Complaints

Complaints Policy

It is the culture and ethos of this firm to always ensure that we maintain the highest standards. We aim to ensure that all clients receive a high-quality service. We seek to do so in an unassuming and courteous manner, which reflects professionalism. We also seek to ensure that all advice is provided in as much jargon free manner as possible where possible.

If a client of the firm feels unhappy with any aspect of the service, we have provided they are entitled to complain. We will aim to investigate and investigate complaints fairly and respond to them as efficiently and as promptly as possible. However, we would require a reasonable period of time to determine and look into what has been complained about.

If a client is unhappy with any part of the service provided, or if they wish to discuss a payment or an invoice provided, you can contact us by telephone or in writing (by letter or email). They should contact Mr Susanta Kumar Banerjee, the firm’s principal and Director who is the firm’s Complaints handler.

Complaints Made by Telephone

If you would rather speak on the telephone about your complaint, then please speak to Mr. Susanta Kumar Banerjee on 0203 973 5773. Mr. Banerjee will make a note of your complaint and what you would like done about it. He will discuss your concerns with you and aim to resolve them. If the matter is resolved he will record the outcome, check that you are satisfied with the outcome and record this. You may also wish to have a record of telephone conversation in writing in which case Mr. Banerjee will write to you to confirm the outcome.

Please address your email or letter to;

Mr. Susanta Kumar Banerjee, SKB Legal, 960 Capability Green, Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 3PE

Email:[email protected]

Telephone:0203 973 5773

How your complaint will be dealt with

1. We will acknowledge any written complaint within 7 days of receipt. We may ask you to confirm or explain any details. Your complaint will then be investigated by Susanta Kumar Banerjee. You will not be charged for our time spent in investigating and responding to your complaint.
2. We usually aim to complete investigations within 28 days, but if he finds that he is not able to reply within 28 days he will set out a new date for him to reply and inform you. We will aim to conclude our investigation within 8 weeks of your complaint being made.
3. We hope that we can resolve your complaint and Susanta Kumar Banerjee will write fully to you setting out his views.
4. His reply will set out the nature and scope of his investigation, his conclusions on each complaint point and the basis of his conclusion and if he finds that you are justified in your complaint his proposals for resolving the complaint.
5. There may be occasions when Mr. Banerjee decides that your complaint should be investigated by another nominated solicitor (e.g., if Mr. Banerjee is the subject of the complaint). In such circumstances the nominated solicitor will have conduct of handling your complaint.

What happens if you do not agree with our conclusion about your complaint?

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) bodies exist, which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme. We have, however, chosen not to adopt an ADR process.

If, therefore, you wish to complain further, you may be able to refer your complaint to the independent organisation, the Legal Ombudsman. You should do so as soon as possible and in any event within 6 months of our final communication to you about your complaint. The Legal Ombudsman generally expects consumers to exhaust the law firm’s complaints process before referring a complaint to it.

The Legal Ombudsman’s website is www.legalombudsman.org.uk and contains useful information including the criteria for accepting a complaint (broadly, only from individuals and small businesses, charities and similar organisations) and time limits -the Legal Ombudsman will accept a complaint within 1 year from the date of the act or omission about which you are concerned or within 1 year from when you should have known about the complaint.

The Legal Ombudsman’s contact details are:
The Legal Ombudsman’s contact details are:
Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6167
Slough
SL1 0EH
Telephone number: 0300 555 0333
Email enquiries should be sent to: [email protected]

The Solicitors Regulation Authority
Information relating to reporting concerns about an individual or a firm to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is available on the SRA website. Please note that the SRA does not deal with complaints about poor service. Further information is available here, and they may be contacted at:
Solicitors Regulation Authority
The Cube
199 Wharfside Street
Birmingham
B1 1RN
Telephone number: 0370 606 2555

In addition to the above if a complaint relates to an invoice the client may also be entitled to apply to the court for an assessment of the invoice under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. If a client wishes our charges to be reviewed by the court, they must apply to the court within one month of the date they received the invoice. If the invoice has been paid, more than twelve months has elapsed or a judgment has been obtained in respect of the costs covered by the invoice, the court will not order the invoice to be assessed unless special circumstances apply. If the court makes an order in such circumstances, it may attach conditions to the order in respect of the costs of the assessment.

Please be advised that our entitlement to charge interest in respect of an unpaid invoice may not be affected by any complaint submitted to the Legal Ombudsman or by any application that is made to the court for assessment of the invoice.

Individuals have a right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.co.uk). We would, in the first instance wish to be given the opportunity and chance to deal with any concerns before the ICO is approached so please contact our Data Protection or Compliance Officer, Susanta Banerjee by either email: [email protected] or by telephone on: 0203 973 5773, in the first instance.

If a client of the firm feels unhappy with any aspect of the service we have provided they are entitled to complain to the Solicitors Regulation Authority

For further information or if you want to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure here. In our procedure, we explain how we will handle a formal complaint. We also explain the role of the Legal Ombudsman and the Solicitors Regulation Authority and provide useful contact details so that you can be properly aware of your rights and the options available to you.
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