Appeals award includes covering 1/3 cost for financial advice

[ragdal]

Recently received decision from lower panel after long process (oral hearing in January).
Ourselves and our financial adviser had outlined what we had gone through both emotionally and financially.
This included a large cost for financial advice (% of total redress)
The lower panel rewarded us the max allowed plus 1/3 of costs.
We were hoping that the total costs would be covered.

Part of us wants to just take the money and move on.
But also part of us thinks that we are letting the bank away with it, and we should reject and go to Ombudsman.
If the panel was limited in what they could reward, could the Ombudsman reward more?
Might the Ombudsman award the full amount of above costs?
Thoughts?

 

[SaySomething]

The Ombudsman can award more or less than what you have been offered by the Appeals Panel. It's a risk you take by going to the Ombudsman. Also, there is quite the delay in Tracker complaints being processed by the Ombudsman's office. Add approximately 2 years to the day you submit your complaint before you will have a finding. That's providing your case is uncomplicated.

There is a lot to be said for drawing your complaint to a close. You will have to revisit all of the emotionally difficult stuff again. You will have a further delay in getting closure.

I'm saying all of this as somebody who has rejected the Appeals outcome and gone to the Ombudsman. We are are now 19 months into the process with the Ombudsman and unlikely to have a conclusion by the end of the year.

This is not a decision to be made lightly.