The Furniture & Home Improvement Ombudsman Information

Dispute Resolution Ombudsman Limited, incorporating the Furniture & Home Improvement Ombudsman (FHIO) and The Rail Ombudsman (TRO) is an independent not-for-profit service which is overseen by a voluntary Standards Board. It specialises in providing Alternative Dispute Resolution for consumers and retailers in the furniture and home improvement industries. It also provides training and education services specific to retailers and manufacturers which helps to raise standards, improve service and inspire consumer confidence. FHIO currently has a pool of registered member retailers which extends to approximately 4-5,000 furniture and home improvement outlets in the United Kingdom in addition to some of the leading manufacturers. All of its Full Members pledge to abide by a Code of Practice which bestows additional rights on the consumers with whom they shop. Most of the UK's biggest furniture and home improvement retailers pledge their support for the scheme which operates from its offices in Hertfordshire. FHIO was established in 1992 with the Office of Fair Trading and it is recognised by the European Commission. It is a full member of the Ombudsman Association and is affiliated with the Trading Standards Institute. Many of its staff are lawyers and professionally qualified by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb).