If we’ve let you down, tell us

We want everyone who uses Citizens Advice to be happy with the service we provide.

That’s why, if we’ve let you down, we want to hear from you – no matter how big or small the issue is.

Often, we’ll be able to put things right. And even when we can’t, knowing where we’ve gone wrong will help us do better in the future.

We promise to deal with every complaint quickly, professionally and confidentially.

Asking the local Citizens Advice to resolve the problem

It’s important to the local Citizens Advice to know what we’ve done wrong, so we can do our best to put it right.

Don’t be afraid to speak to the Manager or person in charge of complaints. They will often be able to solve the problem straight away.

If they can’t, or you’re still not happy, you can make a formal complaint.

Making a formal complaint

There are several ways to make a complaint. You can write a letter explaining what happened and send it to the address on the back of this leaflet, or drop it into the local Citizens Advice centre you are complaining about.

Alternatively, you can call or email the Citizens Advice Feedback team using the details on the back of this leaflet and they will pass your complaint to the right person.

Your complaint will be investigated by someone who isn’t directly involved. If it’s upheld, we’ll apologise fully – and, if appropriate, let you know what we’re doing to put things right.

We aim to respond to every complaint within eight weeks. If it’s going to take longer than this, we’ll explain why and keep you informed of progress.

Asking for a review

If you feel we haven’t dealt with your complaint properly, or you aren’t satisfied with the outcome, you can ask us to review the decision.

Please make sure you ask for this within four weeks of receiving the decision by contacting the Feedback team – details on the back of this leaflet. The review will be overseen by our Chief Executive.

Using an independent adjudicator

If you are still not happy with the decision, you can refer your complaint to an independent adjudicator.

An independent adjudicator is someone unconnected with Citizens Advice who will decide whether we’ve dealt with your complaint fairly.

If you want to progress to this stage, you must contact us within four weeks of receiving your review decision from Citizens Advice. Contact the Feedback

team using the details on the back of this leaflet.

Contacting the Financial Ombudsman Service

The Financial Ombudsman Service provides a free, independent service for clients to solve disputes with not for profit debt advice providers.

The Financial Ombudsman Service will only step in once a local Citizens Advice has had the opportunity to investigate a complaint, so please contact the local service first.

If your complaint is about debt advice or if you were seeking advice about your

credit record and you are not satisfied with the final response, or if eight weeks have passed since you first let us know about your concerns, you can ask the Financial Ombudsman to review your complaint