Treating customers fairly

We are committed to the spirit and principles of TCF

How we are ensuring a fair deal for consumers

The FCA requires organisations to consistently deliver fair outcomes and demonstrate this clearly. Employee actions and company culture must follow a formal Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) policy, reflecting its spirit and principles. Fair customer treatment has always been central to ALD Automotive’s culture.

Although regulatory requirements apply mainly to our General Insurance and Consumer Credit activities, we apply TCF principles across all customers, including interactions and third-party partnerships. Our policies are approved by senior management, regularly reviewed, and promoted by all staff. Maintaining strong customer relationships is key to ALD’s success.

Clear and informative customer communication

It is vital customers receive clear information on benefits, risks, and potential impacts before buying from us. We ensure appropriate disclosures are given at the right sales stage and provide low-call numbers for queries.

In developing regulated documents, we consider consumer financial capability and aim for clarity and simplicity. This is ongoing, and we welcome feedback to improve communications. Our goal is to equip each customer to make informed decisions.

Operating and lending responsibly

As a creditor we are required to assess the creditworthiness of any regulated borrower to ensure we are lending responsibly. We do this in the following ways:

To ensure consistency and accountability, our process is automated and incorporates the information provided by the customer as well as information returned from a Credit Reference Agency (CRA).
In some cases, not all, we also request verification of the information provided; this means the customer providing original copies of pay slips, employment contracts, bank statements or other relevant documents.
In addition, we require our partners to inform us of any other customer information that may impact their ability to make repayments.
We automatically assess a customer's previous history and level of affordability as part of our process; this provides us with the documentary evidence needed to support our lending criteria.

Staying up to date

Our TCF policy, processes, management information, and supervision controls are reviewed annually to ensure adherence to TCF principles. All employees receive ongoing role-based training. Formal audits include TCF, and any issues found are reported to the relevant line manager and, if needed, to Risk and Management committees.

ALD Automotive Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Fairness throughout the business cycle

TCF is integrated into all regulated business processes, including product development, financial promotion, customer proposals, delivery, in-life management, and contract end. For consumer markets, we consider risks like financial capability, product knowledge, creditworthiness, and affordability.

ALD Automotive’s core values—professionalism, team spirit, and innovation—guide our commitment to treating customers fairly and respectfully. This ethos is part of daily employee practices. Customers are encouraged to contact us if they feel we fall short.

Dealing with customer issues

Customer satisfaction is a key goal throughout the contract. Our support teams assist with any contract, product, or payment issues.

For complaints, we have a formal procedure and keep records for trend analysis to identify concerns.

Complaints are tracked to meet target timescales. We send written acknowledgment within 5 working days and aim to resolve within 56 days. If delayed, we inform the customer of the expected response time and remind them of their right to escalate to the Financial Ombudsman or industry conciliation.