I got an initial decision from the FOS 7 months after making my complaint with them and then appealed the decision. After 4 months without hearing anything, I emailed in last week to ask about the status of my case, only to be told that my appeal email hadn't been logged onto their system (whatever that means) and so the appeal process would have to start now (and I had lost 4 months). So while it does seem to take between 12 and 18 months (I'm now atthe 12 month mark) it is worth chasing them to make sure that they haven't stalled and/or that they don't need anything else. Although as you'll see from the notes on this site (or my case, which is outlined here ), there is no transparency or accountabilitywith the FOS so don't hold your breath for a favourable decision.

In terms of the e-petition, couldn't the first part be deleted and the rest kept (something along the lines of the following - this may be accepted as it's not asking the Government to disband what is there but rather just create something new and better) Her Majesty's Treasury The Government should establish a new regulatory body (paid for by taxes) to represent ordinary people in disputes with financial organisations. The new organisation must have the full backing of the law to protect the everyday person and what they have worked for. The new organisation must also put the public first before the banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions.

I agree that the Financial Ombudsman is badly organised and not doing it's job. I've made a complaint about insurance and been told it will be 12 to 16 weeks before my case will be looked at.

Oh, and I would like to say 'thank you' for the advice.

A final update on this. I've finally settled with Tesco. They have adjusted the statement of works to cover not just the damaged tiles but a row of tiles all around the damaged areas, which means that 3/4rs of the tile area is now covered. At this point, I've taken the cash settlement and have found a builder who can do the work a bit cheaper. I'll still be slightly out of pocket by the time I've purchased repacement victorian tiles but it's a much better situation than where things were at 6 weeks ago. I've also filed a complaint with the Ombudsman about the time it has taken for Tesco to resolve the claim.

For anybody considering Direct Accident Management, please read this person's experience: http://insurancecompanyreview.co.uk/insurancereviews/direct-accident-management/ .Obviously, this is just one person't experience but it's worth looking at. I haven't been able to find much other first hand experience of them other than what is listed in this forum.

All very helpful. Thank you. I'll let you know how I get on.

It sounds like your sales level could be quite low. Another option might be to de-register from VAT in which case you wouldn't need to charge (although you wouldn't be able to claim back either). I'm not a tax expert so I'm not sure about levels but I think it's around £80k and below for possible exceptions. Have a look at how much you are losing out on and if de-registering might be an option check out the HMRC VAT site for exemption levels.

BTW, when I said "I'll have this conversation with Tesco", I'm hoping they will talk to me (although I would add that I've managed to get talking to a senior team leader in their Newcastle call centre and I have direct contact details and conversations are much more sensible than they were a month or so ago when I was always dealing with a different person and never had a number I could call back on).

This is very helpful. I think I'm beginning to see where I can move forward on this. I've put a lot of work into trying to find the tiles (have as LAS) so at this stage I can prove that unique and I might be able to prove that I'm not getting 'betterment'. I'll have this conversation with Tesco and see how I get on.

It's a good suggestion - thank you. I've been to a lot of tile places and reclamation yards - the problem is that they are very old and patterened and nobody has anything remotely like them.

This is something I will explore with various builders. I think the problem is that the LAS scope of works is based on cheap building rates (I have spoken to the builder that LAS use and he thinks he will 'lose' money on my claim but as he makes money on most claims he has no choice but to accept it as he is contracted to complete all claims). LAS have removed a number of items from the statement of works that he submitted to LAS that he thinks will be required. Tesco are actively trying to push me to take a cash settlement for this reason (they went so far as to say they wouldn't talk to me any more and that they would be issuing a cheque but I've said I wouldn't cash it as I'm not accepting this at the moment). However, the LAS contractor might be exaggerating so I'll definitley ask a number of other builders to quote.

Sorry - one more question for anybody reading this - the money they are offering me is based on their own builder's quote which is lower than the quote I had from the builder I would need to use (one that I found myself). Am I allowed to get other quotes and use these as evidence that their quote is too low?

An update on this. I've now been offered 50% of the value of the unmatched tiles which aren't damaged and 100% for the ones which are which is definite progress. However, if I pay for a builder to replace all the tiles I'll still be out of pocket on the claim (as it will cost more for me to replace all of the tiles than I'm being paid). Anybody got any views on whether this is the best I can do? Don't insurance companies have an obligation to return you to the same situation you were in before you had the damage? A

I posted this before the last post. Useful advice. I'll try Tesco again.

To clarify about Tesco - my insurance is with Tesco. I wrote to them making an official complaint back in December and they promised that they would resolve the issue within 8 weeks. It's now been nearly 16. I've tried writing again but just get a standard letter back saying they are looking into things. I've called the Finanical Ombudsman and they said they have a backlog of complaints and it would be 12 weeks before they could look at my case. Is this right? I suppose I'll write anyway but I'll have to live without tiles for at least another 3 months before I do anything. I suppose I need to know if anybody has had success with fighting the 'matching policy' - if they have I think I will continue arguing my case but if not, then I might have to live with tiles that look nothing like the ones I had. What's frustrating is that I thought that the point of insurance was to restore things to how they were before damage.

I'm not sure if this is the best place to post this (apologies if not, this is my first post) but I'm being driven crazy by my insurance company and a claim that I have for a flood in my kitchen. I made the claim back in the October (on my housedhold insurance) and they accepted the claim within days of me making it (I had a burst pipe in the wall). As part of the repairs to my Kitchen a number of old wall tiles and floor tiles have had to be removed (which has happened). The problem is that the loss adjustors (I think they are called LAS) are saying that they will only replace the broken tiles (not all of them) and only with ones that are a 'close match'. The problem is that the tiles are really old (i think they might be Victorian - they have old designs on them) and it's impossible to match them so they are insisting on putting in tiles that are a different colour. I've tried talking to LAS but they say it's a Tesco decision and Tesco say it is an LAS decision so I spend hours on the phone going from one to the other. I've had a builder look at the damage and he has quoted around £1,500 to replace all the tiles, which I can't afford. It wouldn't be so bad if it was a handfull of tiles, but it's quite a lot and in different places around the kitchen. I'm tempted to post reviews on various review sites but it will only make me feel better (it won't change anything). I'm not sure what else to do at this stage. I can't really afford to go to court but I don't want Tesco to get away with replacing old tiles in my kitchen with ones that look out of place. Has anybody managed to persuade an insurance company that matching tiles need to match (and not look similar) or any advice on what to do next.