Ombudsman Foreword Highlights Telephone Service New Disputes Dispute Resolution Process Closed Cases Types of Disputes Systemic Issues Case Studies Complete Annual Report
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 | | | Of the 3,834 cases where an outcome was determined, 91.6 per cent were resolved by the member at an early stage prior to a BFSO investigation, a slight increase from 90.1 per cent in the previous year. Although these cases did not involve a BFSO investigation, in approximately 12.6 per cent of early resolution cases, BFSO facilitated the resolution by writing to the member to point out unresolved questions or facilitating a negotiated settlement.
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| | The 321 cases that were not resolved at the early resolution stage were investigated by BFSO case managers.
There are various options for resolving disputes after an investigation has taken place, and the method chosen will depend largely on the complexity of the issues raised, the expectations of the parties and their willingness to compromise. This year, 102 investigations were closed after BFSO facilitated a settlement between the parties, an increase of 37.8 per cent compared to last year's 74 negotiated settlements. 30.4 per cent of these negotiated settlements involved disputes about maladministration in granting credit, maladministration in debt recovery and inappropriate collection activity. A further 19 cases were closed after a conciliation conference was held by the Ombudsman. 149 cases were closed after the parties were provided with a Finding, which is a written assessment of the merits of the dispute issued by a case manager.
Where the consumer or member rejects a Finding, the dispute is referred to the Ombudsman for his consideration. The Ombudsman then issues a Recommendation on how the dispute should be resolved. This year, 25.5 per cent of Findings were rejected and referred to the Ombudsman. During the reporting period, 51 cases were closed after Recommendations were issued.
The Case Studies section of this report provides examples of the various resolution methods being applied to cases.
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