Do you have a complaint about Citizens Advice?
If we’ve let you down, tell us. We want everyone who uses Citizens Advice to be happy with the service we provide. That’s why, if we’ve let you down, we want to hear from you – no matter how big or small the issue is. Often, we’ll be able to put things right. And even when we can’t, knowing where we’ve gone wrong will help us to do better in the future. We aim to deal with every complaint quickly, professionally and confidentially.
Asking the local Citizens Advice to resolve the problem
It is important to the local Citizens Advice to know what we’ve done wrong, so we can do our best to put it right. Don’t be afraid to speak to the Manager or person in charge of complaints. They will often be able to solve the problem straight away. If they can’t, or you’re still not happy, you can make a formal complaint.
Making a formal complaint
There are several ways to make a complaint. You can write a letter explaining what happened and send it to the address at the bottom of this page, or drop it into the local Citizens Advice centre you are complaining about. Alternatively, you can call or email the Citizens Advice Feedback team using the details on the end of this leaflet and they will pass your complaint to the right person.
Your complaint will be investigated by someone who isn’t directly involved. If it’s upheld, we’ll apologise fully – and, if appropriate, let you know what we’re doing to put things right. We aim to respond to every complaint within eight weeks. If it’s going to take longer than this, we’ll explain why and keep you informed of progress.
Asking for a review
If you feel we haven’t dealt with your complaint properly, or you aren’t satisfied with the outcome, you can ask us to review the decision. Please make sure you ask for this within four weeks of receiving the decision by contacting the feedback team – details below. The review will be overseen by our Chief Executive.
Using an independent adjudicator
If you are still not happy with the decision, you can refer your complaint to an independent adjudicator.
An independent adjudicator is someone unconnected with Citizens Advice who will decide whether we have dealt with your complaint fairly. If you want to progress to this stage, you must contact us within four weeks of receiving your review decision from Citizens Advice. Contact the Feedback team using the details at the end of this leaflet.
Contacting the Financial Ombudsman Service
The Financial Ombudsman Service provides a free, independent service for clients to solve disputes with not-for-profit debt advice providers. The Financial Ombudsman Service will only step in once a local Citizens Advice has had the opportunity to investigate a complaint, so please contact the local service first.
If your complaint is about debt advice or if you were seeking advice about your credit record and you are not satisfied with the final response, or if eight weeks have passed since you first let us know about your concerns, you can ask the Financial Ombudsman to review your complaint.
Who to complain to
Local Citizens Advice
The Manager of the local Citizens Advice centre or the Chair of the Trustee Board at the address below:
Citizens Advice in East Dorset and Purbeck
2 Mill Lane
Wareham
Dorset
BH20 4RA
To contact the Citizens Advice Feedback team:
By phone: 03000 231900
By email: [email protected]
Financial Ombudsman Service
By post:
Financial Ombudsman Service
South Quay Plaza
183 Marsh Wall
London E14 9SR
By phone: 0800 023 4567 – free for people phoning from a “fixed” line (e.g. a landline
at home).
0300 123 9123 – free for mobile phone users who pay a monthly charge
for calls to numbers starting 01 and 02.
By email: [email protected].
