Question 36
My complaint is currently being looked at by a court/tribunal/other ombudsman. Can I still bring a complaint to The Pensions Ombudsman?
We cannot consider a complaint that has been or is being considered by a Court or Employment Tribunal. It is very unlikely that we will look at a complaint that has been considered by another Ombudsman. If you disagree with an initial or final decision made by another body, you should ask it what appeal options are available to you.
Ombudsman offices were set up to provide free and straightforward access to formal complaint resolution and we need to use our resources both wisely and fairly – it would not be fair for any party to the complaint if we were to investigate a matter that someone else has already made a decision on.
If a Court, Employment Tribunal or other Ombudsman has looked at the matter and declined to carry out an investigation, for example because it decides it does not have the appropriate jurisdiction, we may be able to investigate your complaint. If the other body is only looking at part of your complaint, please let us know and we will see if we can help you. To find out more, visit our ‘Can I complain?’ page.
Related questions
When someone asks us to look into a problem, they have often been trying to resolve it for some time. A lot of people feel very frustrated or distressed.
We have to be impartial and look into a problem without taking sides. Sometimes a decision that is fair in a legal sense may not seem fair to you personally.
We will always be open and honest with you about how and why we have made our decisions.
Please see our ‘How we investigate complaints’ factsheet for more details on our process and what this means to you.
Before you submit a complaint to us, you need to give the party you think is at fault a chance to put things right.
Many pension schemes or providers have their own complaints process, which is often the best way to make sure your complaint is seen by the relevant people as quickly as possible.
If your complaint is about an occupational pension scheme, you should ask for it to be dealt with under its Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure (IDRP).
See our factsheet ‘Complaining to the party/parties at fault’ for more information.
If you are not sure who you should complain to, please contact us.