An ombudsman is an independent body set up to investigate complaints between consumers and businesses or public organisations. They sit outside the company you're complaining about, which means they can take a neutral view of what happened and whether you were treated fairly.

Most ombudsman schemes in the UK are free to use for consumers, with the costs covered by the industries they regulate or by member firms paying case fees. Some schemes are backed by statute, such as the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Housing Ombudsman, while others are approved industry schemes like the Energy Ombudsman or the Communications Ombudsman.

An ombudsman can typically tell a business to apologise, put something right, or pay compensation where appropriate. What they cannot usually do is impose criminal penalties, change the law, or force a company to do something outside the scope of their scheme rules. If the ombudsman's decision goes in your favour and you accept it, it generally becomes binding on the business.