Complaints Process - General
Initial Information
We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided, including our charges, 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 me to discuss your concerns and I will do my best to resolve any issues at this stage. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure below. Making a complaint will not affect how I handle your case and you will not be charged for time spent handling your complaint.
What to do if I can't resolve the complaint
The Legal Ombudsman may be able to help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at complaints independently and accessing the Ombudsman will not affect how we handle your case. Most ‘consumer’ clients (as opposed to large businesses) will be able to make use of the Ombudsman scheme however there are restrictions for some larger clients. Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will normally check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. The Legal Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern. You must also refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final written response to you.
If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them:
Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm.
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
Please note that the Ombudsman are there to deal with concerns about the level of service received. Where there are more serious concerns that a solicitor or solicitor’s firm have been involved in professional misconduct then reports can also be made to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the regulator of solicitors and solicitor firms. This could be for quite unusual and serious acts of misconduct such as dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. Obviously, we do not anticipate any such problems arising and would ask that you notify the matter supervisor straight away if you have any such concerns. You can find out more about the Solicitors Regulation Authority including their contact details and professional conduct rules on their website: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/
Making a Complaint-Client Feedback and Complaints
We are committed to providing a quality service to our clients. We value feedback from clients greatly because it helps us to continually improve our service. If you do not feel that you are receiving excellent client service or that something could be improved, please do tell us about it. If we have fallen short of the high standards which we have set for ourselves then we would like the opportunity to put it right.
What do I do if I have feedback or a complaint?
At first it would be helpful if you could discuss any feedback or concerns which you have about our service or how it might be improved with the lawyer dealing with your matter. If the lawyer dealing cannot resolve your concern informally, or if the issue is of such a serious nature that you do not feel comfortable raising it with your lawyer, then you may discuss this with our complaints partner as a complaint under this policy.
How do I raise a complaint under this policy?
It would help us if you could email with:
• why you feel dissatisfied with the service which you have received;
• how you would prefer to be contacted about your complaint;
• if there is anything in particular which you would like us to do to resolve your complaint.
If you would prefer not to email details of your complaint in this way then please call to discuss the best way to get an understanding of your concerns.
What happens after I have made a complaint under this policy?
We will:
• send an acknowledgement of your complaint within 7 days of receiving it;
• log your complaint on our central complaints register;
• investigate the concerns and arrange a discussion with you to try to agree how to resolve the issues within 21 days of receiving your complaint;
• write to you within 28 days of receiving your complaint to confirm the outcome of this.
In exceptional circumstances it may be necessary to extend these timescales, but we will try to agree any variations with you first. If you remain unsatisfied after 8 weeks at the latest, we will always ensure that you are reminded at that time of how to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman if you are eligible to do so.
What might the outcome of my complaint be?
We very much regret any dissatisfaction which our clients experience and will not hesitate to apologise to you where our service has fallen below our high standards. We may also agree that certain steps will be taken to improve your situation and to ensure that any problems experienced will not reoccur.
What if I remain unsatisfied?
If you remain dissatisfied, you may be entitled to complain to the Legal Ombudsman about our service, including our charges. This service is not available to all clients however such as large businesses. The Ombudsman would generally expect clients to follow a firm’s internal complaints procedure first. You can find further information about the Ombudsman on the website www.legalombudsman.org.uk. You can write to the Ombudsman at Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH or by email on enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or call on 0300 555 0333. If you wish to raise a complaint with the Ombudsman then you should not delay bringing it to their attention once our own complaints process has concluded as there are some time limits on when this must be done. For example, normally you must raise a complaint with the Ombudsman within six months of the date of our final written response to your complaint. You should also be aware that the Ombudsman expects complaints to be made to them within one year of the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within one year of you realising there was a concern.
Making a Complaint-Mediation
If something goes wrong, I need to know from you as soon as possible so that I can try to resolve it. You can complain either informally or formally.
INFORMAL
Before you make a formal complaint, I would encourage you to consider whether your concerns could be addressed through an informal conversation together. This is much more likely produce a faster resolution that the formal process, and I would hope would be able to raised before an issue has progressed too far.
FORMAL
If it is not possible to resolve matters informally, or you wish to formally complain then I would be grateful for you to email your complaint to joel@woolfrural.co.uk. If possible please mark the subject heading on the email accordingly.
However, you do not have to complain in writing and you can complain in face to face meeting or over the phone if you prefer. If you find that you need reasonable adjustment due to any disabilities, please let me know and this stage.
Once a complaint is received it will be investigated in accordance with the process below. You will not be charged for any time spent investigating, but please be aware, that depending on the work being carried out, it may be the case that I have to stop work during the investigation. If this is the case, I will make you aware when acknowledging your complaint.
COMPLAINTS PROCESS
STEP 1
When I receive a complaint, I will acknowledge it within 2 working days. Please note that if you sent a complaint by post it may take longer to respond due to the postal system but I will do my best.
Within 5 working days I will review your complaint and contact you, usually by telephone, in order to confirm my understanding of your complaint with you. I will also ask you to provide any evidence you would like me to consider. That evidence will need to be provided to me within a further 5 working days.
This first step can take up to a total of 10 working days from the date of receipt of your complaint.
STEP 2
I will review your complaint and the evidence you have provided. Once I have reviewed it I will write to you with an answer based on the evidence considered and setting out the reasons including any proposals for resolution.
This will step will take up to 3 weeks from the date of your initial complaint as long as any further information is provided by you within the requested timeframes.
It may be matters are more complicated than initially anticipated or more information maybe needed from you. If that is the case then I will contact you as soon as possible and agree with you an extension to the time frame.
At this stage you can ask for a meeting to discuss my response and to/or to discuss any proposals.
STEP 3
Where your complaint relates to mediation services then you may also complain to the Civil Mediation Council (CMC).
The CMC can only deal with certain complaints namely if you consider I have brought the profession of mediators or the CMC into disrupt or you believe I no longer meet the requirements for registration with the CMC.
Further details are available at: Complaints — Civil Mediation