Making a Complaint

How to make a complaint and what we will do with it.

If you do not understand something or you think there may be a problem, ask for an explanation right away. You can often get matters sorted out quickly and easily if you do this.

If I have a complaint what should I do?

Contact the member of staff you originally dealt with. They should be familiar with your case and may be able to clear up any misunderstanding.

If you remain dissatisfied you may wish to make a formal complaint. You can do this using the telephone or you can put your complaint in writing.

It will assist our investigation if you are able to:

• Provide any reference numbers (e.g. plan, claim or mortgage account numbers).
• State your case clearly and include relevant dates.
• Send copies of relevant documents (you should hold on to the originals).

Our Internal Complaint Handling Procedure

Standard Life is regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and fully supports and adheres to its rules on complaint handling.

How we will deal with your complaint

The time it takes to resolve your complaint will depend on how complex it is and how much investigation we have to do. We'll always try to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible, keeping you informed of our progress.

We will:

• Acknowledge your complaint promptly.
• Tell you who's dealing with your complaint so contacting us is easier. This person will be a trained complaint handler not directly involved with your case before the complaint.
• Fully investigate your complaint and send you a detailed reply about our findings. We'll clearly explain the reasons behind our decision and what action we'll take to put things right, if appropriate.
• Update you every four weeks if the investigation isn't complete and explain the reason for the delay.

What to do if you are still not happy with the outcome

We want to resolve complaints to your satisfaction whenever possible. If we can't reach agreement with you, you can refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

The Financial Ombudsman Service is an impartial adjudicator and provides a free, independent service for resolving disputes with financial services firms.

You can contact us at:

Standard Life Assurance Limited

Standard Life House
30 Lothian Road
Edinburgh EH1 2DH

Standard Life Healthcare Limited

Marshall Point
4 Richmond Gardens
Bournemouth BH1 1JD

Standard Life Bank plc

Dundas House
20 Brandon Street
Edinburgh EH3 5PP

Standard Life Investments Limited

1 George Street
Edinburgh EH2 2LL