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Last updated: 28 January 2021The deadline for complaining to a business about mis-sold PPI was 29 August 2019. In summary, this means:
This section gives the latest information and answers frequently asked questions now that the deadline for making a complaint has passed.
As the deadline has now passed, you can no longer make a complaint to the financial business, unless your PPI policy was sold after 29 August 2017 or your complaint is about a claim being turned down by an insurer. Or if you can clearly show that there were exceptional circumstances that meant you missed the deadline.
The industry regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has already given guidance to businesses that a consumer not knowing about the deadline will not count as an exceptional circumstance. And you won’t be able to use this as a reason on its own to explain why you missed the deadline to complain. But if you can clearly show that there were exceptional circumstances for missing the deadline, you may still be able to have your complaint looked into. Examples of why you didn’t complain in time that might be considered exceptional are a period of serious ill health, or a bereavement at the relevant time in question. But remember, you may also be able to still submit a complaint to the business if you were sold the PPI policy after 29 August 2017 or if your complaint is about a claim being turned down by an insurer. You can read more detailed information about exceptional circumstances on our 'Time limits' page.
From the date you make your complaint, the financial business has up to eight weeks to give you their final decision. However, the volume of PPI related enquiries and complaints sent to firms increased significantly in August 2019 in the run-up to the deadline. As a result, many financial businesses will not be able to meet their normal complaint handling times. The FCA has explained that consumers might not receive a final response to their complaint, or any redress, until well into 2020. And so you may be waiting some time before the business gets back to you. You can read the full details of what the FCA has said about this on their website. A business should tell you when it expects to be able to give you an answer to your complaint. And that if you disagree with their response you will still be able to refer your complaint to us. If you think you might need help with your complaint sooner, for example if you have particularly pressing financial difficulties, explain that to the financial business, and they will assess whether it would be appropriate for them to deal with your complaint sooner.
Find out more about how to complain. Or use our online form to make your complaint to us.
The rest of this page gives general information about PPI and how we can help with complaints.