Final Response Letter

Statutory deadlines for issuing a final response vary by regulator: FCA-regulated firms (banks, insurers, credit providers) must respond within 8 weeks; Ofgem-regulated energy suppliers within 8 weeks; Ofcom-regulated telecoms providers within 8 weeks. If the deadline passes without a final response, you can treat the complaint as deadlocked and go straight to the relevant ADR scheme or ombudsman. Once a final response is issued, you typically have six months to refer to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), or the timeframe set by the relevant scheme — check the letter carefully as it must name the ombudsman or ADR body you can use. If the company needs more time, it should send an interim response explaining why. Keep all correspondence and note the date you submitted the original complaint — this is day one for the deadline clock.

What it means in practice. Under the FCA rules a final response must do specific things: set out the firm's decision, explain whether it is offering redress, and tell you that you may refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, by when. If it omits the referral rights, that is itself a breach worth pointing out. The eight-week deadline is the outer limit, not a target, and firms are expected to acknowledge complaints promptly and resolve most far sooner.

A worked example. Sunita complains to her bank about a disputed transaction on 5 January. The bank acknowledges it and sends a holding response at four weeks. On 20 February it issues a final response rejecting the claim and naming the Financial Ombudsman Service. Sunita now has six months from 20 February to refer. She does so in April, attaching the final response, her original complaint, and the transaction records. Had the bank sent nothing by 2 March — eight weeks from her complaint — she could have referred anyway without waiting.

Common pitfalls. Continuing to negotiate after a final response is issued does not extend the referral window; the six months runs from the letter, not from the last exchange of emails. Firms sometimes issue a "summary resolution communication" for complaints settled within three business days, which also carries referral rights, so do not disregard it as routine correspondence. And an offer described as final and made without a proper letter still needs to be treated as a decision point — ask for the final response in writing.

How it relates to other terms. A final response letter and a deadlock letter perform the same function under different sector labels. It is the key to an ombudsman or approved ADR scheme, and the eight-week rule that produces it comes from the sector regulator — the FCA, Ofgem, or Ofcom. For financial complaints the destination is the Financial Ombudsman Service.

What to do next. Diary the eight-week date the moment you complain, using complaint timelines. If nothing arrives, request one in writing following deadlock letters. Once you have it, act quickly using escalating complaints, because the referral window is short.