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 so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.
Making a complaint
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 prefer, or if that initial attempt to resolve the matter is not successful, you may wish to make a formal complaint.
You can register any formal complaint our Complaints Partner. He is responsible for ensuring that complaints are handled effectively and in accordance with this procedure. The details of our Complaints Partner are as follows:
Name: Veeravagu Vaaheesan
Tel: 020 3137 2598
Address: 156 London Road Mitcham Surrey CR4 3LD
email: vas@vassolicitors.co.uk
In the first instance, we would prefer if you write to us with full details of your complaint either in letter or email form so that we have a good understanding of the issues being highlighted. It would be helpful if you could outline:-
- why you feel dissatisfied with the service which you have received; and
- how you would prefer to be contacted about your complaint; and
- if there is anything specific which you would like us to do to resolve your complaint
Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case, and you will not be charged for the time spent handling your complaint
Investigating the complaint
- We will acknowledge the complaint within seven days of receiving it and notify you who will be handling your complaint. The Complaints Handling Partner will ordinarily handle any complaint himself, but if the complaint involves allegations about his own conduct, then he may ask a different Partner to deal with it.
- We will record your complaint in our central register and open a file for your complaint.
- We will conduct a full investigation and an independent review of the matter.
- We will write to tell you of our views on the complaint and how we propose to resolve it, hopefully to your satisfaction, to include details of any proposed redress.
- We aim to respond in full within 28 days. If the complaint is of a more complex nature we may require more time. If that is the case, we will let you know. We may also invite you to meet with the Complaints Handler to gather more information to help us to resolve the matter.
- If you are dissatisfied with the outcome or the way the complaint has been handled, you may write to the Complaints Handler within 7 days of his or her decision to request a review of that decision.
- That review may be conducted by the Complaints Handler or Complaints Handler may refer the matter to a different Partner look at the matter afresh.
- The outcome of the review will be sent to you in writing within 7 days of receiving the request for review.
What you can do if you remain dissatisfied
Legal Ombudsman
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 check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first and that you have allowed us up to 8 weeks to attempt to resolve it.
There are time limits within which you must present any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman should you wish to do so. Those time limits are:
- Within six months of receiving our 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.
The contact details of Legal Ombudsman are as follows:
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Telephone, 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm
Address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ
email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
The Solicitors Regulation Authority
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 us straight away if you have any such concerns.
The contact details of the Solicitors Regulation Authority are as follows:
Website: www.sra.org.uk
Telephone, 0370 606 2555
Address: Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1RN
email: report@sra.org.uk
Alternative Dispute Resolution Schemes
Alternative complaints bodies exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme.
However, we don’t currently agree to use an Alternative Dispute Resolution service. We are bound by our Regulatory Code to comply with the Legal Ombudsman Service and prefer to use that Scheme as a venue for the resolution of any complaints that we cannot resolve ourselves.
