THE FIRM’S COMPLAINTS POLICY FOR CLIENTS
We are committed to providing a high quality service to all our clients. We acknowledge that we may not always get it right, so if something has gone wrong, including in relation to our charges, we need you to tell us. This will help us to improve our standard of service.
HOW DO I MAKE A COMPLAINT
You can contact us in writing or by telephone. In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the person dealing with your matter, who will do their best to resolve your concerns. If you do not feel able to discuss your concerns with them, please contact the person responsible for the overall supervision of your matter, who will be named in the client care letter we sent you at the beginning of your matter. If you do not feel able to raise your concerns with either of these people, or you are unsatisfied with their response, please contact Kim Tucker, Quality & Risk Solicitor, who has the responsibility for investigating and dealing with complaints.
You can contact her:
By post: Unit 7, Coped Hall Business Park, Royal Wootton Bassett, SN4 8DP
Telephone: 01793 852800
Email: [email protected]
To help us to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:
HOW WILL YOU DEAL WITH MY COMPLAINT
WHAT IF I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH THE OUTCOME
If you are unhappy with the outcome of our complaints handling procedure, please let us know and we will review the matter.
CONCLUSION OF COMPLAINT PROCESS
At the conclusion of the complaint and if you are not satisfied with our handling of the complaint in some instances clients also have a right to ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider the complaint. This applies if you are an individual, a business with fewer than 10 employees and turnover or assets not exceeding a certain threshold, a charity or trust with a net income of less than £1m, or if you fall within certain other categories. If the Legal Ombudsman is to consider a complaint normally it needs to fall inside two time limits both of which need to apply:
Generally, the Legal Ombudsman deals with complaints relating to acts or omissions that happened after 5 October 2010. Further details are available on the website:
Legal Ombudsman Contact Details
Post: PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Phone: 0300 555 0333
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
The Legal Ombudsman is the designated scheme for dealing with legal services complaints. However, we are also obliged to inform you that other Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service providers exist, e.g ProMediate (www.promediate.co.uk), and offer a consumer complaint resolution service. However, we are not obliged to and do not agree to use this or other ADR providers.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY WITH OUR BEHAVIOUR
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. Visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
WHAT WILL IT COST
We will not charge you for handling your complaint. Please note that if we have issued a bill for work done on the matter, and all or some of the bill is not paid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding. This is explained in our Terms of Business. The Legal Ombudsman service is free of charge.