The Financial Ombudsman Service has thrown its weight behind recommendations made by the Energy and Water Ombudsman New South Wales aimed at raising consumer awareness of free ombudsman services.EWON conducted research into consumers' use of credit repair agents in response to a rising number of complaints about credit default listings coming to the ombudsman via credit repair agents and solicitors who are offering credit repair services.It found that most people (88 per cent) do not discover they have a default listing until they are seeking credit or a contract. This puts them under pressure to act quickly and increases the likelihood they will use an agent.Almost half (47 per cent) said they went to a credit repair agent because they did not know what to do about their default listing.EWON found that, as a result, people were often paying fees to have an agent access a free service on their behalf. Fees include upfront charges ranging from $300 to $3000, plus extra fees when listings are removed. In the "overwhelming majority" of cases the debt amount for which the customer was credit listed was under $500.Sixty-seven per cent of respondents reported that their credit repair agent did not advise them that the problem might be resolved through access to a free service.The Energy and Water Ombudsman recommended that a number of steps be taken to raise consumers' awareness that they have access to free help services. It wants credit reporting companies to include references to ombudsman services in both credit reports and on their websites.And, it wants credit providers to give information about ombudsman services to customers whose applications for credit are declined on the basis of poor credit reports.