top of page

Complaints Handling Procedure

We are committed to providing a high-quality legal service to all our clients. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our standards.

This procedure explains how we handle complaints about our service, bills that we have rendered, and complaints about the way we have processed personal data.

Our complaints procedure

If you have a complaint about our service, a bill that we have rendered, or the way we have processed your personal data, please contact us with the details.

The person to contact is Bola Fakoya and she can be reached at:

Full postal address: Net Solicitors Ltd, Pett Lodge, Charing, Ashford, Kent, TN27 0DX

Telephone: 0207 175 6804

Email: complaints@net-solicitors.co.uk

What will happen next?
 

  1. We will send you a letter or email acknowledging receipt of your complaint within 7 days of us receiving the complaint, enclosing or providing a copy of this procedure. If your complaint is a data protection complaint, please see the separate data protection complaints section below, which explains the specific process and timescales that apply to data protection complaints.

  2. We will then investigate your complaint. This will normally involve passing your complaint to Bola Fakoya, who will review your file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.

  3. Bola Fakoya will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. This will be done within 21 to 28 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter or email, depending on the complexity of your complaint.

  4. Within 14 days of the meeting, Bola Fakoya will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions she has agreed with you.

  5. If you do not want a meeting, or it is not possible, Bola Fakoya will send you a detailed written reply to your complaint, including her suggestions for resolving the matter, within 28 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter or email.

  6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied with our response to a complaint about our service or a bill, you should contact us again and we will arrange for someone unconnected with the matter at the practice to review the decision.

  7. We will write to you within 21 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.


If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.

If you are still not satisfied with our response to a service or billing complaint

If your complaint is about our service or a bill and you are still not satisfied after we have provided our final response, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman at:

PO Box 6167

Slough

SL1 0EH

Tel: 0300 555 0333

Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk 

There are time limits within which complaints must be made to the Legal Ombudsman. Generally, you must refer 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.


You also need to be aware that the Legal Ombudsman only deals with complaints from certain types of complainant, including:

(a) an individual;

(b) an enterprise which, at the time that the complaint is made, is a micro-enterprise;

(c) a charity with an annual income net of tax of less than £1 million at the time the complaint is referred;

(d) a club, association or organisation, the affairs of which are managed by its members or a committee or committees of its members, with an annual income net of tax of less than £1 million at the time the complaint is referred;

(e) a trustee of a trust with an asset value of less than £1 million at the time the complaint is referred;

(f) a personal representative of an estate of a person; or

(g) a beneficiary of an estate of a person.

 

Data protection complaints

 

A data protection complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction by an individual, or by someone acting on their behalf, about the way in which we have processed their personal data.This may include a complaint about how we have collected, used, stored, shared, retained, erased, secured or deleted personal data, or how we have handled a request relating to personal data.

 

A complaint does not need to refer to data protection law, the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 or the Information Commissioner’s Office in order to be treated as a data protection complaint.

We will consider the substance of the concern raised.

 

Data protection complaints should be sent to:

Bola Fakoya at Net Solicitors Ltd, Pett Lodge, Charing, Ashford, Kent, TN27 0DX

Telephone: 0207 175 6804

Email: complaints@net-solicitors.co.uk

 

We will acknowledge receipt of a data protection complaint within 30 days of receiving it. Where appropriate, we may ask you to provide further information to help us understand the complaint, identify the relevant personal data, verify your identity or authority to act, and investigate the matter properly.

 

We will investigate data protection complaints without undue delay. This may include reviewing the relevant file, systems, correspondence, data processing activity, privacy information provided to you, any data subject rights request, and any relevant internal policies or procedures.We will provide you with a response explaining the outcome of our investigation in clear and plain language.

 

Where we uphold the complaint, in whole or in part, we will explain any steps we have taken or propose to take to remedy the issue, where appropriate. Where we do not uphold the complaint, we will explain our reasons.If we cannot provide a full response promptly, we will keep you informed of progress and tell you when you can expect a response.

 

If you remain dissatisfied with our response to a data protection complaint, or with the way in which we have handled it, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Further information is available on the ICO’s website.

What to do if you are unhappy with our behaviour

The Solicitors Regulation Authority can help 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.

Further information about how to raise concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority is available on the SRA’s website.

bottom of page