Raise a complaint
We’re committed to providing products and services of the very highest standards and customer satisfaction is incredibly important to us.
If we haven’t lived up to your expectations in any way, we’d like to know so we can put things right for you. So that we can investigate your complaint, we’ll need the following information:
The complaints process
Once we’ve received your complaint, we’ll investigate it objectively and fairly, and let you know the outcome.
We aim to resolve complaints within 5 working days of receipt. If we’re unable to do this, we’ll contact you to update you and let you know when you can expect a proposed solution. At the end of the process, we’ll use your experience to help us continuously improve the service we provide.
Motor Finance Commission Complaints
On 25 October 2024, the Court of Appeal ruled on 3 cases involving car finance. In these cases, the Court decided it was against the law for the dealers to receive a commission from the lender without first telling the customer about the commission and getting their informed consent to the payment. The lenders involved in the case are appealing the decision to the Supreme Court.
In light of the ruling the FCA has recognised that car finance providers are likely to receive a high volume of complaints, including complaints about other types of commission. As such the FCA have paused the standard 8-week deadline and now given providers until after 4 December 2025 before they have to start responding to any other type of car finance commission complaint not involving Discretionary Commission Arrangements (DCA).
What this means for you
- If you have already lodged a motor finance commission complaint, you don’t need to take any further action.
- We will send you an acknowledgement. But we won’t send you a final response until after 4 December 2025 or until otherwise directed by the FCA
- If you’ve been told by us previously that your agreement didn’t involve a Discretionary Commission Arrangements (DCA), but you’re now concerned about commission following the Court of Appeal decision, you can make a new complaint using the details below
- The complaint handling pause has been extended to after 4 December 2025. You will have more time to refer complaints to the Financial Ombudsman when a final response is issued. Instead of the usual 6 months, you have until 29 July 2026, or 15 months from the date of the final response letter, whichever is later. The timelines will be confirmed in the final response letter we send you.
You can read more about this on the FCA website Car finance complaints | FCA
How to complain
The Financial Ombudsman Service
If we are unable to provide you with a final response within 8 weeks of raising the complaint, or if you are dissatisfied with our final response, you may be able to ask the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) to complete an independent review.
If you are eligible to raise a complaint with the FOS we will provide further information in our final response letter to you, or if we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks. Please note that The FOS can only consider your complaint after you've tried to resolve it with us.
You can contact the FOS in the following ways:
For more information, please see Arval’s Complaints Publication Summary.