Complaints Handling Policy for Clients – Solaris Consumer.
We want to give you the best possible service. However, 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.
Raising a Complaint
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. If you do not feel able to discuss your concerns with them, then please contact your relationship manager as detailed in your letter of engagement or contract with us.
If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can contact us at crt.external@solarislaw.co.uk
To help us review your complaint and to make sure we do not miss anything, please provide us with:-
- Your name and contact details
- A description of what you believe we have done wrong/why you are unhappy with our service
- How you would like us to resolve the issue
- Any reference number or details we have provided you for the matter
Responding to a complaint
We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and provide you with a copy of this policy. We will also tell you how long we think it will take us to deal with the complaint and provide you with a full response.
We will investigate your complaint speaking with whoever dealt with your matter, reviewing our file and, potentially, seeking additional information from you.
We will update you as appropriate and will seek to provide you with our final response and any proposed resolution within 28 days from when we acknowledged your complaint.
What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint
If we are unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you may be able to refer it to the Legal Ombudsman. They will review your complaint independently, and this will not affect how we handle your case.
Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have first tried to resolve your complaint with us. If you have done so, then you can take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
- Within six months of receiving our final response to your complaint
and
- No more than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
- No more than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.
You can contact the Legal Ombudsman:
By post: PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
By phone: 0300 555 0333
By email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
For more information contact the Legal Ombudsman.
What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) may be able to help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could include issues such as dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.
The SRA’s contact details are:-
The Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Cube
19 Wharfside Street
Birmingham
B1 1RN
Email: report@sra.org.uk
Tel: 03706 062 555
Alternatively, visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Complaints Handling Policy for Customers – Solaris Consumer.
If you’re unhappy with our service or think we’ve made a mistake, please tell us.
We take complaints seriously and value the opportunity to put things right where we can. Your feedback helps us improve and ensures we deliver the right outcomes for all customers.
Below, we explain how you can raise a complaint and what steps we will take to investigate and respond to it.
How to make a complaint
If you are a customer of one of our clients and are unhappy with any part of our service or conduct, please let us know. You can contact us as follows:
By phone: on the details in any letter or email that we have sent to you;
By email: crt.external@solarislaw.co.uk
By post:
To help us understand your complaint fully and deal with it promptly, please provide the following information:
- Your full name and contact details
- What has happened and why you’re unhappy
- How this has affected you
- What you would like us to do to put things right
- Any relevant reference number, if you have one
This will help us investigate thoroughly and respond as quickly as possible.
Timeframes
We will aim to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible and will acknowledge your concerns in writing within 5 business days following receipt. We will seek to summarise what we understand to be your complaint, will explain what steps we will take and confirm when we will next contact you.
We will investigate your complaint and send a Final Response to you within 8 weeks.
Complaining about one of our clients
If your complaint relates to our client — either in part or entirely — we will notify them promptly.
They will then contact you directly in line with their own complaints process. You will need to discuss the parts of your complaint that concern them directly with their team. We will confirm receipt of complaint in writing and confirm that your complaint has been forwarded to our client.
Any aspect of the complaint relating to us will follow the approach and timeframes detailed above.
Unresolved Complaints – Financial Ombudsman Service
If you’re not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you may have the right to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). This is a free, independent service that helps resolve disputes between financial businesses and customers.
Solaris Law is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to carry out certain activities.
If your complaint relates to our FCA-regulated work, you may be able to refer it to the FOS. We will inform you of your eligibility to do so when we send our final response. If eight weeks have passed and your complaint is still unresolved, you also have the option to contact the FOS directly.
We will provide details of the Financial Ombudsman in our final response letter but for, ease, the relevant details are:
Financial Ombudsman
Exchange Tower
London
E14 9SR
Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Tel: 0800 023 4567
Website: https://financial-ombudsman.org.uk/
Please note that, should you decide to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, you must do so within six months of the date of our final response letter. The Financial Ombudsman may not consider a complaint made after this time.
What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour
Additionally, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) may be able to help if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could include issues such as dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.
The SRA’s contact details are:-
The Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Cube
19 Wharfside Street
Birmingham
B1 1RN
Email: report@sra.org.uk
Tel: 03706 062 555
Alternatively, visit their website to see how you can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
