Our complaints policy
We are committed to providing a legal service of the highest quality to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we invite you to contact us as soon as possible to deal with your complaint.
Below is the firm’s complaints policy which sets out how we deal with any complaints regarding our services or against the firm. We are also conscious that sometimes people don’t like to complain. We therefore try and spot signs where you may not be happy with our services and train all our staff to self-refer any issues.
Our complaints procedure
If you have a complaint, please in the first instance contact the person dealing with your claim to see whether matters can be resolved. If not, then please e-mail or call our Director and Complaints Officer Boris Cetnik (01702 568 711, boris.cetnik@bc-legal.co.uk). Alternatively, you can write to Boris at BC Legal, 9-11 Nelson Street, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 1EF.
If we have to change any of the timescales set out below, we will let you know and explain why.
What will happen next?
We will contact your complaint within 2 working days of receipt and inform you that the complaint is being investigated.
Thereafter, we will fully investigate the complaint and respond to you within 14 working days of making the complaint to notify you of our findings and what we propose to do resolve matters. This may involve a range of options such as:
- an apology
- an explanation of why / how something may have gone wrong with our services
- a fuller / clearer explanation of the legal process and issues arising in your claim
- putting things right
- moving your claim to another solicitor to continue handling, or
- Our investigation findings will always be shared with you so you can fully understand how and why we have reached any decision.
Please rest assured that:
- you will not be charged in any way in making a complaint and for any investigations that may follow;
- your complaint will in no way disrupt the handling of your claim or prejudice the way in which we deal with your claim.
What happens if the complaint is not dealt with to your satisfaction?
If we cannot agree on a resolution to your complaint or you are unhappy with the way in which your complaint was dealt with then you have the option to refer the matter further to the Legal Ombudsman, an independent complaints body that deals with legal services complaints. You must refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman within 6 months of our final response to your complaint and within six years of the act or omission complained of, or alternatively, within three years of when you should reasonably have known about the act or omission complained of. Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have first tried to resolve your complaint with us.
The Legal Ombudsman can be contacted at:
E-mail: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Letter: Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ
Tel: 0300 555 0333 (opening hours are 8.30am-5.30pm Monday-Friday)
You can find out more about the Legal Ombudsman at www.legalombudsman.org.uk
Alternative complaints bodies, such as:
-the Ombudsman Services (https://www.ombudsmanservices.org/complain–now)
-ProMediate (https://www.promediate.co.uk/)
-Small Claims Mediation (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/small–claims–mediation–service–ex730)
also exist which can deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme.
If you have a complaint about one of our solicitor’s behaviour or you believe a solicitor might be dishonest then you may refer the matter to the SRA.
Examples include:
- Dishonesty or deliberately overcharging you.
- Taking or losing your money.
- Treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.
Find out how to report a solicitor or firm to the SRA at this link:
https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/
We very much hope that we will always be able to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction and further complaint will not be necessary.
Policy v.5 0 as at March 2023
| DOCUMENT VERSION | CONTROL |
| Latest Version | 5 |
| Approved by | Boris Cetnik |
| Date approved | March 2023 |
