Is the Furniture Ombudsman impartial?

In some recent articles featured in the UK national press a potential conflict of interest was highlighted with one of the only customer complaint arbitration services available to UK Furniture industry customers. The Furniture Ombudsman is a self-appointed organisation whose membership is made up of, and funded by, some of the very retailers or manufacturers that a customer may be in dispute with.

This was highlighted in a recent article written on the Guardian website.

There is also potential that agreeing to the terms and conditions of them acting as a dispute conciliation service limits the actual legal outcomes available to a UK consumer. 

See who is paying the Furniture Ombudsman on an ongoing basis to consider if this can be called impartial https://www.thefurnitureombudsman.org/membership/our-retail-members/

Retail members of the Furniture Ombudsman

The case will raise fresh concerns about the Furniture Ombudsman scheme, which sells itself on the basis that it offers an impartial service. Guardian Money has seen lots of complaints from consumers who felt the process was unfairly stacked in the retailers’ favour.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/dec/16/stained-sofa-rodgers-of-york-furniture-ombudsman-small-claims-court