Our Complaints Policy

We are committed to providing a high quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards.

How do I make a complaint?

You can contact the file handler dealing with your case, by telephone or in writing (by letter, fax or email) or alternatively by speaking with, or writing to our Practice Manager, Mrs Pip Riley whose contact details are:

Graham M Riley & Co Solicitors Ltd, 41 Crescent Road , Windermere , Cumbria United Kingdom LA23 1BL

Tel 01704 532229

email: pip@grahamriley.co.uk

To help us deal with your complaint please tell us:

Your full name and contact details and, if possible, your file reference number

What you think we have got wrong

What Will Happen Next?

We will record your complaint centrally

We will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint, and enclosing a copy of this policy. We will also let you know the name of the person who will be dealing with your complaint. You can expect to receive our letter within 3 working days of us receiving your complaint.

We will then start to investigate your complaint. This will normally involve the following steps:-

(i) reviewing your complaint

(ii) reviewing your file(s) and other relevant documents

(iii) Speaking with the person that dealt with your matter

We may need to ask you for further information or documents. If so, we will ask you to provide the information within a specific period of time.

If appropriate, we may invite you to a meeting to discuss your complaint. You do not have to attend if you do not wish to, or if you are unable to. We will be happy to discuss the matter with you on the telephone.

We will write to you at the end of our investigation to tell you what we have done and our suggestions for resolving your complaint. Where possible, we will aim to do this within 21 days of the date of our letter of acknowledgement.

If we have to change any of the time scales above, we will let you know and explain why.

What if I am not satisfied with the outcome?

If you are still not satisfied you should contact us again to explain why you remain unhappy with our response, and we will review your comments. Mr Graham Riley, Principal in the firm will review our decision within 10 working days.

At this time he will write to you confirming our final position on your complaint, and explaining our reasons.

If you are still unhappy you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to look into your complaint. You can contact the Legal Ombudsman at:

- P O Box 6806, Wolverhampton. WV1 9WJ

- By telephone 0300 555 0333

- By email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Any complaints to the Legal Ombudsman must usually be made within 6 months of you receiving a formal written response from us regarding your complaint, and within six years of the act or omission you believe to have occurred (or within 3 years of you becoming aware of it). The Legal Ombudsman has provided further guidance on its service at www.legalombudsman.org.uk.

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.