The Motor Ombudsman Omdömen 3 529

Useless. 18 months after filing the complaint (as they take 6 months to even look at it that is ONE YEAR they have had the complaint) they have decided it is a 'more complex case' that needs more time. In all this time they have achieved nothing, they don't appear to have even understood the complaint and responses are consistently irrelevant to the complaint. If they had actually bothered to understand the complaint the 'ping pong' could have been avoided and it might have been resolved by now.

Good communication

Clear helpful advice

The positive/honest support received.

I don’t believe these guys are actually independent. It took nearly a year for them to start investigating my claim, they then asked for evidence which I didn’t have because the car had been sold but didn’t actually say what might be useful. The manufacturer didn’t engage and I was told it would take 90 days for adjudication. It took 6 months and plenty of prodding for them to decide that my evidence was missing information but not what they wanted (remember there was NO evidence from the manufacturer) so they ruled against me.

Completely stacked against the consumer.

I am writing to formally raise a complaint regarding the prolonged delay in the handling of my case.
I submitted my claim on 20 December 2024. It has now been over a year, and despite repeated requests for updates, I have continually been given revised estimated dates for when my case would be assigned to a caseworker. Initially, I was informed this would occur by the end of February, then the end of March, and so on.

To date, no caseworker has been assigned.
More recently, I have been unable to obtain any meaningful update. Each attempt to contact your team results in a recorded message stating that your system is being updated and advising me to call back “tomorrow.” I have followed this instruction daily for over a week, without success.

There appears to be no alternative means of communication or escalation, leaving me without any clarity on the status of my case. This ongoing lack of progress has resulted in financial loss and considerable distress, as the matter remains unresolved.

While I have exercised patience over an extended period, the current level of delay is wholly unreasonable. The absence of progress and communication raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of the service being provided.
I request that this matter be escalated urgently, that a caseworker is assigned without further delay, and that I am provided with a clear and definitive update on the status of my claim.

No help whatever

I submitted my claim back in October 2024 and the evidence in May 2025, including a walk round video where the sales guy stated all bodywork and other issues would be fixed prior to delivery. I even pointed out further faults, they said would be fixed, along with a fresh service and MOT. In the end, the car was delivered late, with none of the work carried out. They blatantly lied about a number of things, including the service history, which another VW dealer told me was false.
I have emailed and phoned TMO on numerous occasions and I am still waiting for a response. I have even sent in a complaint about the service.
As others have said, I feel TMO are a token organisation created to give customers a degree of assurance, but when put to the test, are slow to respond or not at all. The dealers know this and think they are safe.
As I understand it, any ruling is not binding anyhow.

A very good agent dealt with my query in a professional manner

Adjudication is based on presumption that any defect identified after six months is due to fair wear and tear unless proven otherwise, even if the dealer provides no input or defence

They took nine months to look into our case and we e-mailed asking what was going on and then got a response to say someone had been allocated to our case so suspect they had ignored it and required us to ask before acting. They prioritised other entities within the car industry over child safety. For the time they took and lack of understanding of the customer, we would not recommend the effort required to fill in a complaint form. Just go to the small claims court or other organisation.

Very helpful person Simon

Listened to what I had to say and felt comfortable talking to him.

They explained their position in clear simple language.

Looked into my case kept me updated just waiting for my final outcome.
Would recommend using if you are put in a similar situation.

Helpful and friendly

A shame that UK vehicle owners aren't honestly protected and afforded a totally independent ombudsman worthy of that title.
I'm not the only car owner that has fallen foul of TMO thinking that I was dealing with a independent arbitrator. How wrong I was.
TMO should be shut down and a totally independent organisation created to represent all parties - equally and impartially.
Keep clear of TMO: it will play the time game (years, in my case) and display unapologetic bias towards vehicle manufacturers.