Customer Fairness Policy

The Directors and Staff of Whinchat are committed to providing the highest standard of financial advice possible. As a firm we take very seriously the requirements of the UK's industry regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), in particular the requirement to treat our customers fairly. We strive to do this in everything we do.

We undertake that all of our actions will be guided by the principle that the interests of our customers are paramount and act to deliver good outcomes for our retail clients. Our systems and procedures are designed to place our customers at the heart of our business.

In our dealings with you, you can expect that we will:

1. be open and transparent in the way we deal with you;
2. not place our interests before yours;
3. communicate clearly and without the use of jargon;
4. inform you of our charges before undertaking any work for you;
5. deal with any complaints promptly and fairly.

As examples of how the principles and guidelines mentioned above work in practice in our business we set out below details of what you can expect from us in various areas of our business.

When we give advice, we will:

1. only recommend suitable financial plans, strategies, investments and other products after finding out sufficient information about your circumstances to be able to advise properly. Our advice will be guided only by what is best for our clients.
2. set out in writing and in clear concise terms why we have recommended any particular strategy, investment or product.
3. inform you in advance of our charges and how these should be paid. If, consequent to our advice, any commission or fee in lieu of commission is paid because you invest in any product or investment, we will tell you how much this is.
4. tell you about any conflict of interest that may arise between us as soon as we can after becoming aware of this.
5. keep comprehensive records of our dealings with you and will record your attitude to risk.
6. monitor your investments and other financial products where appropriate, and where agreed between us, we will contact you to let you know how they are doing.

Our dealings with you:

1. You can expect that in all communications with you we will be polite, courteous and honest.
2. When we write to you we will be clear and straightforward; we will try not to use jargon and technical terms. We will be happy to discuss or clarify any matter.
3. We will remunerate and incentivise our staff in ways which encourage them to deal with our clients fairly and impartially and to continually find ways to improve our service.
4. You can expect all of our staff to be fully trained for their roles and in treating our customers fairly. All of our advisory staff are qualified financial advisors and are fully trained in respect of the strategies, investments and products they advise on, as well as being conversant with key issues.

If things go wrong:

1. If you have any reason to complain about any aspect of our service then you can expect that your complaint will be dealt with professionally, impartially and in accordance with the rules laid down by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
2. We are insured as required by the rules laid down by the FCA.
3. We will provide details of our complaints policies and procedures on request.

We hope that you find using our services a pleasant and straightforward experience.

We actively seek comments and observations about the way we deal with our customers and would encourage you to contact us if you have any comments on the way we deal with you.

If you are classified as an eligible complainant, and you do not feel that your complaint has been resolved satisfactorily, you may have the right to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

The Financial Ombudsman Service is an independent organisation that was established to resolve disputes between financial institutions and their customers. Information on the Financial Ombudsman Service can be found at their website www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk or by writing to Financial Ombudsman Service.

The address of the Financial Ombudsman Service is:

Financial Ombudsman Service
Exchange Tower
London
E14 9SR

The Financial Ombudsman Services can be contacted by calling 0800 023 4567
or e-mailing complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk