Bank not answering your complaint: what to do next
Financial firms do not have unlimited time to leave a complaint open. The applicable deadline depends on the complaint type.
The Financial Ombudsman says firms normally have up to eight weeks for most complaints, but only 15 days for complaints about fraud/scams, payment services such as bank transfers or Direct Debits, and electronic money. If the applicable deadline passes without a final response, you can usually refer the complaint to the Ombudsman.
Identify the complaint date and the applicable deadline
A complaint about poor mortgage administration will normally fall under the eight-week framework. A complaint about a bank transfer, Direct Debit or scam payment is in the shorter payment-services category described by the Ombudsman.
Record the date the bank first received the complaint, not the date of your latest chase.
Banks can send updates while they investigate, but repeatedly saying “we are looking into it” does not create a fresh eight-week period every time. The Ombudsman’s published limits are measured from the complaint process, subject to the rules applying to that category.
Keep the original complaint acknowledgement because it proves the start date.
Do the factual check before making another move: record the date the complaint was first made, what issue was complained about, what response has been received and what concrete outcome you are asking the bank to provide. The aim is not paperwork for its own sake. It is to stop a timing, identity or limit question from turning into a second problem because money was moved, an instruction was cancelled or evidence disappeared before the original position was understood.
Final verification for a bank complaint that has not been answered: before you treat this step as complete, compare the provider's confirmation with the next real account event. This keeps the follow-up focused on the unresolved fact under "Identify the complaint date and the applicable deadline" rather than reopening every part of the issue. Recheck number 2 should be based on the newest statement or confirmation, not an older screenshot.
Ask for a final response, not another holding update
Once the deadline is close or has passed, send a concise message asking for the final response and complaint reference. A final response should explain the outcome and your right to approach the Financial Ombudsman.
Do not restart the facts from page one on every call; attach the original chronology and identify what remains unresolved.
The Ombudsman says that if the business has not sent its final response within the relevant time limit, you can refer the complaint. You do not have to wait indefinitely for the bank to finish.
If a final response does arrive and you remain unhappy, note the separate time limit for taking the case to the Ombudsman, normally six months from that response.
Worked example: if you complained on 3 May and have received only repeated holding emails, keep the original complaint and every update in one folder. When the applicable response period expires, you can show the timeline without relying on memory or call notes. The numbers are illustrative, not a prediction of what your provider will do. Their purpose is to force the decision into pounds, dates and confirmed instructions so that a vague promise such as "it should be fine" does not become your only control.
Final verification for a bank complaint that has not been answered: before you treat this step as complete, compare the provider's confirmation with the next real account event. This keeps the follow-up focused on the unresolved fact under "Ask for a final response, not another holding update" rather than reopening every part of the issue. Recheck number 3 should be based on the newest statement or confirmation, not an older screenshot.
Prepare the Ombudsman file while you are waiting
State what would resolve the case: correct the credit marker, refund £48 of fees, trace the payment, restore access, pay evidenced consequential loss, or provide an explanation.
A complaint with a defined outcome is easier for both the bank and an independent reviewer to assess.
Keep your chasers proportionate. One written follow-up that says “complaint received 1 August, reference ABC123, remedy requested £72 refund, response deadline now passed” is more useful than ten phone calls with no record. If the bank later says it never received the complaint, the acknowledgement and your dated follow-up become the evidence that fixes the timeline.
The response clock depends on the subject. The Financial Ombudsman Service says firms normally have up to eight weeks for most complaints, but complaints about fraud, scams, payment services such as bank transfers or Direct Debits, and electronic money are generally on the shorter 15-business-day timetable, with limited scope for a later response where the rules allow it. Save the original complaint date, acknowledgement, reference number and any holding response so there is no argument later about when the clock started.
If the deadline expires without a final response, you do not have to keep restarting the same conversation with customer service. You can take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service if it falls within its remit. When a final response does arrive, note the six-month referral window stated in it. A concise evidence pack - complaint, statements, screenshots, receipts and a calculation of any direct loss - is more persuasive than forwarding dozens of unrelated messages.
Your evidence pack should include the original complaint, acknowledgement, holding responses, final response if one arrives, account statements and proof of the financial or practical loss you want remedied. Put the items in date order and note which fact each one proves. This matters because a dispute is easier to resolve when the provider can see the original instruction, the actual outcome and the financial consequence without reconstructing the sequence from several phone calls.
Keep the remedy specific and evidence-based
How long does a bank have to answer most complaints?
The Financial Ombudsman says most complaints have an eight-week response period.
What about bank-transfer or Direct Debit complaints?
Payment-services, fraud/scam and electronic-money complaints use a shorter 15-day period, subject to the applicable rules.
Do I need the bank’s final response before going to the Ombudsman?
Not if the relevant response deadline has passed without one; the Ombudsman says you can then refer the complaint.
A holding email should not become an endless loop. Once the relevant complaint-response window has expired, ask the bank for its final position and consider the Financial Ombudsman route using the same concise evidence file. The final control is verification: confirm that the account, payment or record now reflects the agreed outcome. If it does not, use the same chronology and references in a formal complaint so the second review starts with facts rather than another retelling.
Final verification for a bank complaint that has not been answered: before you treat this step as complete, compare the provider's confirmation with the next real account event. This keeps the follow-up focused on the unresolved fact under "Keep the remedy specific and evidence-based" rather than reopening every part of the issue.
Sources and verification
Victoria Hughes - Consumer Rights Specialist
Chasing every three days is less useful than knowing the formal deadline. Keep the start date, complaint reference and requested remedy, then escalate once the applicable clock has genuinely expired.
MyBankAnswers uses official provider and UK regulatory sources wherever practical. Information is general and does not constitute financial advice.