Complaints
Complaints Policy and Procedure
Our Complaints Policy
At Platinum Solicitors, we strive to provide you with a first-class service. However, we understand that issues may arise, and if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, we encourage you to raise your concerns with us. Your feedback helps us improve our service and standards. We are committed to addressing any complaints promptly, thoroughly, and fairly, free of charge.
Our Complaints Procedure
Initial Concerns:
If you have any concerns or queries, please contact the person handling your matter. They will make every effort to resolve any issues. In most cases, an informal discussion with the responsible lawyer will resolve your concerns.
Escalation:
If your concerns remain unresolved, we encourage you to put your complaint in writing. Please provide details of your concerns and what outcome you would like. You can address your complaint to the person handling your matter or to the Head of the Department in which they work. If writing is not convenient, we can arrange a call with you.
Information to Include:
When contacting us, please include the following details to help us investigate your complaint effectively:
Your name and contact details (preferred contact method)
Your file reference number
A description of your concerns
Your preferred resolution
Acknowledgement:
Upon receipt of your complaint, we will acknowledge it by letter or email, typically within five working days. We may request further information if necessary. We will also inform you of the individual responsible for handling your complaint.
Investigation:
We will investigate your complaint by reviewing the matter with the person involved, examining the relevant information, and consulting with the Complaints Partner, if necessary.
Meeting or Discussion:
If appropriate, we may invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint further. Attendance is optional, and if you prefer, we can arrange a discussion via telephone or video conference.
We will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have done and what
we propose to do to resolve your complaint. Where possible, we will aim to do this within 21
days of the date of our letter of acknowledgement. If it is likely to take any longer then we
will let you know what we will be doing and when you are likely to have a response from us.
If we have to change any of the above timescales, we will let you know and explain why.
What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint
If we have been unable to settle your complaint using our internal complaints process within
eight weeks of it having been made to us, you have a right to complain to the Legal
Ombudsman, an independent complaints body, established under the Legal Services Act 2007,
that deals with legal services complaints. The Legal Ombudsman will look at the complaint
independently and any investigation by them will not affect how we handle your case.
Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check:
• that you have tried to resolve the complaint with us in the first instance and
• you have suffered significant financial loss, distress, inconvenience or detriment,
which deems it proportionate for them to investigate.
We will always be happy to discuss your issues further, prior to you going down this route, if
you wish to do so.
For complaints about our service, including billing issues, you may contact the Legal
Ombudsman via one of the methods below:
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must be made 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 it within
either of the following:
• one year from the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned/
about which you are complaining, OR
• one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was
cause for concern/ complaint.
The Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA) 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. For further information,
please visit the SRA’s ‘Reporting an individual or firm’ page of their website at
https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor/ to see how you can raise your
concerns with the SRA.
SRA Contact Information:
Website: www.sra.org.uk
Phone: 0370 606 2555
Email: report@sra.org.uk
Address:
Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Cube
199 Wharfside Street
Birmingham B1 1RN
United Kingdom
Alternative complaints bodies (such as ProMediate (www.promediate.co.uk)) also exist which
are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish
to use such a scheme. We are not required to and have chosen not to adopt an ADR process
because we consider the service offered by the Legal Ombudsman to be the most appropriate
means of resolving complaints about legal services.
Complaints partner’s details
Aisha Khan
Tel: 0118 995 3786
Email: aisha@platinumsolicitors.co.uk
