Here are some of the options that are available:
1. Most reputable organisations have a recognised complaints
or disputes procedure. It may be that when we speak to a manager
he or she will instigate the procedure. If this is the case we
should be patient and wait for the results. If we are still not
satisfied it is worth saying at this point that we have decided
to take our complaint to a higher authority. This in itself may
be sufficient to get them to take it seriously. Threatening to
write to the Managing Director or Chief executive will often
have the desired effect.
2. If we still don't get satisfaction, however, we will need
to take our complaint upwards. We can ask the organisation
concerned who is their relevant independent ombudsman or
adjudicator. Alternatively, we can go to our local
Citizens' Advice Bureau or Trading Standards Office for advice.
Ombudsmen or executive agencies such as Oftel or Ofgem will
take up complaints for us.

3. If we are complaining to shops or restaurants, for
example, it may be that the best body to complain to is the
local council from whom they may lease the premises or to whom
they are licensed.
4. Finally, if all else fails, we may need to instigate legal
proceedings. This may mean going to the small claims court or
seeking arbitration. Go to Citizen's Advice for advice or look on the Office of Fair Trading website.
5 If we really don't seem to be making any progress, then we
can go to Gov.uk and contact them by phone or email
through the website. Alternatively, if it's a trader with whom
we have the dispute, they may belong to a trade body or be
accredited to a scheme such as TrustMark or LAATSN (the local
trader scheme). If so, contact them and they will have a clear
complaints process that we can follow.
Guide to Complaining links
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Complaining can, at worst, be a very time-consuming business.
What starts off as a simple complaint can, if we don't get
satisfaction quickly, turn into a marathon. Some organisations
recognise this and delay things deliberately so that we lose the
will and the patience to carry on.
If we feel that we have a genuine complaint we should not be put
off unless we really cannot afford the time that it takes. We
don't need to be grumpy old people to get what we feel we should
be getting from an organisation. On the other hand, let's not
become grumpy old people for the sake of it.
So read the rest of the Guide to find out how to be as
effective as possible when the need arises to assert your rights
as a consumer. If you have any hints or tips that you
would like to share in order to make us all better at
complaining, please do so through the feedback form or by going to our Forum. |