Legal advice | Sara Binning Solicitors

Complaints Procedure

Please contact us if you have any further questions on Rochester: 01634 408 434 ,

Gravesend: 01474 319 030 or e-mail sbinningsols@gmail.com

Introduction

If you are dissatisfied with any aspects of the service we have provided you have the right to complain. The Legal Ombudsman service has been operational since 6th October 2010 and ultimately responsible for ensuring all complaints are dealt and resolved appropriately.

However, before you contact the Legal Ombudsman, you must first register a complaint with us. Normally, the Legal Ombudsman expects you to have 8 weeks to try to resolve the matter. If after 8 weeks you are still dissatisfied you can involve the Legal Ombudsman. For more information on how the Legal Ombudsman works please visit the Legal Ombudsman website

Time Scales

In normal circumstances, you are required to register a complaint within 1 year. You must then give us 8 weeks to try and resolve your complaint before contacting the Legal Ombudsman. A complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must normally be made within six months of the date of the conclusion of the Firm's complaints procedure.

In summary:

You must register your complaint with us within one year
The Legal Ombudsman expects you to give us 8 weeks to try to resolve your complaint
After this time, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman (but you must do so within 6 months)

How to Start

To register a formal complaint, please write to us and include all the information suggested by the Legal Ombudsman

Please refer to the website which includes some useful checklists and sample letters.

In addition to the Legal Ombudsman, several other complaints bodies exist which are also able to deal with complaints about legal services - these are: Ombudsman Services, ProMediate, Small Claims Mediation and the European Online Dispute Resolution platform. Information about these alternatives can be found at:

www.ombudsman-services.org

www.promediate.co.uk

ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/