Complaint handling procedure

Scope

Our aim is to provide all our clients with excellent service at all times. Every effort is made to ensure communication channels are open with our client and we have constant feedback from clients to ensure that the service we are providing is meeting their requirements.

Handling Complaints

We believe most complaints can be resolved informally, because they may have arisen through a misunderstanding or can be remedied without resort to the full complaints procedure. We always encourage our clients to inform us of any dissatisfaction you may have and endeavour to address in a way that serves the best interest of the client. This way, we ensure constant client satisfaction.

If you have tried to address the issue with your fee earner and are still unhappy with the result, you will be directed to speak to with one of the Directors of the firm. If the complaint is against one of the Directors, you will have the opportunity to speak to the other Director.

If the matter cannot be resolved to your satisfaction in this way, you should put forward a formal complaint.

Please note, formal complaint will be entertained if it is made within 6 months of the date of the cause of the complaint or when informal resolution has failed, whichever is the later.

What is a formal complaint?

Under this procedure a complaint is one made in writing, including by email to info@rvssolicitors.co.uk, rhakis@rvssolicitors.co.uk, lusinen@rvssolicitors.co.uk and should be addressed to the Directors. You will need to supply your name and address, identify which member of firm you are complaining about, provide the detail of the complaint and indicate what you would like done about it. Upon receipt of the complaint, a Director will be appointed to handle the complaint. Once all the necessary elements are available, the claim will be acknowledged in writing by the Director within three working days of receipt of the fully detailed complaint or the date when all the details are available, whichever the latest.

The relevant Director, will assess the case and send a full written response to you within 14 days of getting the full details of the complaint.

However, if the matter raises issues which, in the opinion of the Director, requires an investigation to determine the facts, an investigation will be carried out. A letter will be sent to you within 14 days informing of the investigations being launched and what the next staged would be.

The investigator will then have access to all the relevant documents, will be able to interview witnesses and may need to contact you for further information.

The investigator will then produce a report as soon as possible, ordinarily within 14 days of the appointment. If it is not possible to meet this deadline the Director will write to you and inform you when the investigation is expected to be concluded.

The Director will consider the report and write to you, setting out the nature of the investigation and whether the complaint is upheld or rejects, setting out the reasons why. When a complaint is upheld the letter will set out or include a proposal for resolving the complaint.

Confidentiality

All conversations, records and documents relating to the complaint will be treated confidentially and retained for 6 years. They will only be disclosed as necessary: normally only to the person complained about, the investigator and (in response to a specific request) the SRA or Legal Ombudsman.

Complaints after the internal process

If it has not been possible to settle the complaint using the internal complaints process, you will be directed to SRA and the Legal Ombudsman. You will have six months from the date of our final letter in which to complain to the Legal Ombudsman. The Ombudsman’s address and contact details will be provided to you at the onset of the retainer.