Terms and Conditions

1. Agreement To These Terms

These Terms and Conditions apply to your use of the CIFAS Marker UK website and any CIFAS marker removal, CIFAS complaint, CIFAS appeal, document preparation, assessment, representation, or support service we provide.

CIFAS Marker UK is operated by Civil Disputes UK Limited. References to "we", "us", and "our" mean CIFAS Marker UK. References to "you" mean the customer, complainant, or person using our website or services.

By using our website, contacting us, instructing us, paying for a package, or continuing to use our services, you agree to these Terms and Conditions.

2. Our Role As Your Professional Representative

You remain the complainant in your CIFAS marker complaint or CIFAS appeal. The facts, evidence, account history, documents, and instructions must come from you.

CIFAS Marker UK supports you as your professional representative during the CIFAS complaint process. This may include assessing your CIFAS marker, reviewing who issued your CIFAS marker, preparing CIFAS complaint documents, organising evidence, corresponding with the organisation that issued the marker where authorised, and supporting escalation to CIFAS or the Financial Ombudsman Service where appropriate.

The complaint process is designed so customers can complain to the organisation that issued the CIFAS marker and escalate the complaint where appropriate. You normally do not need a solicitor to start a CIFAS complaint or CIFAS appeal. If you choose to use us, you authorise us to support you as your professional representative for the agreed complaint-process work.

3. Our CIFAS Marker Support Packages

We offer different levels of CIFAS marker removal support. The package available to you depends on where you are in the complaint process, what work is required, and whether your case is accepted after assessment.

The Documents Package provides professionally prepared CIFAS complaint or appeal documents and support materials. You remain responsible for managing parts of the complaint process yourself.

The Representation Package provides complaint-process representation, including assessment, complaint preparation, evidence review, and support through the relevant complaint stages.

Fast Track CIFAS Marker Appeal Support provides priority complaint-process support for urgent cases, including priority human assessment, evidence review, CIFAS complaint preparation, and professional representative support.

4. The CIFAS Complaint Process

Our service is built around the complaint process for challenging a CIFAS marker. This normally begins by assessing who issued your CIFAS marker, the CIFAS marker category, the evidence available, and what complaint stage your case has reached.

Depending on your case, the complaint process may include a complaint to the organisation that issued your CIFAS marker, a CIFAS review, and a Financial Ombudsman Service referral where appropriate.

We do not create a different framework for each customer. We assess where you are in the CIFAS appeal process and apply the correct support level based on your evidence, complaint history, deadlines, and current stage.

5. Free Assessment And Case Acceptance

A free assessment is not a promise that your CIFAS marker will be removed. It is an initial review to understand your position, the marker, the organisation that issued it, and the support level that may be appropriate.

We may decline to accept a case if we consider that the evidence does not support a challenge, the complaint process has already been exhausted, the work required falls outside our standard packages, or the case is not suitable for our service.

If we accept your case, the package, fee, and scope of work will be confirmed before paid work begins.

6. Your Responsibilities

You must provide truthful, accurate, current, and complete information about your CIFAS marker, the organisation that issued your CIFAS marker, your account history, complaint history, correspondence, deadlines, and supporting evidence.

You must tell us if you have already complained, received a final response, contacted CIFAS, contacted the Financial Ombudsman Service, instructed another representative, or received any decision or deadline relating to your case.

You must review documents when asked, provide instructions promptly, and tell us immediately if anything changes. We rely on the information you provide when preparing CIFAS complaint documents or supporting your CIFAS appeal.

7. Pricing, Payment And Scope

Prices are shown on our website or confirmed to you before paid work begins. Payment is required before we begin paid document preparation, representation, or priority support unless we agree otherwise in writing.

Package fees cover the agreed scope of work only. If your case requires additional work outside the agreed package, we will explain the position and provide a separate quote where appropriate.

Any compensation, goodwill payment, refund, or redress awarded by an organisation, CIFAS, the Financial Ombudsman Service, or any other body belongs to you unless we separately agree otherwise in writing. We do not take a percentage of your compensation under the standard packages.

8. Cancellation And Refunds

You may cancel your instruction by contacting us in writing. If no paid work has started, we will normally provide a full refund.

If work has started, any refund will depend on the work already completed and the package purchased. Document preparation, case assessment, evidence review, drafting, strategy work, and representation work may be chargeable once started.

Refunds are not available simply because you change your mind after work has started, disagree with the content of professional work prepared from the information you provided, or decide not to continue with the complaint process.

9. Outcomes And Timescales

We work to present your CIFAS marker removal case clearly, professionally, and with the strongest available evidence. We do not control the decision made by the organisation that issued your CIFAS marker, CIFAS, the Financial Ombudsman Service, or any other body.

Timescales depend on the facts of the case, the evidence, the complaint stage, the organisation involved, and the response times of third parties. Priority handling means we prioritise our work on your case; it does not force any third party to respond more quickly.

A CIFAS marker may not be removed if the organisation or decision-maker considers that the marker was correctly applied or that the evidence does not justify removal.

10. Reviews And Feedback

We welcome honest reviews and feedback about your genuine experience of our service. Reviews should be truthful, fair, and based on your actual experience.

We do not require you to leave a positive review and we do not treat disagreement with an outcome as a breach of these terms. However, we may ask you to correct or remove statements that are false, misleading, abusive, or disclose confidential information about another person.

11. Website Use And Acceptable Conduct

You must not misuse our website, attempt to gain unauthorised access, submit false information, interfere with website security, copy content for commercial purposes without permission, or use our services for unlawful purposes.

You must not impersonate another person, submit documents you know are false or altered, or instruct us using information you are not authorised to provide.

12. Our Website Content

The information on our website is provided for general information about CIFAS markers, CIFAS marker removal, CIFAS complaints, and CIFAS appeal support. Website content is not a substitute for assessment of your individual case.

We make reasonable efforts to keep our content accurate and up to date, but we do not guarantee that website content is complete, current, or suitable for your circumstances.

All website text, design, images, graphics, videos, documents, templates, and other content are owned by or licensed to us unless stated otherwise. You may use website content for your personal, non-commercial use only.

13. Data Protection And Confidentiality

We process personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy, UK GDPR, and the Data Protection Act 2018. We collect and use personal data that is necessary to assess, prepare, support, or manage your CIFAS marker complaint or appeal.

You authorise us to use the information and documents you provide for the purpose of delivering the agreed service. This may include preparing documents, communicating with you, and corresponding with relevant organisations where authorised.

You must not provide us with personal data about another person unless you have lawful authority to do so.

14. Third Party Services And Links

Our website may link to third party websites or services, including CIFAS, the Financial Ombudsman Service, payment providers, or other resources. We are not responsible for third party websites, their availability, or their content.

If a third party service changes its process, response times, requirements, or rules, this may affect your complaint or appeal. We are not responsible for delays or decisions caused by third parties.

15. Limitation Of Liability

Nothing in these terms limits or excludes liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or fraudulent misrepresentation.

Subject to the above, we are not liable for indirect losses, loss of profit, loss of business, loss of opportunity, loss of reputation, or losses caused by third-party decisions, delays, systems, or complaint outcomes.

Our total liability for any claim connected with a package or service is limited to the amount you paid for that specific package or service.

16. Changes To These Terms

We may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time to reflect changes in our services, packages, website, legal obligations, or business processes.

The updated version will apply from the date it is published on the website. If a material change affects an active paid instruction, we will apply the terms that are fair and appropriate to the work already agreed.

17. Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales will have jurisdiction, subject to any consumer rights that allow you to bring a claim in another UK jurisdiction where applicable.

18. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms and Conditions, your package, your CIFAS marker complaint, or your CIFAS appeal support, contact us using the contact details provided on our website.