ombudsman

ombudsman

a UK body which is responsible for settling disputes between suppliers of goods and services and their customers, and public agencies and their clients. For example, the Insurance Ombudsman handles disputes between insurance companies and policyholders. The scheme is voluntary and not all insurers are members. By contrast, the Building Societies Ombudsman is a statutory scheme and all building societies are members. The Revenue Adjudicator considers complaints about delays, errors or discourtesy by INLAND REVENUE staff. In most cases Ombudsmen have powers to award compensation to injured parties.