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SNOWS MOTOR GROUP

CUSTOMER CARE PROCEDURES

Customer.Services@snows.co.uk

Snows strive to ensure that the experience of buying, leasing or servicing and maintaining a vehicle is always as smooth as possible. However, in what we know can be a stressful transaction, occasionally things may not always go according to plan. With this in mind, we have a rigorous process to ensure any problems that may arise are resolved as quickly as possible.

All Snows colleagues treat customer satisfaction very seriously and you have our assurance that we will endeavour to resolve any concerns with your best interests in mind. 

If you wish to get in touch with us directly in order to address any issues or queries that you may have faced, please select from the links below:


Dealership investigation

In the first instance we try to resolve any issues within the dealership by involving the people who know you and your vehicle best. Please initially contact the Management team at your local dealership to raise any concerns, the relevant manager will then ensure your complaint is dealt with as effectively as possible.

Logging formals complaints

If you feel that your complaint has not been handled appropriately by the team in the dealership, the Customer Services Team at our Head Office would like to know about it, so that we can ensure it is resolved in a timely manner by a member of our Senior Management team.

Management Review

On receipt of your complaint, the Customer Service Team will acknowledge your email, at the very latest within three working days. We will then ask the senior management team (for the dealership involved) to investigate and respond accordingly. The relevant individual investigating will contact you directly to discuss your experience in more detail and work with you personally to bring the matter to a satisfactory close.

Independent Review

We genuinely hope that all concerns raised can be settled amicably between us. However, if you remain dissatisfied you may wish to consult The Motor Ombudsman, who provide a free, independent service for dealing with unresolved disputes. Please note, The Motor Ombudsman will not consider your complaint until you have allowed us eight weeks to respond.

Should you require any support or wish to discuss this process in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact the Customer Services Team - Customer.Services@snows.co.uk


IMPORTANT NOTE: This procedure does not apply to finance agreements or insurance products that you have received. Details of this process can be found on page 2 of this document. 

FINANCE & INSURANCE PRODUCTS COMPLAINTS


The below procedures apply only for complaints relating to a finance agreements or insurance product.

Initial investigation

In the first instance we will acknowledge your complaint and provide details of who is handling the case and how to contact them within 1 business day (Monday to Friday). If your complaint is resolved by close of the third business day following receipt of your complaint, we will send you a Summary Resolution Letter.

If we have been unable to resolve the matter within three business days, we will continue to keep you updated on the progress of your complaint and within 8 weeks* of receiving your complaint, we will either:

  • write to you with our final response and the reasons for providing this.
    or
  • explain why we are not able to currently give you a final response and let you know when we expect to be able to provide it.

In each case you will be provided with the contact details for the Financial Ombudsman Service.

*For complaints specifically relating to payment services, a full response will be sent within 15 days.

Independent Review

We aim to resolve all concerns raised as quickly and efficiently as possible, however, if you remain dissatisfied you may wish to seek redress through The Financial Ombudsman, who provide a free, independent service for dealing with unresolved disputes. Please note, The Financial Ombudsman will not consider your complaint until you have allowed us eight weeks to respond.

Should you require any support or wish to discuss this process in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact the Customer Service Team - Customer.Services@snows.co.uk

Discretionary Commission Arrangements

Our complaints processes have temporarily changed for some complaints affected by the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) review into the historical use of ‘discretionary commission arrangements’

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (the regulator that regulates loans in the consumer motor finance sector) is reviewing the historical use of ‘discretionary commission arrangements’ between lenders and motor dealers who act as credit brokers (for example, we act as a credit broker when we arrange some loans with consumers). Generally, discretionary commission arrangements were arrangements where the broker was allowed by the lender to adjust the interest rates they offered customers for car finance and the broker’s commission was linked to the interest rate that was set. The review is not focused on any particular dealer or lender, but is a review of the motor finance sector generally.

Whilst it carries out its review, for complaints that could be affected, the FCA has introduced a temporary pause to the 8-week deadline that we usually have to respond to complaints. This pause started on 11 January 2024 and will continue until 25 September 2024. Following the pause, we will have the remainder of the 8-week deadline to provide customers affected with our final response. For complaints that could be affected, the FCA has also implemented an extension to the usual 6-month period that complainants have to escalate their complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Complainants will have 15 months to escalate their complaint to FOS instead.

This pause only impacts complaints where the credit agreement was taken out before 28 January 2021 and involved a discretionary commission arrangement. Complaints not affected by the pause will continue to be dealt with in accordance with our usual processes.

If your query concerns the historical use of “discretionary commission arrangements” and your finance was with any of the following lenders please select the relevant link for further information

BMW Financial Services, please visit https://www.bmw.co.uk/en/footer/contact/contact-bmw-financial-services.html

KIA Finance, please visit https://www.kiafinance.co.uk/contact

Lexus Financial services, please emailcommissioncomplaints@toyota-fs.com

Mazda Finance, please visit https://www.santanderconsumer.co.uk/discretionary-commission-arrangement-complaints/

PSA Finance, please email commissiondisclosure@stellantis-finance.com

Toyota Financial Services, please emailcommissioncomplaints@toyota-fs.com

Vauxhall Finance, please email commissiondisclosure@vauxhallfinance.com

For any other queries please emails us on financeenquiries@snows.co.uk

If it is about any other product or an alternative finance house, we will respond to you in line with the amended FCA guidelines.

If you would like any further information about the reasons for the pause and extension, you should visit www.fca.org.uk/car-finance-complaints.