Complaints Handling Procedure – Scotland

Plexus North LLP (Plexus) 
(Including its trading names, Plexus and Plexus Law)

Download as a PDF: Complaints Handling Procedure – Scotland

Introduction

We are committed to providing a high quality service to all our clients. When something goes wrong we need clients and staff to tell us about it, as we want to treat our customers fairly and in a manner which protects their interests.  Any complaint by a client is a serious matter and is dealt with promptly.  We will fully investigate the circumstances of the complaint and the issues that are raised.  Any complaint by a non-client will be considered, and when appropriate, investigated so that a response can be given.

We will use the results of the investigation to help prevent any further similar complaints and to put in place any systems and procedures which will ensure improvements.

Our complaints procedure

Plexus in Scotland has a procedure for dealing with complaints. All complaints, which cannot be resolved immediately between the client and the file handler are referred by the person handling your case to their supervisor, who ensures they are recorded on our central register. The supervisor then investigates and responds.  Complaints that cannot be resolved at this stage are then escalated to the Client Relations Manager (CRM).  Ultimately, you may contact the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) if the complaint cannot be resolved within 4 weeks of the initial notification to us.

If you have a complaint about any aspect of the service you have received or about a fee note, please write to us with the details. Address your correspondence to the person handling your case at the office where we are handling your case and mark it as a complaint.

Complaints from non-clients will follow a similar process, but there is no requirement for such complaints to be addressed or resolved within 4 weeks.

What will happen next

We will deal with your complaint in accordance with our internal standard for dealing with incoming communications:

1.  We will send you a copy of this procedure, and an acknowledgement of your complaint providing you with confirmation of the person who will be dealing with your complaint.

2.  At this stage we may provide you with a response to your complaint. If we cannot do so because we feel further investigation of your complaint is required, we will advise you of this and will provide you with a timeframe detailing when you should expect to receive our substantive response.

3.  After our investigation we will send you our substantive response to your complaint. This will include suggestions for resolving the matter.

4.  If you are still not satisfied at this stage you can write to us again.  Your complaint will then be escalated to the Client Relations Manager, Cameron McNaught, who will review your complaint:

Cameron McNaught
Plexus
Semple Street
Edinburgh
EH3 9BL

E-mail: cameron.mcnaught@plexuslaw.co.uk

5.  We will let you know the result the review upon its completion. At this time we will write to you, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.

Professional guidelines require the process covered by paragraphs 1-5 to be completed within 4 weeks; however it is our aim to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction as promptly as possible.

If you are still not satisfied with our final response, you have the right to contact the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission about your complaint. The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission operates strict time limits for accepting complaints, which require complaints to be made within one year of the service ending or the conduct occurring which led to your complaint. However, in the event that your matter commenced or the occurrence giving rise to your complaint occurred on or after 01 April 2017, this time limit has been extended to 3 years.

The contact details for the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission are:

Scottish Legal Complaints Commission
The Stamp Office
10-14 Waterloo Place
Edinburgh
EH1 3EG

Telephone: 0131 528 5111
Website: www.scottishlegalcomplaints.org.uk
Email: enquiries@scottishlegalcomplaints.org.uk

We recognise that Alternative Dispute Resolution Regulations (ADR) have implemented ADR/EDR Directive 2013/11/EU to promote alternative dispute resolution as a means of redress for consumers in relation to unsatisfactory services. We have however chosen not to adopt an ADR process and if you have any concerns about the services you receive from this Firm you should contact the Firm’s Client Relations Manager as detailed above.

General Data Protection Regulation

In relation to personal data provided to us in the course of a complaint, and which will enable us to deal effectively with the complaint, this data will be processed in compliance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation, 2016 and the Data Protection Act, 2018.

Complaints from Third Parties

Third parties are defined as ‘persons, including solicitors, who are not clients of the Firm’. Each third party complaint received will be individually reviewed and responded to appropriately.  When dealing with third parties, our duty of confidentiality to our clients will remain of the utmost importance.