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Isle of Man Pensions Ombudsman

If your personal or occupational pension is managed or administered in the Isle of Man, and you are not satisfied with the way the scheme has dealt with a problem, you can ask the Pensions Ombudsman to investigate and determine your complaint.

What complaints the Ombudsman can investigate

Information about the types of complaint the Pensions Ombudsman can investigate is set out on the Pensions Ombudsman’s powers page. Broadly, the Ombudsman can only investigate your complaint if:

  • your complaint is about something the law allows the Ombudsman to look at and

  • your complaint has not been, or is not being, considered by a tribunal, court or another Ombudsman

In general, the Ombudsman deals with complaints about how pension schemes are run. If there is a problem, this is known as ‘maladministration’. Maladministration includes a pension scheme:

  • taking too long to do something without good reason

  • not doing something they should have done

  • not following their own rules or the law

  • breaking a promise

  • giving incorrect or misleading information or

  • not making a decision in the right way

The Ombudsman can also investigate and determine disputes of fact or law about a pension scheme between the beneficiaries and the trustees and managers.

The Ombudsman can also, among other things, investigate complaints by trustees, managers and employers of the same occupational pension schemes against each other and also against the trustees and manager of other occupational schemes.

The Ombudsman cannot investigate complaints about sales of pension schemes from or on the Isle of Man. In this instance, you may be able to ask for your complaint to be investigated under the Isle of Man Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme.

The common types of complaint page explains how the Pensions Ombudsman generally approaches complaints about:

  • ill-health

  • inaccurate information

  • failure to provide information

  • exercise of discretions

  • transfers

  • charges

  • investment and

  • self-invested pension schemes

Investigating your complaint

The Ombudsman is completely independent and impartial and the Ombudsman’s services are free. The Ombudsman is not a regulator, consumer champion or a trade body.

Read more on the investigating your complaint page.

Responding to a complaint sets out how you should respond if you are the subject of the complaint.

How to contact the Ombudsman

Complete and sign the online complaint form or print the form and send it to the address below.

You can also contact the Isle of Man Pensions Ombudsman at:
Isle of Man Pensions Ombudsman
The Treasury
1st floor
Markwell House
Market Street
Douglas
Isle of Man
IM1 2RZ

Email: IOM.PensionsOmbudsman@pensions.im or use the contact form.

The Pensions Ombudsman is also always happy to telephone you if you would like to discuss making a complaint or the progress of your complaint.

If you have a complaint about an occupational or personal pension scheme administered in the UK please contact the UK Pensions Ombudsman. If you have a complaint about advice given by a UK regulated financial adviser please contact the Financial Ombudsman Service (UK).

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