Providing our clients with a good service is very important to Bankfield Heath Solicitors. We aim to improve our service continuously and learn from any mistakes, so we value all client feedback.
If you become unhappy or concerned about the service that we have provided, you should tell us immediately so that we can do our best to resolve the problem. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.
You may raise concerns by email, telephone, in writing or in person. If you need any reasonable adjustments to help you communicate with us or take part in the complaints process, please tell us. You will not be charged for raising or pursuing a complaint.
In the first instance, it may be helpful to contact the person working on your case to discuss your concerns. If you wish to make a formal complaint, you can follow our complaints procedure below.
Our complaints procedure is as follows.
Step One
If you have not already done so, please let us know the full nature of the problem. You can do this by emailing ishahmed@bankfieldheath.co.uk, calling the office, or writing to us at Bankfield Heath Solicitors, 267 Roundhay Road, Leeds LS8 4HS. Mr Ahmed will handle your complaint as the firm’s designated complaints contact.
Step Two
We will write to you acknowledging your complaint within three working days. In this letter, we will confirm what happens next.
Step Three
Mr Ahmed will investigate the matter by reviewing the file and speaking to the member of staff concerned within five working days of acknowledging your complaint. If the matter cannot be investigated in this timeframe, he will write to you explaining why and giving a revised timescale. Once the investigation is complete, Mr Ahmed will invite you to a meeting to discuss the issues you have raised and to try to resolve the complaint. This meeting will usually take place within fourteen days of sending the acknowledgement letter. Following the meeting, he will write to you within five working days to confirm the discussion and the solution agreed.
Step Four
Suppose you prefer not to attend a meeting or are unable to do so. In that case, Mr Ahmed can send you a written response, including a proposed solution, within fourteen working days of sending the acknowledgement letter.
Step Five
If you are satisfied with our response at Step Three or Step Four, the matter will end. If you remain dissatisfied, you should contact us again and Mr Ahmed will arrange for a senior member of staff who has not been involved in the matter to carry out an independent review of the decision. They will write to you within fourteen days of receiving your request with confirmation of the firm’s final position, including reasons and any final redress offered.
Step Six
We have eight weeks from the date you make your complaint to investigate and resolve the matter. If we have not resolved it within that period, or once you have received our final written response, you may be entitled to refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.
The Legal Ombudsman can be contacted at PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ. Telephone: 0300 555 0333. Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk, Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Any complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within six months of receiving our final written response.
Complaints to the Legal Ombudsman must also be made within one year of the act or omission complained of, or within one year of when you first became aware that there were grounds for complaint. The Legal Ombudsman will not accept complaints where the act or date of awareness was before 6 October 2010.
Once your complaint is concluded, we will review the outcome internally to identify any learning that could improve our service.
What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour
The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This includes issues such as dishonesty, taking or losing your money, or unfair treatment for reasons connected to a protected characteristic. The Solicitors Regulation Authority does not deal with complaints about service. Further information is available on the Solicitors Regulation Authority website.
