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OXFORD OFFICE

We pride ourselves on our high levels of customer service and our Investor Relations team is always on hand to discuss any questions you may have on your investment portfolio.However if our products or service don’t live up to expectations and you would like to make a complaint, please get in touch with us through the following channels and your complaint will be handled by ourCompliance Department: We will acknowledge your complaint promptly and will keep you informed of our progress. Within 8 weeks of receiving your complaint we will send you either a Final Response or a written response which explains why we are not in a position to make a final response to you and when we might be expected to provide one.You may also request a copy of our Complaints Policy at any time.If you are an eligible complainant, you are able to refer a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) https://financial-ombudsman.org.uk/ if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint. Your rights are set out in the FOS’s leaflet “‘Want to take your complaint further?’ which can be found via this link. Please remember that if you wish to refer a complaint to the FOS, you must do so within 6 months of the date of our Final Response. The FOS will not have our permission to consider your complaint if you bring it outside this time limit.

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Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.

What are the key risks?

  1. You could lose all the money you invest
    1. If the business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invested. Most start-up businesses fail.
  2. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
    1. Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker here.
    2. Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here.
  3. You won’t get your money back quickly
    1. Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back. You are unlikely to be able to sell your investment early.
    2. The most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or lists its shares on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. These events are not common.
    3. If you are investing in a start-up business, you should not expect to get your money back through dividends. Start-up businesses rarely pay these.
  4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
    1. Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
    2. A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest
  5. The value of your investment can be reduced
    1. The percentage of the business that you own will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares.
    2. These new shares could have additional rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment.

 

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here.