44a St Johns St,
Ashbourne, DE6 1GH
2 The Walkway, Grosvenor Rd,
Ripley DE5 3JF
We never close at lunch
It is important to us that we provide services of the highest quality to all of our clients. We aim to ensure that any complaints that clients may have are identified and dealt with in accordance
with this procedure.
We have an established procedure for dealing with complaints from clients. The procedure has been established so that we can resolve as many problems as possible within our offices and avoid having complaints and problems reported and escalated, and to preserve the goodwill of our clients, even if things have gone wrong.
Our procedure also assists the Firm in identifying the cause of any problem of which the client has complained offering any appropriate redress, and correcting any unsatisfactory procedures.
We expect honesty and realism from any Employee or the Director when things have gone wrong and in turn we will support all staff.
Such complaints must be dealt with sympathetically and quickly. Our reputation depends on this, as it is all part of our high standard of service and incorporates client care.
Clients are notified in our Terms of Engagement of their right to complain. If the client asks for a copy of our standard procedure, it is at this point forwarded to them in writing.
A documented review of this policy / process will take place annually to verify its effective operation across our Firm.
What is a complaint?
A report by a client that their expectations of what they consider to be a good service have not
been met.
Prospective Clients :
A complaint can also be made by a prospective client if we have:
CLIENT’S SECTION:
Making a complaint
You can register the complaint with Joanne Clay who can be contacted by email at info@jc-lawyers.com or by letter to be sent to 2 The Walkway, Grosvenor Road, Ripley, Derbyshire, DE5 3JF or by telephone on 01773 295799. She is responsible for ensuring that complaints are handled effectively and in accordance with this procedure. This procedure will also apply to prospective clients who we have refused to provide a service to or persistently or unreasonably offered an unwanted service to but only if the complainant has evidence to show
that we did not have reasonable grounds to do so.
Investigating the complaint
(1) We will acknowledge the complaint within seven days.
(2) We will conduct a full investigation and an independent review of the matter.
(3) Where a full response cannot be given in seven days we will acknowledge receipt of the complaint in that timescale, give the reason for the delay and commit to responding fully within 28 days of receipt of the initial complaint.
(4) Our response to the complainant will include:
• A clear explanation of assessment of the complaint;
• Our decision on it;
• Any offer of remedial action and/or redress where a complaint is upheld;
• Information on our complaint-handling review procedure (if applicable), its timeframes and how it can be accessed;
• Information on the complainant’s right to refer the complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, its time frames and contact details.
(5) If the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome, or the way the complaint has been handled, the complainant may write to Joanne Clay who will make such further investigations as are necessary.
(6) Joanne Clay will inform the complainant of the conclusions and any alternative proposals to resolve the complaint, usually within 28 days of this being referred to her.
(7) If still unresolved at this stage, you may take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. From 1 April 2023, the time limits for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman will be no later than:
• one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
• one year from the date when the complainant should have realised that there was cause for complaint
The requirement to refer your concerns to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of our final response to you remains the same
(8) We will record and report centrally all complaints received from clients.
(9) We will identify the cause of any problems of which the client has complained offering appropriate redress and correcting any unsatisfactory procedures.
Legal Ombudsman
The Legal Ombudsman is an independent body established by the Office for Legal Complaints under the Legal Services Act 2007 to deal with complaints against Licensed Conveyancers.
The Legal Ombudsman may:
• Investigate the quality of professional service supplied by a Licensed Conveyancer to a client.
• Investigate allegations that a Licensed Conveyancer has breached rules of professional conduct.
• Investigate allegations that a Licensed Conveyancer has unreasonably refused to supply a professional service to a prospective client.
• Investigate allegations that a Licensed Conveyancer has persistently or unreasonably offered a professional service that the client does not want.
Before it will consider a complaint the Legal Ombudsman generally requires that the Firm’s internal Complaints Procedure has been exhausted. If the Legal Ombudsman is satisfied that the Firm’s proposals for resolving a complaint are reasonable, it may decline to investigate further.
The Legal Ombudsman’s address is:
PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ; telephone, 0300 555 0333; website, www.legalombudsman.org.uk; or email enquiries@legalombudsman.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 this Alternative Dispute Resolution service in view of the availability of the independent Legal Ombudsman Service established under the Legal Serves Act 2007.
If we are unable to resolve your complaint which relates to a contract entered into online, you may contact the ODR by accessing the following link www.ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.
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