t be able to discuss anything with your representative until this is received.
Progress 3

The Business

The details of the Business you are filing the complaint against are below:

Important: Please ensure that the business' trading address is correct. The Motor Ombudsman may automatically alert the business on submission of your complaint to ensure the preservation of evidence; it is important that this notice is served to the correct business for your case.

Please double check before proceeding.







By selecting this option, you are confirming that your complaint is primarily about work carried out on your vehicle or a service by an accredited business.

Examples of disputes we deal with:

• Promise not kept
• Unauthorised work
• Vehicle damage while repairing

Examples of disputes we do not deal with:

• Service plans
• Insurance repairs

You will need to provide evidence to support your claim.

Examples given are not limited to reasons of why we can or cannot assist with your dispute, each dispute is dealt with on a case by case basis.

While these are not issues which fall within our Codes of Practice, If you wish to continue to submit your dispute we can review and determine if we might be able to assist you.

However, if you disagree about the outcome of an MOT, you need to report this to the DVSA. You can usually complain if your vehicle has failed its MOT and you think it should have passed or your vehicle passed its MOT, and you think it should have failed.

You should discuss the test result with the MOT test centre first before starting any repairs. If you remain unhappy, you can then appeal against the test result by completing the following form here on the government website.

If your vehicle has failed but you believe it should have passed, you must report this to the DVSA within 14 working days of the test. They will give you an appointment within 5 days to recheck your vehicle. You will need to pay another fee but if your appeal is successful, you will get some or your entire fee back.

If your vehicle has passed but you do not think it should have, you need to report this to the DVSA within 3 months of the test if the fault is a corrosion-related problem or within 28 days if the fault is for any other defects. Again, you will receive an appointment within 5 days to recheck your vehicle, and you do not have to pay. At the end of this appointment, you will get an inspection report listing any vehicle defects and advisory items.


By selecting this option, you are confirming that you are the first owner of the vehicle and your complaint is primarily about an issue you have with the sales process or quality of your new vehicle.

Examples of disputes we deal with:

• Faulty \ Unsuitable vehicle
• Misleading information
• Aftersales

Examples of disputes we do not deal with:

• Vehicles owned or mainly used for business purposes
• Service plans

You will need to provide evidence to support your claim.

Examples given are not limited to reasons of why we can or cannot assist with your dispute, each dispute is dealt with on a case by case basis.

By selecting this option, you are confirming that you are not the first owner of the vehicle and your complaint is primarily about an issue you have with the sales process or quality of your used vehicle.

Examples of disputes we deal with:

• Underlying issues with vehicle
• Misleading information
• Aftersales

Examples of disputes we do not deal with:

• Vehicles owned or mainly used for business purposes
• Service plans

You will need to provide evidence to support your claim.

Examples given are not limited to reasons of why we can or cannot assist with your dispute, each dispute is dealt with on a case by case basis.

While these are not issues which fall within our Codes of Practice, If you wish to continue to submit your dispute we can review and determine if we might be able to assist you.

The Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are the body responsible for safety recalls in the UK.

Recalls are overseen by the DVSA and you can contact their safety branch if you have a safety concern on 0117 954 3426.

If you think that the issue on your vehicle is safety-related, and there is currently no recall for it, you can log it with the DVSA here.

By selecting this option, you are confirming that you believe a fault is present with your vehicle, that is a result of a manufacturing defect.

Examples of disputes we deal with:

• Declined manufacturer's warranty claims
• Parts delay
• Misleading information

Examples of disputes we do not deal with:

• Recalls
• Sales
• Goodwill / Outside of Warranty

You will need to provide evidence to support your claim.

Examples given are not limited to reasons of why we can or cannot assist with your dispute, each dispute is dealt with on a case by case basis.

By selecting this option, you are confirming that your complaint is about an extended warranty you have purchased and not the manufacturer's new vehicle warranty.

Examples of disputes we deal with:

• Declined warranty claims
• Unclear warranty terms
• Mis-selling where policy was sold by the accredited warranty provider

Examples of disputes we do not deal with:

• Mis-selling where the policy was sold by a warranty provider that is not accredited
• Goodwill / Outside of Warranty

You will need to provide evidence to support your claim.

Examples given are not limited to reasons of why we can or cannot assist with your dispute, each dispute is dealt with on a case by case basis.

If we find that the business is not accredited to The Motor Ombudsman, then we may be able to approach the business to see if they would like to become accredited.

We can't guarantee that the business will become accredited, however, we find sometimes it means the business will try and resolve things with you directly or, if we're able to sign them up, we can try and resolve this for you.

For further information on how we process your personal information, please read our Privacy Policy here.


Because you bought your car privately, the sale isn’t covered by our Code of Practice for Vehicle Sales, which means we probably won’t be able to help.

We’d rather be upfront and say that it’s unlikely we’re going to be in a position to investigate your case.

You’re welcome to continue filling out the form so we can send you some helpful information including confirmation that you tried to resolve your complaint with our service.

Please provide the contact information of the person you purchased your vehicle from in a private sale:

Because you bought your car at an auction, the sale isn’t covered by our Code of Practice for Vehicle Sales, which means we probably won’t be able to help.

We’d rather be upfront and say that it’s unlikely we’re going to be in a position to investigate your case.

You’re welcome to continue filling out the form so we can send you some helpful information including confirmation that you tried to resolve your complaint with our service.
Progress 4

Your Vehicle











£





Because your vehicle is mainly being used for business or commercial purposes, we’ll only be able to look into your complaint if it’s about a manufacturer’s warranty claim. 

Unfortunately, if it’s about anything else – for example, a vehicle purchase or a repair – we can’t investigate this any further and we’d recommend that you seek some advice on your legal rights.

You’re welcome to continue filling out the form so we can send you some helpful information including confirmation that you tried to resolve your complaint with our service.
Progress 5

Your Complaint


We’d like to get some more information about your complaint, including the issues you’ve experienced – or are currently experiencing – and what you’re looking for as a resolution. At this stage, please keep things brief.

If we’re able to take on your complaint, we’ll ask you to provide the evidence and information we need to be able to reach a fair and reasonable resolution.

Important: Please be mindful when completing the fields below. Avoid including personally identifiable information, such as names, or any information that is protected by law such as legal advice you've received, where possible. Ensure that the information provided is a short and factual summary of the issues, as it will be shared.

Avoid copying and pasting email chains, as there is a 2000-character limit.




£


Progress 6

Declaration


You’re almost done!

We’ve now got everything we need to assess whether we can help you and, if we can, the best way to progress your complaint.

We do have some terms for our service, which explain what we can and can’t investigate, as well as what we expect from you. You can find them here – please give them a read before submitting your case.

And finally, we just need you to read and understand our declaration:

  • I have read and understood, and will abide by, The Motor Ombudsman’s terms of use.
  • To the best of my knowledge, I confirm all of the details I’ve provided are accurate.
  • If I’m not the registered keeper of the vehicle, I have provided the registered keeper’s details as part of this complaint and I’ll ensure that I provide The Motor Ombudsman with written permission from the registered keeper to show I have the authority to represent them. I understand that if this isn’t provided, The Motor Ombudsman may not be able to continue with the case.
  • I understand that if The Motor Ombudsman agrees to resolve my complaint, they will need to collect, process and store personal information about me, and that they will do this in accordance with their Privacy Policy.
  • I understand that in order to resolve my complaint, The Motor Ombudsman will need to share details of the complaint, including my personal information, with the accredited business and occasionally, where relevant, a third party. I also understand that the accredited business and other third parties may also need to share my personal information with The Motor Ombudsman.
  • I acknowledge that The Motor Ombudsman may use information about my case to monitor for trends, to publish anonymised case studies on their website and for compliance purposes.
  • I understand if the business isn’t accredited, and I’ve not given my consent for my personal information to be shared with them, my complaint won’t be taken any further.
  • I know that The Motor Ombudsman may contact me from time to time to ask for feedback about their service, and that it’s optional for me to provide this.

By clicking Submit Complaint, you confirm that you’ve read and understood this declaration and would like The Motor Ombudsman to assess your complaint.