Complaints Policy
We endeavour at all times to provide an efficient and professional service, however, please feel free to contact us if you have any complaint or query about the service that you receive from us. It is only when you tell us about any dissatisfaction that we can take steps to put matters right for you. In the first instance, if you have any queries or are unhappy about your case please arrange to contact Mrs. Kacy Ford to discuss the problem. The complaint will be investigated. Thereafter, we will confirm in writing the results of our internal investigation and the further discussions with you and any steps taken to deal with your complaint. Our complaints investigation procedure will not involve any extra cost to you.
We are anxious to resolve any complaint you have about the service we have given you as quickly as possible. If you are unable to sort things out with the person who has been dealing with you please contact Martin Wilkins of 69 High Street, Ashford, Kent TN24 8SF. Telephone number: 01233 661166.
Once we have received your complaint, Mrs. Kacy Ford will write to you within 7 days to explain how your complaint will be investigated if a complete response to your complaint has not been made by that time. You will be told the latest date by which a complete answer will be given to your complaint (this should be not more than 28 days after we received your complaint). If you have made the complaint verbally – either at a meeting or on the telephone – we will set out in our full response our understanding of the nature of your complaint.
The assessment of the complaint will be based upon a sufficient and impartial investigation. We will explain in writing our findings and, where the complaint is upheld, will offer remedial action or redress. This will be dealt with promptly.
If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our handling of your complaint, please feel free to contact Martin Wilkins, who will conduct a separate review of your complaint. You will be told about the conclusion of this review within 28 days.
If after following the review process you remain dissatisfied with any aspect of our handling of your complaint, you may contact directly the Legal Ombudsman to ask them to consider the complaint further. The Legal Ombudsman’s contact details are Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ. Tel no: 0300 555 0333.
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk Website: http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/
Unless it agrees there are good reasons not to do so, the Legal Ombudsman will expect you to allow us to consider and respond to your complaint in accordance with the procedure set out above in the first instance. You can refer your complaint up to 6 months after you have received our final written response to your complaint. You can also use the Legal Ombudsman service if we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks of us receiving it. A complaint can be referred to the Legal Ombudsman up to 6 years from the date of the act or omission or up to 3 years after discovering a problem. The ombudsman deals with service-related complaints; any conduct related complaints will be referred to the CLC.
Alternative complaints bodies (such as ProMediate) exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme. We do not agree to us ProMediate.
If you make a valid claim against us for a loss arising out of work for which we are legally responsible, and we are unable to meet our liability in full, you may be entitled to claim from the Compensation Fund administered by the CLC (from whom details can be obtained).
