MAKING A COMPLAINT

A complaint to Startline can be made by telephone, email, or letter.

• Telephone: 0141 220 2958
• Email: complaintresolution@startlinemotorfinance.com
• Address: Startline Motor Finance, PO Box 27150, Glasgow, G3 9EX

Startline will treat all such complaints in the same way - we will aim to deal with these grievances fairly, consistently, and as promptly as possible whilst meeting our regulatory responsibilities.

We acknowledge that our customer’s reaction to the level of service they receive is one of many ways the company can gauge its success.  Each month, senior operational managers review the complaints received from the previous month, as well as ongoing trends, to ensure that our business practices remain fair and consistent.

Everyone who works within our business is made aware of the ways a complaint may be raised against the company and how they can help the customer resolve any grievance where service levels have fallen below expectations.  By empowering our people we hope to minimise the frustration felt by the customer and maximise the number of occasions where we can resolve service related issues immediately.

Where the complaint relates to a quality issue with the vehicle, we will generally aim to work with the supplying dealer to resolve it.  To facilitate this, we will share complaints with the supplying dealer on these occasions and ask them to liaise directly with the customer. The overall process may take some time while the vehicle and/or any repair work is being assessed.  Startline will endeavour to keep in touch with the customer during this process.

COMPLAINT HANDLING

All complaints are logged and given a reference number.  Where a complaint is resolved within three days, the customer will receive a Summary Resolution communication. Where investigations continue beyond three days, the complaint will be promptly acknowledged and a Final Response will be subsequently issued once investigations have concluded; a copy of this summary complaint handling procedure and a Financial Ombudsman Service leaflet will also be provided (Typing http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/help/easyread.html into a web browser will present an easy read version of the leaflet).

COMPLAINT INVESTIGATION

Investigations may include some or all of the following:

• Contact with the customer raising the complaint, typically to ensure their grievance is fully understood, to obtain information and documentation the customer feels will support their claim, to keep them up to date with progress and to reach resolution;
• Correspondence with the supplying dealer and/or other external agents with professional and technical motor knowledge, typically to arrange a vehicle inspection to obtain an assessment of the vehicle condition, and to discuss resolution options;
• Review and assessment of all supporting documentation and correspondence received from the customer, supplying dealer and/or third party to help form an independent view in determining a fair and appropriate resolution;
• Review of our internal software;
• Generation of call-log software reports;
• Interview with all customer services staff named or who have worked on the account prior to the complaint being raised, and their Team Leaders.

FINAL RESPONSE TO COMPLAINANT

Based on the collective information obtained during the investigation of the complaint, Startline will either accept (uphold), offering appropriate redress, or reject the complaint.  Our Final Response will inform the customer of our decision and offer an explanation as to how the decision was made.  The Final Response will also detail the options available to the customer in the event that they are unhappy with the final business decision. 

If we are not able to bring our investigations to a conclusion within a period of 28 days, we will send out a Holding Letter informing that we will seek to conclude our investigations within the next 28 days (Week Eight) and issue a Final Response.

Where the complaint relates to a quality issue with the vehicle, we will issue a Final Response on the premise that agreed repairs are being arranged and that these will successfully address the issues at hand.   We will also ask the customer to advise us within 14 days thereafter if they are not satisfied with the repair so that we can take any necessary action.

If we are not able to provide a Final Response within eight weeks, we will write to the customer explaining why we have been unable to respond within the given timeframe and assure the customer of our continued commitment to offering a resolution.

If it has taken more than eight weeks to address a complaint in full, or if the customer disagrees with the decision then made, the customer can refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

IMPORTANT - DISCRETIONARY COMMISSION COMPLAINTS 

Please be aware that if your complaint relates to a discretionary commission arrangement, and was made to us on or after 17th November 2023, then you will not receive a final response or outcome within eight weeks. These types of complaints and how they should be handled are currently being reviewed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and, as such, they have asked us to pause any response until 4^th December 2025.

If you have received a final response and you are not happy, you now have longer to take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Usually, you have 6 months from receiving a final response but that has been extended to the later of 29^th July 2026 or 15 months from the date of the final response letter. For more information, please refer to –

www.fca.org.uk/car-finance-complaints  And; http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk