Role of the Ombudsmen If you are in a dispute with a member, but do not want to file an official complaint, you may call our office to determine if your issue may be resolved through the use of our Ombudsman Program. This program is designed to have an experienced broker contact both parties and attempt to settle the matter in a timely way. If no agreement is reached, the complainant may then file a formal ethics complaint. The Ombudsman's role is primarily one of communication and conciliation, not adjudication, Ombudsmen do not determine whether ethics violations have occurred, rather they anticipate, identify, and resolve misunderstandings and disagreements before matters ripen into disputes and possible charges of unethical conduct. The Ombudsman Program is comprised of volunteer brokers who will help settle disputes between REALTORS® or the public. Our Ombudsman will actually call the member with whom you are having a dispute and attempt resolve the misunderstanding or matter without any formal paperwork required by the complainant. Sometimes the issue can be resolved in a matter of hours. This program is beneficial if time is of the utmost importance and neither party wants to file a formal, written complaint. Procedure What if you have a matter that you think can be solved quickly with a phone call and you don't want to file a formal complaint? Simply email loris@pwr.net a brief summary of your issue and include a contact phone number. Request an Ombudsman Now! Please contact Lori Smith 714.245.5500 loris@pwr.net