What did the Vikings ever do for us? Most people only know about the bad press the Vikings got, but historians tell us they had a good side, too: a civilized society that traveled the world centuries before Columbus. Fast forward 1,000 years, and the Scandinavians are still a part of our society and culture. We even have some Scandinavian words in our language, like bull, happy, run, and ombudsman. Ombudsman is a Swedish word meaning representative of the people. But an ombudsman is much more than that. An ombudsman is a normal person, like you or me, sorting out a problem, looking at both sides of the story, and coming up with a solution that's fair to everyone. Going to see an ombudsman is bit like going to court, but less scary and without the Latin and wigs. We're the Financial Ombudsman, which means we deal with all things money-related. We've been around in the UK for ages, and we're one of the biggest ombudsman in the world. But there are lots of other ombudsman services around who can help you with everything from your electricity bill to a problem with your furniture. They all have a few things in common, though: they're free, they're fair, they're for everyone. It's not always obvious which ombudsman to contact if you have a problem, so we're happy for you to contact us however you want to, if you need help. We can get you started if you've got a money problem you can't sort out, show you where to go if you're not sure, or give it to you straight about the choices and chances you're facing. That's what an ombudsman does. That's what we are: the Ombudsman. Something we got from the Vikings.