support
vulnerable customers
“We’ll get by with a little help from our friends” – this is a line from a famous Beatles song of course. Here at Sidekick, our customers are front and centre of our business and we try to provide whatever support we can. If we’re not best placed to help, we’ll try to find an expert in their field who can.
The FCA regularly publishes data from its consumer research – a headline from May 2022 was that 47% (or 24.9m) of UK adults showed 1 or more characteristics of vulnerability. This makes it more important than ever for regulated firms like Sidekick to do everything we can to treat our customers fairly and help achieve good outcomes.
What are the different types of vulnerability?
Health
- Physical Disability
- Severe or long term illness
- Hearing or visual impairment
- Mental health condition or disability
- Addiction
- Low mental capacity or cognitive disability
Life Events
- Retirement
- Bereavement
- Income Shock
- Relationship Breakdown
- Domestic Abuse (including economic control)
- Caring Responsibilities
- Other circumstances that affect people's experience of financial services e.g. leaving care, migration or seeking asylum, human trafficking or modern slavery
Resilience
- Inadequate (outgoings exceed income) or erratic income
- Over-indebtedness
- Low savings
- Low emotional resilience
Capability
- Low knowledge or confidence in managing finances
- Poor literacy or numeracy skills
- Poor English language skills
- Poor or non-existent digital skills
- Learning difficulties
- No or low access to support
Should I tell you if any of these circumstances might impact me?
Absolutely yes. There is a way to do this within our App. If you prefer, you can write to us at: 21-33 Great Eastern St, London, EC2A 3EJ, or email support@sidekickmoney.com and tell us:
- What support do you need?
- When did this first happen?
- How long is this likely to last?
- Would you like us to contact you about this? How?
Who can help?
We can! There may be things which we can put in place which will help – for example, a different form of communicating or perhaps allowing someone else to talk to us about your investments. It may also be in your best interests to contact an expert for further advice and guidance – we’ll try, wherever possible, to put you in touch with people we think might be able to help. Some of these organisations are listed below.
Step Change
Our team of debt experts help hundreds of thousand of people a year to deal with their debt problems. With 30 years experience, you can be confident that we can provide the advice and support you need to achieve long-term financial control. We offer free, flexible debt advice that is based on a comprehensive assessment of your situation. We'll then provide practical help and support for however long it’s needed.
www.stepchange.org/contact-us.aspx0800 138 1111
Mind
We provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. We campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.
www.mind.org.uk0300 123 3393
The Samaritans
Every 10 seconds, Samaritans responds to a call for help. We’re here, day or night, for anyone who’s struggling to cope, who needs someone to listen without judgement or pressure. Samaritans is not only for the moment of crisis, we’re taking action to prevent the crisis. We give people ways to cope and the skills to be there for others. And we encourage, promote and celebrate those moments of connection between people that can save lives. We offer listening and support to people and communities in times of need.
www.samaritans.org116 123
Age UK
People often only see one reality. At Age UK, we hear another. Last year, over 10 million people trusted us to help them with some of the biggest issues in their lives. When you don't know where to turn, turn to us.
www.ageuk.org.uk0800 678 1602