1 reviews | Active since Sept 2018
Prolonged Delay, Lack of Transparency and Procedural Inaction – National Financial Ombud Scheme (***)
Dear HelloPeter Team,
I am lodging a formal complaint against the National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO) for prolonged delays, lack of transparency, and procedural inaction in the handling of my complaint, reference ***.
Summary of the Issue
I have been without the use of a comprehensively insured vehicle since 11 July 2025 due to a Motor Vehicle Accident whose claim was unfairly rejected by Old Mutual Insure; following which I contacted NFO on 23 September 2025. My complaint has remained unresolved before the NFO for over three months, during which no clear timelines have been provided, communication has been minimal, and I continue to suffer ongoing financial prejudice.
Key Chronology • 11 July 2025: Motor vehicle accident. Claim submitted to Old Mutual Insure (OMI). • September 2025: OMI rejected my claim and returned the damaged vehicle to me. Their internal dispute process upheld the rejection. • 23 September 2025: Complaint lodged with the NFO, acknowledged and allocated reference ***. • 21 October 2025: OMI responded to the NFO. • 5 November 2025: NFO only forwarded OMI’s response to me after repeated follow-ups. • 5 November 2025: I submitted my rebuttal and requested clarity on next steps and turnaround times. I was advised that there are no stipulated timelines. • 12–19 November 2025: Multiple follow-ups to the NFO, including via their WhatsApp call centre, yielded no substantive updates. • 1 December 2025: OMI submitted a further response, re-arguing existing material. I submitted my rebuttal the same day. • 9 December 2025: NFO advised that matters are handled on a “first come, first served” basis, without indicating where my case stood or when it could reasonably be finalised. • 9 January 2026: I was informed that the matter was with an Adjudicator, again with no timelines. I later learned the Adjudicator was on leave until 13 January 2026. • To date: No further feedback has been provided.
Prejudice and Impact
Since 8 September 2025, I have incurred ongoing vehicle storage costs payable to a private contractor, while being deprived of the use of an insured asset. I have repeatedly warned the NFO that my financial resources are being depleted and that I am struggling to safeguard the asset pending their decision.
I wish to be clear: I am not requesting an unjust outcome. I am seeking procedural efficiency, transparency, and a reasonable timeframe for finalisation. The absence of timelines and meaningful communication has resulted in sustained and escalating prejudice.
Reason for Escalation
Public reviews on HelloPeter reflect a recurring pattern of prolonged delays at the NFO, with complaints reportedly remaining unresolved for six to eight months or longer. I am concerned that my matter is following the same trajectory.
I therefore seek HelloPeter’s intervention to call upon the NFO to: • Communicate clearly and consistently, • Provide reasonable and transparent procedural timelines, and • Ensure that matters involving ongoing financial harm are not allowed to stagnate.
Yours faithfully,
Bandile Gqweta
NB: As if to prove my point, I know NFO will provide a wide response that lacks specificity and timeframes. I am disappointed at how they have conducted themselves in this case.
Thank you for your review.
Thank you for your review.
This is an automated reply from NFO as they have previously done on cases brought before this platform. This is completely unacceptable!
Fortunately, the case Adjudicator, after much effort from my side, responded on the 19 January 2026 and has committed to have the matter finalised before end of the current month.
I will wait for that report and share the outcome here for the sake of transparency and fairness on both sides.
Regards
B. Gqweta
This is an automated reply from NFO as they have previously done on cases brought before this platform. This is completely unacceptable!
Fortunately, the case Adjudicator, after much effort from my side, responded on the 19 January 2026 and has committed to have the matter finalised before end of the current month.
I will wait for that report and share the outcome here for the sake of transparency and fairness on both sides.
Regards
B. Gqweta
This is to confirm that the NFO submitted their recommendation by the 30 January 2026 after much effort trying to follow up and even reporting the matter on this platform.
I suspect that due to my reporting the matter here, the NFO elected to retaliate by not considering all the facts as I presented them in my reports/letters but instead responded in kind and tried to teach me a "lesson". I have studies their letter and it matches the unsubstantiated outcomes of the Insurer. I am firmly of the view that a difference Arbitrator would come to a different outcome. I have contacted my lawyers to quickly work on issuing a summons against Old Mutual Insure and I will update everyone here on that outcome, good or bad, so that we can all draw a holistic picture.
Regards,
B. Gqweta
This is to confirm that the NFO submitted their recommendation by the 30 January 2026 after much effort trying to follow up and even reporting the matter on this platform.
I suspect that due to my reporting the matter here, the NFO elected to retaliate by not considering all the facts as I presented them in my reports/letters but instead responded in kind and tried to teach me a "lesson". I have studies their letter and it matches the unsubstantiated outcomes of the Insurer. I am firmly of the view that a difference Arbitrator would come to a different outcome. I have contacted my lawyers to quickly work on issuing a summons against Old Mutual Insure and I will update everyone here on that outcome, good or bad, so that we can all draw a holistic picture.
Regards,
B. Gqweta
Having complained about prolonged delays to Hellopeter about NFO; what followed was a retaliation rather than an objective test of facts presented and the evidence submitted.
NFO wrote back by end January 2026 taking the side of Old Mutual Insure and declined the claim. I had their response analysed by an expert and it was a skewed finding towards the favour of the insurer and to my prejudice. They have directed me to litigate the matter knowingly that it will be an uphill financial and time exercise.
If you read the adjudicator’s finding, it is a “copy and paste” of the insurer’s rejection letter to me. NFO fails to dispute or rebut my evidence and fails to give any reasons or what they tested with my presented evidence. They simply retaliated and “taught me a lesson” for having publicly exposed their inefficiencies. I would have wished that there was a mechanism of reporting those adjudicators to an independent tribunal as this misconduct must be investigated and dealt with. Otherwise I did not get joy from them and I feel that they must not get away with these injustices having read similar articles on this platform.
Thanks
Having complained about prolonged delays to Hellopeter about NFO; what followed was a retaliation rather than an objective test of facts presented and the evidence submitted.
NFO wrote back by end January 2026 taking the side of Old Mutual Insure and declined the claim. I had their response analysed by an expert and it was a skewed finding towards the favour of the insurer and to my prejudice. They have directed me to litigate the matter knowingly that it will be an uphill financial and time exercise.
If you read the adjudicator’s finding, it is a “copy and paste” of the insurer’s rejection letter to me. NFO fails to dispute or rebut my evidence and fails to give any reasons or what they tested with my presented evidence. They simply retaliated and “taught me a lesson” for having publicly exposed their inefficiencies. I would have wished that there was a mechanism of reporting those adjudicators to an independent tribunal as this misconduct must be investigated and dealt with. Otherwise I did not get joy from them and I feel that they must not get away with these injustices having read similar articles on this platform.
Thanks