Our business is based on giving our clients the finest standard of service we can deliver. None of us is above criticism and if a client makes a complaint, we will take that complaint seriously, review the file promptly and notify you as soon as possible of the outcome of our investigation. Not only is this procedure in your interest as our client but it could help us to improve our service to you an to other clients in the future.
Informal Complaints
Often complaints are most quickly dealt with by speaking to the person responsible for your matter, or another member of their Team. If you would prefer to write an informal email or letter of complaint to that person, please do not be afraid to do so.
Informal complaints
On receipt of an informal complaint:
- An acknowledgement of the telephone call (if the complaint is not resolved within the call) or of the written complaint will be sent to you within 3 working days.
- Your file will then be reviewed by the person responsible for your matter and a detailed response will be sent to you within 14 working days of the original complaint being received by us.
If you are not satisfied, please ask to speak to the Head of the Team handling your matter. When a complaint cannot be resolved informally you may wish to make a formal complaint.
Formal complaints
If you have tried the informal complaints procedure set out above, or you believe that it is inappropriate to use it, please write to Andrew Banks, Partner, who has responsibility for Client Care and whose role is to ensure that your complaint is dealt with appropriately. It would be helpful if you could put your complaint in writing, You can do this by writing to our Bath office or by emailing AndrewBanks@stoneking.co.uk
Andrew Banks can be contacted at:
Upper Borough Court
Upper Borough Walls
Bath
BA1 1RG
Tel: 01225 337599
If you telephone to speak to Andrew Banks and he is unavailable, in his absence, please telephone Laura Wilson, Risk, Compliance and Data Protection Officer on 07974 252974 who assists in dealing with complaints
On receipt of a formal complaint:
- We will send an acknowledgement of the complaint within 5 working days and inform you who will be dealing with your complaint and how long it will be before you can expect a detailed response.
- If you continue not to be satisfied you may contact us again and we will then arrange to review our decision within a further 10 working days.
Where this process cannot resolve your complaint, you may wish to seek alternative legal advice or to contact the Legal Ombudsman, their contact details are below:
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6806,
Wolverhampton,
WV1 9WJ
0300 555 0333
you must do this:
· no more than six months from the date you received our final response to your complaint, and
· within one year of the date of the act/omission complained of.
Generally, the Legal Ombudsman only deals with complaints relating to matters that arose on or after 6 October 2010, and only accepts complaints from individuals or small businesses, charities and associations. You should check its website for details of the scheme’s applicability to you.
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.Visit their website for details about how you can raise your concerns. https://www.sra.org.uk/