Complaints
We want to provide our clients with the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we provide, then you should inform us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.
In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage. If you would like to make a formal complaint, please note our full complaints process below. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you 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.
You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority at www.sra.org.uk
What do to if we cannot resolve your complaint
The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.
Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
- Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint
and
- No more than six years from the date of act/omission; or
- No more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.
Contact details
Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm.
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Our Complaints Process
We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards.
If you have a complaint, please contact the Business Administrator in writing with the details and deliver by hand or by post.
What will happen next?
- We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within seven days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.
- We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to Mr David Littlewood, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.
- Mr Littlewood will then write to you with their initial findings and, where appropriate, invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. They will do this within fourteen days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
- Within three days of the meeting, Mr Littlewood will write to you to confirm what took place, any solutions agreed with you and/or the decision of Mr Littlewood as to your complaint.
- If a meeting is not possible or appropriate, Mr Littlewood will consider any further comments you may have following their initial findings at stage 3 above, and then send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including their suggestions for resolving the matter, within twenty-one days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
- At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for Mrs Masters to review the decision.
- We will write to you within fourteen days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
- If you are not satisfied with our handling of your complaint, you can ask the Legal Ombudsman at PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ to consider the complaint. Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint or within six years of the act or omission about which you are complaining occurring (or if outside of this period, within three years of when you should reasonably have been aware of it).
If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.
Pinniger Finch and Co Limited
