Check how we deal with your complaints

This complaints process will be used if you got advice or tried to get advice from us, including:

• at your local Citizens Advice
• over the phone
• by talking to us online
• by writing to us

If you’re complaining about your local Citizens Advice, they can usually still advise you. If they can’t, they’ll try to find a different adviser or, if appropriate, a different organisation to help you.

There’s a different process if you’re complaining about:

• the Consumer Service – check their complaints process
• the Witness Service – they’ll let you know how they deal with complaints
• Pension Wise – they’ll let you know how they deal with complaints
• national Citizens Advice – we’ll let you know how we deal with complaints

If you haven’t got advice from us

You’re a ‘third party’ if you haven’t:

• got advice from us
• tried to get advice from us

If you’re a third party and you’re complaining about your local Citizens Advice, the process is mostly the same – we’ll say where it’s different.

Making your complaint

If you want to complain about your local Citizens Advice, you can contact your local Citizens Advice and say you want to complain.

For all types of complaints, you can complain to our Client Services team.

How we handle unacceptable behaviour

It can be stressful to make a complaint, but we won’t accept poor treatment while dealing with your complaint, including:

• aggressive behaviour
• abusive language or swearing
• unreasonable demands – like demanding that someone talks to you immediately

If you’re seriously or repeatedly abusive we might refuse to deal with your complaint.

You can find out more about how we handle unacceptable behaviour.

Solving the problem informally

Your local Citizens Advice might offer to talk through your problem informally instead of starting the formal complaint process. Talking through your problem might be quicker and less stressful.

If you don’t want to talk informally or it doesn’t help, your local Citizens Advice will deal with your problem as a formal complaint.

Step 1: Your local Citizens Advice investigates your complaint

A manager will investigate your complaint. If your complaint is about the Chief Officer, the Chair of the Board of Trustees will investigate.

The Chair of the Board of Trustees will send you a formal reply. You'll usually get the reply within 8 weeks – 20 working days if you’re a third party. They’ll let you know if it’s going to take longer.

Step 2: Ask for the reply to be reviewed

If you’re not happy with the reply to your complaint, you can ask our Client Services team to review it.

You can find out how to ask for a review in the reply to your complaint – you should ask within 4 weeks of getting the reply.

When you ask for a review, explain which parts of the investigation or reply you’re not happy with.

Our Client Services team will send you an email within 5 days of getting your request for a review telling you what will happen next.

How we review your complaint

Our Client Services team reviews the complaint investigation on behalf of our Chief Executive.

The review will check that:

• your complaint was investigated properly
• the reply responded to all the issues you raised
• the reply was fair and reasonable

Our Client Services team will usually finish its review and tell you their decision within 8 weeks of getting your request for a review.

Step 3: Ask for a review by someone outside Citizens Advice

If you’re still not happy after a review, you can ask for another review by someone outside Citizens Advice – an ‘independent adjudicator’. If you’re a third party, you can’t ask for a review by an independent adjudicator.

You can find out how to ask for a review by an independent adjudicator in the review outcome letter – you should ask within 4 weeks of getting the review outcome.

If you ask for a review by an independent adjudicator, explain which parts of the first review you’re not happy with.

The independent adjudicator will contact you and tell you how long they expect to take.

The independent adjudicator’s decision is final.