Our Complaints Procedure

A complaint is an oral or written expressions of dissatisfaction which alleges that the complainant has suffered (or may suffer) financial loss, distress, inconvenience, or detriment.

We aim to resolve any complaint you have about the service we have given you as quickly as possible.  If you are unable to sort things out with the person who has been dealing with you, please contact our Director, Jim Goddard on either of our office telephone number 01782 284320, by emailing jim@goddarddunbar.co.uk  or by post at Goddard Dunbar & Associates Ltd, Genesis Centre, Unit 18 Innovation Way, Stoke on Trent, ST6 4BF.

Once we have received your complaint, Jim Goddard will write to you within 7 days to explain how your complaint will be investigated if a complete response to your complaint has not been made by that time.  You will be told the latest date by which a complete answer will be given to your complaint (this should be not more than 28 days after we received your complaint).  If you have made the complaint verbally – either at a meeting or on the telephone – we will set out in our full response our understanding of the nature of your complaint.

The assessment of the complaint will be based upon a sufficient and fair investigation. We will explain in writing our findings and where the complaint is upheld will offer remedial action or redress. This will be actioned promptly.

If following the outcome of the investigation you remain dissatisfied with any aspect of our handling of your complaint, you may contact directly the Legal Ombudsman to ask them to consider the complaint further:

Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6803
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WF

Unless it agrees there are good reasons not to do so, the Legal Ombudsman will expect you to allow us to consider and respond to your complaint in accordance with the procedure set out above in the first instance. You can refer your complaint up to 6 months after you have received our final written response to your complaint. You can also use the Ombudsman service if we have not resolved your complaint within 8 weeks of us receiving it. A complaint can be referred to the Legal Ombudsman up to one year from the date of the act or omission or up to 1 year after realising there was cause for complaint.  The ombudsman deals with service-related complaints; any conduct-related complaints will be referred to the Council for Licensed Conveyancers.

If you make a valid claim against us for a loss arising out of work for which we are legally responsible, and we are unable to meet our liability in full, you may be entitled to claim from the Compensation Fund administered by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (from whom details can be obtained).