COMPLAINTS ABOUT OUR SERVICE

At Strata we are committed to the delivery of a high quality legal service and to dealing with all our clients fairly. We acknowledge that we may not always get things right and if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE FOR CLIENTS

In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage. Their details can be found on any letters or emails they have sent to you. Please provide us with full details of your concerns either in writing or via the telephone.

Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case and we will not charge you for dealing with your complaint.

We will do all we can to resolve the matter to your satisfaction. If we do not, you may make a complaint to Chris Sturridge-Packer, the Director / Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP).

If it is not possible to resolve your complaint within two business days, a written acknowledgement of the complaint will be sent to you within 2 business days of its receipt.

Within 4 weeks of receiving the complaint we will write to you with either a final response, or advise that it has not yet been possible to resolve the complaint indicating when we will expect to be able to provide a final response.

Within 8 weeks of receiving the complaint we will write to you again with a final response, or a response explaining why it has still not been possible to resolve the complaint, give reasons for the delay and indicate when we will expect to be able to provide a final response.

We will do our best to:

  • investigate your concerns thoroughly;
  • keep you informed of the progress and the outcome of our investigation; and
  • ensure that any necessary remedial action is taken as quickly as possible.

WHAT TO DO IF WE CANNOT RESOLVE YOUR COMPLAINT

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case or transaction.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must make your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

  • Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint, and
  • No more than six years from the date of the act/omission or;
  • No more than three years from when you should reasonably have known there was a cause for complaint

For more information about the legal Ombudsman, you can contact them as follows:

Visit: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9am to 5pm

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9W

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY WITH OUR BEHAVIOUR

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you 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. You can find more information on how to raise your concerns at http://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page