The Financial Ombudsman Service is toughening its approach to dealing with credit repair companies and other agents who represent consumers in disputes with credit providers.In a consultation paper issued last week, setting out proposed changes to its terms of reference, FOS said it would impose tighter controls on the activities of agents and would stop an applicant using an agent where it felt the agent was being unhelpful.FOS said there was value in consumers having representation, especially if they had language difficulties, mental disabilities or were otherwise vulnerable. However, it said there was evidence that some fee-charging representatives "inappropriately utilise external dispute resolution services".FOS plans to include a provision in its terms of reference that will enable it to refuse to accept a dispute where the applicant is represented by an agent who receives remuneration and fails to provide information as required."FOS will require the representative to provide documentation which is relevant to the dispute at the time of lodgement," the consultation paper said. This would include reasons for the dispute and supporting documentation. FOS said it would require an applicant to stop using the services of a representative if it was satisfied that the representative's involvement is "inconsistent with the co-operative, efficient, timely and fair resolution of the dispute."External dispute resolution schemes have expressed concern previously about the growing involvement of credit repair companies in disputes between consumers and credit providers. Earlier this year the Credit Ombudsman Service Ltd complained that agents often charge consumers large fees to deal with issues that could have been managed without charge. COSL said credit repair companies also claim to be able to have default listings or other negative filings removed from credit reports, when in most cases these records cannot be removed.