Complaints Handling Procedure

This Complaints Handling Procedure tells you how we will deal with your complaint and how long it is likely to take. It also provides important information about what you can do if you are not happy with the way in which we are dealing with your complaint, or about our final decision.

Designated Complaints Handler

If you have any concerns about our service, our work, or our charges, you should discuss these first with the individual who has day-to-day control of your matter.

If this person cannot satisfactorily address your concerns and you wish to make a complaint, please contact our Designated Complaints Handler, Mr Tahir Shafiq.

You can write to him at Longfords Solicitors, Greengate Business Centre, 2 Greengate Street, Oldham, OL4 1FN or send an email to ts@longfords.net.

 

Step One: Acknowledging your Complaint

Within two working days of receiving your complaint, your complaint will be recorded in our Complaints Register and a separate file will be opened in which we will store any correspondence and other documents relating to your complaint. Within two working days we will also send you a letter acknowledging your complaint.

 

Step Two: Investigating your Complaint

Within five working days of receiving your complaint, we will review your file(s) and any other relevant documentation and send you a letter telling you how we propose to deal with your complaint. Examples of what we might say in this letter are as follows:

Whichever form our investigation takes, we will aim to give you our final decision within six weeks of receiving your complaint (or sooner if possible).

 

Step Three: Appealing against our Final Decision

If you are not satisfied with our final decision, please let us know and we will review our decision again. We will let you know the result of any appeal within five working days of receiving your appeal.

 

Step Four: The Legal Ombudsman

 

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.
Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must 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.

For more information about the Legal Ombudsman contact:

www.legalombudsman.org.uk

Call: 0300 555 0333 between 9.00 to 17.00.
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ

 

Complaining to the Solicitors Regulation Authority

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic.

Address:            Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN

Telephone:         0370 606 2555

Email:                report@sra.org.uk

Website:            www.sra.org.uk

 

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Where we are not able to settle your complaint using our internal complaints process, there are alternative complaints bodies (such as the Ombudsman Services www.ombudsman-services.org) which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services should both you and our firm wish to use such a scheme. Please let us know if you would like to consider using an alternative complaints body to resolve your complaint.

 

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What Clients Say

I have been working with them for many years. I’m a commercial landlord and have issues all the time with tenants whether it’s in relation to a dilapidation claim, rent review or the renewal of a lease. I know I can rely on them to give me the most cost-effective advice. My business is my livelihood and I rely on them and have been doing so over the years to tell me what’s right for my business. I always keep going back to them as I feel they always treat me as number one.

Came to Longfords after making several telephone calls and I wanted a document preparing at short notice in respect of some loan facilities. Not only were they able to turn it around within a short period of time, but also at a very competitive price. I couldn’t have asked for more. Would use them again, and have recommended them to my friends and family. I don’t do that lightly!

I have been using Longford’s for many years. Being in the construction trade I have used all sorts of lawyers from big multi partner firms to niche specialist outfits. But Longfords are always my first port of call, especially for site developments/disposals etc.

I know that I can rely on them to get all the paperwork ready for me on time.

I instructed them to act for me in relation to a property purchase. Being a first-time buyer, I was nervous and anxious. However, I was reassured and kept informed throughout. Ash was always available at the end of a telephone line when the documents/ emails got too much for me. To top it all Longfords fees were very competitive and certainly cheaper than some of the online conveyancing quotations that I obtained.

As an accountant, I deal with many lawyers – always difficult to get hold of them. Good thing about Ash is that when he promises to call me back, he always does. I can’t remember the times where I’ve had to speak to him out of hours and he has always been accommodating.

Always going above and beyond the call of duty. We like using them because of the added value they provide; advising us about aspects which we wouldn’t normally consider as part of a deal. On far too many occasions they have saved us from extra expense or headache in the future.

Approachable friendly service, we can rely on them to simply get on with things and keep our best interests at heart.

Top-notch service, have been using them for years. Straightforward simple, clear advice.

Thanks Tahir. You did a great job recovering my losses after my previous solicitor let me down when he didn’t apply to renew my business lease and I ended up paying far more rent than I should have been. I am very happy with the compensation you got for me and now I can concentrate on running my business.

Now that my problem is sorted, I just wanted to say a quick thank you. My partners had been causing so many problems in our business, I thought the only way to resolve matters was to go to court and I was afraid of that because it was going to be so expensive. I am grateful that you understood the problems and came up with an solution which meant everyone walked away reasonably happy. You saved me a lot of headache and money! Thanks.

Thank you, Tahir for helping us with our problem. I am sure we could not have persuaded our neighbour to restore the right-of-way to our property which he blocked without your help. We were very worried but you helped us through it carefully in a way that we were very happy with. I will be sure to contact you again if I need a solicitor.

Thank you so much, Tahir. I’m very pleased with the outcome of my claim after severing a tendon in my finger in my work accident. My company have now accepted that blades are not suitable equipment for the work we were doing and have provided everyone in the company with rotary cutting tools. Also, health and safety has become a lot more important within the company and they now carry out “tool box talks” every month. Thanks again.

I was recommended to Longfords by a friend. They have very professional and understanding staff at this firm. They were very easy to speak to and the information they gave me was clear and jargon free. A pleasure to deal with.

Linda went over and above all our expectations when she acted for us when we bought our house. We felt she became more of a friend than just our solicitor. Fantastic service, thanks.

All good, keep up the good work. You gave me a good friendly service and I will recommend you to my friends.

A big thank you to Linda Taylor from Longfords for dealing with my conveyancing. You were recommended by my mortgage broker and I was very satisfied with your service. You kept me in the loop at all times and took the time to explain anything I didn’t understand with great patience. Linda’s customer service was excellent.

Longfords was recommended to me by a friend and it was really easy to contact them. The service that was provided was above and beyond my expectations. Tahir went out of his way to get my mortgage completed. I would gladly recommend Longfords to anyone.

I just want to say thank you for helping me get compensation for me and my family from the criminal injuries compensation authority. I didn’t even know that we could make a claim until you told me that I could when you were helping me with the purchase of my house. You were very sympathetic and caring towards us in what was a very difficult time. You made sure that we got the maximum we were entitled to after advising us to reject the first offer and I could not be happier with the service you gave me.

I contacted Longfords after coming across their website when my son was injured in a road traffic accident. They contacted me straight away and explained how they could help my son get compensation in a very easy to understand way. The partner dealing with my case, Tahir, kept me up-to-date with my son’s case throughout and I was very happy with the compensation my son received. I would be certain to recommend Longfords to any of my friends and have already referred one of my friends to them.

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