Customer Complaints Handling Procedure

It is always our intention to provide you with a professional and quality service. However, we understand that there could potentially be an occasion, where you do not feel satisfied with the service you have received from us.

Should you wish to make a complaint about the advice or service you receive, please register your complaint using one of the following methods:

In writing – (please mark your correspondence as ‘Complaint’) to Bingham Long, Exchange Flags, Walker House, 8th Floor, Liverpool, Merseyside L2 3YL.

By email – (please mark your correspondence as ‘Complaint’) to info@robertbinqham.co.uk

By telephone- 0151 318 6444

In-person – Bingham Long, Exchange Flags, Walker House, 8th Floor, Liverpool, Merseyside L2 3YL.

In all cases you should quote your case reference and the file handler’s name.

We will endeavour to resolve your complaint immediately or within five business days of receiving your complaint and we will write to you confirming resolution.

However, if this is not achievable, you can be assured that we will deal with your complaint promptly and fairly, in line with our formal Complaint Handling Procedures listed below:

  • We will write to you within five working days to acknowledge your complaint and provide details of who is handling your complaint.
  • We will keep you informed of the progress of your complaint as our investigations proceed.
  • We aim to provide a final response to your complaint within eight weeks from receipt of you registering your complaint.
  • If we cannot provide you with a final response within eight weeks from the date of receipt of your complaint, we will outline the reasons for the delay and provide you with an indication of when you can expect our response.
  • When we investigate your complaint, we will consider any financial losses, or material inconveniences you have suffered.

In our final response letter, we will detail in-full to you the reasons for our decision, and we will make it clear to you as to whether we accept or reject your complaint.

Legal Ombudsman

If you are still not satisfied with our response or handling of your complaint, then you can contact the Legal Ombudsman regarding your complaint.

The Legal Ombudsman is an independent body established by the Office for Legal Complaints under the Legal Services Act 2007 to deal with complaints against Solicitors.

The purpose of the Legal Ombudsman is to resolve disputes over service in an efficient and informal way by seeking consensus, where possible, between a complainant and the legal service provider.

Ordinarily, you cannot use the Legal Ombudsman unless you have first attempted to resolve your complaint using our internal Complaints Handling Procedure, but you will be able to contact the Legal Ombudsman if:

  • The complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction within eight weeks of first making the complaint to us; or
  • The Legal Ombudsman decides that there are exceptional reasons why the Legal Ombudsman should consider your complaint sooner, or without you having to use our internal Complaints Handling Procedure first; or
  • The Legal Ombudsman considers that your complaint cannot be resolved using our internal Complaints Handling Procedure because the relationship between yourself and Binghams has broken down irretrievably.

If you wish to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, you must also be one of the following:

  • An individual,
  • A micro-enterprise (defined as having fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet below £2 million),
  • A charity (provided annual income net of tax is below £1 million),
  • A club, association or organisation (provided annual income net of tax is below £1 million),
  • A trustee of a trust (with a net asset value less than £1 million); or
  • A personal representative or the residuary beneficiaries of an estate where a person with a complaint died before referring it to the Legal Ombudsman.


As of 01 April 2023 the time periods for reporting a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman is no longer than:

  • 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.

 

Legal Ombudsman Contact Details

You can contact the Legal Ombudsman using the following details:

In writing – PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ.

By email – enquiries@leqalombudsman.orq.uk

By telephone – 0300 555 0333

Online – www.leqalombudsman.orq.uk

Solicitors Regulation Authority

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for behaviours like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you in an unfair way because of your age, disability or any other characteristic. You can contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority using the following details:

In writing – Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN

By email – report@sra.orq.uk

By telephone – 0370 606 2555

Online – www.sra.orq.uk