Complaints Procedure

Collins & Hoy 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.

We are committed to high quality legal advice and client care. If you are unhappy about any aspect of the service you have received, 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 your complaint remains unresolved and if you would like to make a formal complaint, please contact Bernadette Hoy, our nominated compliance officer on 020 8866 1820 or [email protected] or by post to our Pinner office.

What will happen next

1. To help us understand your complaint and what you believe has gone wrong, please set out to us in writing your concerns and how you would like the matter to be resolved.
2. We will send you a letter acknowledging receipt of your complaint within one week of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.  We may ask you for any further information that will assist us with investigating the matters that you raise.
3. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to Bernadette Hoy, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.
4. We will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. We will do this within four weeks of sending you the acknowledgement letter.
5. Within two weeks of the meeting, Bernadette Hoy will write to you to confirm what took place at the meeting and any solutions she has agreed with you.
6. If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, Bernadette Hoy will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including her suggestions for resolving the matter, within seven weeks of sending you the acknowledgment letter.
7. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will review the decision.
8. We will write to you within three weeks of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.
9. If you are still not satisfied, you can then contact the Legal Ombudsman at PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ, Telephone Number: 0300 555 0333 or at [email protected] about your complaint. Normally, you will need to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final written response from us about your complaint or within six years of the act or omission about which you are complaining occurring (or if outside of this period, within three years of when you should reasonably have been aware of it). For further information, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman. legalombudsman.org.uk

The firm is committed to ensuring that all Partners and Employees give their full co-operation to the Legal Ombudsman in the event of any dispute or complaint against the firm.

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