Complaints about the complaints procedure

I have a long-running dispute with Barclays bank regarding an "overdraft payment protection" plan I have tried to cancel several times, but to no avail. Having lost faith in Barclays to deal with this, I contacted the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) in February of last year to see if it could help. Since then, all I have received are letters telling me that my case is being looked into and that, because of the large number of complaints it is dealing with, they will write back as soon as possible. Every two months I get another letter saying the same thing. Is it normal for the financial ombudsman to take this long? Is there anyone I can complain to about this service? PF, Sheffield This is something of a Bachelor & Brignall first: a complaint about the Financial Ombudsman Service rather than one of the firms it is supposed to oversee. The fact it has taken one year and five months to get round to looking at your complaint is extraordinary and completely unacceptable. We asked the FOS for an explanation and, at last, your complaint has been resolved – in your favour. The FOS says the payment protection policy has been cancelled and premiums paid between November 2008 and July 2010 have been refunded, plus interest at 8% per year. It hasn't really explained why it took so long, except to say it has had a record number of complaints about payment protection insurance, which has caused a backlog. To shorten this, it says, it has recently taken on 300 claims handlers. Unlike the small claims court, going to the FOS is free for consumers. However, you have to wonder how many other claims are stuck in the system. We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at [email protected] or write to Bachelor & Brignall, Money, The Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number