Office of Fair Trading
6 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 100.0%
The Freedom of Information requests reveal an Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that is increasingly responsive to specific consumer grievances but occasionally resistant to broad financial transparency. A clear pattern emerges in the housing and telecommunications sectors, where the authority has been compelled to disclose critical data, such as the full register of estate agents (Case 1654845) and years of roaming charge complaints (Case 970357). These disclosures suggest that while the OFT may not proactively publish all registers, it holds the data and will release it when challenged, effectively acting as a repository for consumer protection intelligence.
Key Cases
Case 1654845 — Marked as [NOTABLE], this case forced the OFT to publish the full 2020-21 Register of Estate Agents after a period of non-publication, directly addressing a transparency gap in consumer protection.
Case 2340173 — Marked as [NOTABLE], this disclosure revealed that Grant Thornton was appointed via a 'quick tender' as the sole bidder for a DfT inquiry, raising questions about procurement competition and cost efficiency.
Case 355081 — This case represents a significant obstruction where the OFT refused to release Manx Gas accounts, utilizing exemptions to withhold financial data from the public, contrasting with later transparency in other areas.
Case 4339706 — The confirmation that no Settlement Agreements have been issued since September 2021 suggests a potential stagnation in the OFT's legal enforcement capabilities or a shift in regulatory strategy.
Case 970357 — This request successfully extracted five years of monthly complaint data regarding roaming charges, providing a comprehensive dataset on consumer grievances against major telecom providers.
Related FOI Stories
Estate Agent Transparency and Regulation — #805065, #1654845
Consumer Complaints in Telecommunications — #970357, #5234235
Procurement and Financial Accountability — #355081, #2340173
Enforcement Actions and Legal Precedents — #4339706, #4341853
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-16 | Manx.net email accounts. | All information sent |
| The requester asked the Office of Fair Trading for statistics and summaries regarding complaints about Manx.net email account communications since October 2025. The authority disclosed that three total complaints were received in the period, with one specifically concerning Manx.net communications, and provided a summary of the issues raised. | ||
| 2024-12-31 | TD Car Centre - Hills Meadow Industrial Estate | All information sent |
| A request was made for details of complaints and enforcement actions against TD Car Centre from 2014 to present. The Office of Fair Trading disclosed one complaint received in December 2024 regarding a faulty car and confirmed that no historical enforcement actions have been taken against the business. | ||
| 2022-03-22 | Grant Thornton Report | All information sent |
| The request sought confirmation on whether Grant Thornton was appointed via competitive tender for a DfT inquiry and details on the process and cost. The Office of Fair Trading confirmed Grant Thornton won a 'quick tender' as the sole bidder and disclosed the total payment amount. | ||
| 2021-01-29 | 1975 Estate Agents Act :List of Registered Estate Agents | All information sent |
| A request was made for the 2020-21 Register of Estate Agents under the 1975 Estate Agents Act, citing a lack of recent publication by the Office of Fair Trading. The authority responded by disclosing the full list of registered agents, their qualifications, and business addresses. | ||
| 2019-09-23 | Complaints Regarding Roaming Data Charges | All information sent |
| A request was made to the Office of Fair Trading for five years of monthly complaint data regarding roaming data charges and advertising from Manx Telecom and Sure. The authority confirmed that all requested information was held and sent to the applicant. | ||
| 2019-04-29 | Identity of Registered Estate Agent | All information sent |
| The requester asked for the identity of the registered estate agent for Plum Properties. The Office of Fair Trading disclosed that Plum Properties is a business name for Total Media Rentals Limited and that director Liam Perry is the registered estate agent. | ||