How to complain

Tell us if you're not completely happy with our service

At the Royal Bank of Scotland we do everything we can to make sure our customers get the best possible service. However, sometimes, we don't get things right first time.

Tell us, and we'll do our very best to put it right.


If you are not satisfied with any aspect of our service or products, you can tell us about your concern in the following ways:

  • Visit a branch - visit any of our branches and speak to a member of staff. Most of our branches are open from 9.15am - 4.45pm Monday to Friday (10am on Wednesdays). Some of our branches are also open on Saturdays. Smaller branches may have restricted hours and days.
  • Write - address your letter to the Branch Manager or your Relationship Manager.
  • Telephone - use your usual number for contacting The Royal Bank of Scotland. If you have access to our telephone banking service, Direct Banking, our Advisers are available at all times.
  • Email - for security reasons, please do not include additional personal information. For this reason, we will respond to your email by telephone or letter.
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We aim to solve your concern straight away. However, if we have not been able to resolve your complaint within one week, we will write to tell you:

  • Why we have not yet resolved your complaint
  • Who is dealing with your complaint
  • When we will contact you again

In most cases, complaints are dealt with within two weeks. We will contact you regularly until your complaint has been resolved.

Complex complaints

If your complaint is particularly complicated, it may take longer to resolve. If, together, we cannot reach an agreement by the end of eight weeks, we will send you a letter giving our reasons for the delay and an indication of when we expect to provide a resolution.

However, we may decide to refer your complaint to our Customer Relations Unit. They will issue the Royal Bank of Scotland's final response letter, which will explain our final position.

You will also receive a leaflet explaining your referral rights to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

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We aim to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible and to your complete satisfaction.

If you're not satisfied with our action or explanation, the member of staff dealing with your complaint will be happy to discuss your concerns further.

Reviewing your complaint - our Customer Relations Unit


If you remain unhappy, you can ask for your complaint to be reviewed at a higher level within the Royal Bank of Scotland. Our Customer Relations Unit will review your complaint fully and will aim to give you a full response within two weeks.

If their investigation is likely to take longer, they will keep you fully informed of their progress.

Contacting the Customer Relations Manager


When you contact us, please quote your account number, branch sort code, details of your complaint and what you would like us to do to resolve matters.

  • Write - Customer Relations Manager ,The Royal Bank of Scotland, Freepost ,PO Box 1727, Edinburgh ,EH12 9JN
  • Call - 0800 015 5035. If you have speech or hearing difficulties and are a textphone user, you can call us on 0800 917 0527 Overseas callers should call 00 44 20 7158 0497. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am (9.30am on Wednesdays) until 5.30pm.

What to do if we can't reach agreement together


The Royal Bank of Scotland is a member of the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Our aim is to resolve all complaints internally. However, if we can't reach agreement with you, our Customer Relations Unit will send you a 'final response' letter. This letter will clearly set out the Royal Bank of Scotland's position in relation to your complaint.

However if you are not satisfied with our suggested resolution, or if eight weeks have passed since you first brought your complaint to our attention, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

If you want the Financial Ombudsman Service to look into your complaint, you must contact them within six months of the date of any final response issued.

About the Financial Ombudsman Service


The Financial Ombudsman Service offers a free independent service and they can help with most financial complaints. However, there are some limitations on what the Financial Ombudsman Service can look into, and further information about this can be obtained from them directly.

We are committed to resolving your complaint fairly and quickly. In most cases this can be done if you contact us as soon as possible. We will try to resolve your complaint by listening to your concerns and agreeing a solution with you.

Contact the Financial Ombudsman Service


  • Write - The Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR
  • Call - 0845 080 1800
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