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Client Charter / Complaints

This Client Charter sets out the standards of service you can expect from Herefords Solicitors:

  • You will receive copies of all substantive correspondence.
  • Telephone calls, emails and correspondence from you will be returned during the course of the same day wherever possible.
  • Letters to you and other parties will be written in plain English.
  • Appointments will be given to you without undue delay and at a time convenient for you.
  • You will be told the basis upon which we will charge you and we will keep you informed about the costs on a regular basis.
  • You will receive a pro-active service and be updated on your matter on a regular basis.
  • You will be treated fairly at all times and will not be discriminated against because of your race, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion or belief.
  • Your affairs will be kept confidential and we will not act for anyone else if by so doing we could compromise that confidentiality.

Complaints Procedure

1.1 Herefords Solicitors Ltd welcomes and encourages feedback of all kinds from our customers. If you have a Complaint about our services, our customer service, or about our employees, agents, subcontractors, not only do we want to resolve it to your satisfaction but we also want to learn from it in order to improve our business and customer experience in the future.

1.2 It is our policy to resolve Complaints quickly and fairly, where possible without recourse to formal investigations or external bodies. In particular, the aims of this Complaints Policy are:

1.2.1 To provide a clear and fair procedure for any customers who wish to make a Complaint about Herefords Solicitors Ltd, our services, our customer service, or about our employees, agents, contractors;

1.2.2 To ensure that everyone working for or with Herefords Solicitors Ltd knows how to handle Complaints made by our customers;

1.2.3 To ensure that all Complaints are handled equally and in a fair and timely fashion;

1.2.4 To ensure that important information is gathered from Complaints and used in the future to avoid such a situation arising again.

What this Complaints Policy Covers

2.1 This Complaints Policy applies to the provision of services by Herefords Solicitors Ltd, to our customer service and to our employees, agents, contractors.

2.2 For the purposes of this Complaints Policy, any reference to Herefords Solicitors also includes our employees, agents, contractors.

2.3 Complaints may relate to any of our activities and may include (but not be limited to):

2.3.1 The quality of customer service you have received from Herefords Solicitors Ltd; and

2.3.2 The behaviour and/or professional competence of our staff.

Making a Complaint

3.1 All Complaints, whether they concern our services, our customer service, or our staff, should be made in one of the following ways:

3.1.1 By email, addressed to Zahir Mohammed, Director at zahir@herefordssolicitors.co.uk;

3.1.2 By contacting Zahir Mohammed by telephone on 0203 669 2216

3.1.3 In writing, addressed to Zahir Mohammed, Herefords Solicitors Ltd at 17 Hanover Square, London, W1S 1BN.

3.2 When making a Complaint, you will be required to provide the following information in as much detail as is reasonably possible:

3.2.1 Further details of your Complaint including, as appropriate, all times, dates, events, and people involved;

3.2.2 Details of any documents or other evidence you wish to rely on in support of your Complaint;

3.2.3 Details of what you would like Herefords Solicitors Ltd to do to resolve your Complaint and to put things right.

How We Handle Your Complaint

4.1 Herefords Solicitors Ltd operates a two-stage complaints handling procedure. Following our Complaints Procedure, our aim is to always resolve Complaints to your satisfaction at Level One without further recourse to Level Two. If you are not satisfied at the end of Level One, you may escalate your Complaint to Level Two. If you are still not satisfied at the end of Level Two, Complaints may progress to External Resolution as detailed below.

4.2 Level One:

4.2.1 Upon receipt of your Complaint, we will log the Complaint and will acknowledge receipt of it in writing within 14 business days.

4.2.2 If your Complaint relates to a specific member of staff, that person will be informed of your Complaint and given a fair and reasonable opportunity to respond.

4.2.3 If we require any further information or evidence from you, the Complaint Handler will contact you as quickly as is reasonably possible to ask for it. We ask that you use reasonable efforts to supply any such information or evidence quickly in order to avoid delaying the complaints handling process. If you are for any reason unable to provide such information or evidence we will use all reasonable efforts to proceed without it, however please be aware that we will not ask for further information or evidence unless we consider it important to the successful resolution of your Complaint.

4.2.4 We aim to resolve Level One Complaints within 28 business days of our acknowledgement of your complaint, however in some cases, particularly if your Complaint is of a complex nature, this may not be possible. If this is not possible for any reason you will be informed of the delay, the likely length of the delay and the reasons for it.

4.3 Level Two:

4.3.1 If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your complaint at Level One, you may appeal the decision within 5 business days of receipt of our decision, and have the complaint escalated to Level Two. Your Appeal should contain a detailed response to our decision and your reasons for disagreeing with it.

4.3.2 Appeals should be directed to your original Complaint Handler who will forward the request to an appropriate Appeal Handler. Receipt of Appeals will be acknowledged in writing within 14 business days.

4.3.3 If your Complaint relates to a specific employee, that person will be informed of your Appeal and given a further opportunity to respond.

4.3.4 We aim to resolve Level Two Complaints within 28 business days of receipt of your appeal, however in some cases, particularly if your Complaint is of a complex nature, this may not be possible. If this is not possible for any reason you will be informed of the delay, the likely length of the delay and the reasons for it.

4.3.5 As we are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Ombudsman you, as our customer, have the right to seek External Resolution of your Complaint from the relevant organisation if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your Level Two Complaint.

4.4 External Resolution:

4.4.1 If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your Complaint at Level Two you may seek External Resolution of your Complaint from the Legal Ombudsman.

4.4.2 The Legal Ombudsman operates the following time limits to review your complaint:

Within six months of receiving a 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

4.4.3 To contact the Legal Ombudsman please call 0300 555 0333 or email enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk or via their website here: https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk

4.4.4 For details of complaint and conflict resolution mechanisms available from the Solicitors Regulation Authority, please contact them via their website at https://www.sra.org.uk or call their contact centre 0370 606 2555;

Confidentiality

5.1 All Complaints and information relating thereto are treated with the utmost confidence. Such information will only be shared with those employees, agents, contractors of Herefords Solicitors Ltd who need to know in order to handle your Complaint.

Questions and Further Information

If you have any questions or require further information about any aspect of this Complaints Policy, please contact by telephone on 0203 669 2216, or by email at zahir@herefordssolicitors.co.uk.

Policy Responsibility

Overall responsibility for this Complaints Policy within Herefords Solicitors Ltd, and the implementation thereof, rests with Zahir Mohammed, Director/Solicitor.

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint summary

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it 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 your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

  • Within six months of receiving a 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.

If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.

Contact details

Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9.00 to 17.00.

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ

What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help 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 to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority

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