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.
If you’re a third party
If you’re a third party, your local Citizens Advice will review your complaint instead of our Client Services team.
The Chair of the Board of Trustees will check that:
- your complaint was investigated properly
- the reply responded to all the issues you raised
- the reply was fair and reasonable
The review decision is final.
If you’re complaining about immigration advice
You can ask our Client Services team to review the reply or you can take your complaint to the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).
You should complain to the OISC within 12 months of getting the advice if you can.
Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC)
5th Floor
21 Bloomsbury Street
London
WC1B 3HF
Tel: 0345 000 0046
Fax: 020 7211 1553
Email: info@oisc.gov.uk
Website: http://oisc.homeoffice.gov.uk/
Your call is likely to be free of charge if you have a phone deal that includes free calls to landlines - find out more about calling 0345 numbers.
If you’re complaining about advice about debt or your credit record
You can ask our Client Services team to review the reply or you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The Financial Ombudsman Service can only review your complaint if either:
-
you’ve got a reply to your complaint from your local Citizens Advice
- your local Citizens Advice doesn’t respond within 8 weeks of you making a complaint
Find out how to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service on their website.
If you’re complaining about how we’ve used your data
You can ask our Client Services team to review the reply or you can take your complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline: 0303 123 1113 (Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 4.30pm)
Tel: 01625 545 745
Fax: 01625 524 510
Email: icocasework@ico.org.uk
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Your call is likely to be free of charge if you have a phone deal that includes free calls to landlines - find out more about calling 030 numbers.
If you’re complaining about our fundraising
You can ask our Client Services team to review the reply or you can take your complaint to the Fundraising Regulator.
Find out how to complain to the Fundraising Regulator on their website.
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.