BOOK APPOINTMENT

Complaints Policy

  1. Complaints

We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service, we have provided you should inform us immediately so we can do our best to resolve the problem. We aim to deal with any complaints promptly, fairly, openly and effectively.

It is the policy of the firm that:

  • every complaint made by a client is reported and recorded centrally
  • every complaint received is responded to appropriately
  • the cause of the problem is identified
  • appropriate redress is offered, and
  • unsatisfactory procedures are corrected.

Definition of complaint

Our definition of a complaint is: “any written or verbal expression of dissatisfaction referred to any person in our organisation by a client”.

A complaint can be identified through a letter, telephone call, e-mail, and fax or in the course of a face-to-face conversation.

A complaint may involve:

  • dissatisfaction with the handling of a case
  • disappointment with an alleged lack of communication
  • frustration with an alleged lack of case progress
  • an allegation of discrimination, or
  • dissatisfaction with the outcome of the case.

However, issues of a very minor nature, for example, not returning a non-urgent telephone call until the following day will not necessarily need to be recorded as a complaint.

Complaints may be received from other parties who are not our clients. Although we are not obliged to handle these complaints in the same way, we would ordinarily look to respond to them and investigate the complaint in a similar manner and in similar timescales. We will however make the complainant aware that some elements and timings in our complaints handling procedure are aimed at our clients and may not be appropriate and will be adapted accordingly. Depending on who it is who has complained and the nature of the complaint, the complainant will be made aware that they may not have the same recourse to raise issues with the Legal Ombudsman.

  1. Complaint Procedure

Step One: Formal Complaint

Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your matter.

Kindly raise your complaint by sending an email to info@epislaw.com.

Please provide the full nature of the issue that you would like us to address, we would prefer this to be in writing in order that any scope for misunderstanding can be avoided.  However, this is not obligatory and you are welcome to provide the details to over the telephone or face to face.

Step two: Acknowledgement

We aim to resolve complaints as soon as possible and we shall endeavour to acknowledge your complaint within 10 working days of receipt. Our acknowledgement shall explain the next steps and the likely timescale for sending you our written response to your complaint.

Step three: Investigation & Response

Our complaint handling representative shall then investigate the matter by reviewing the matter file and speaking to the member of staff concerned within ten working days of acknowledging receipt of your complaint. If, for some reason, the matter cannot be investigated in this timeframe, then we will write to you notifying you of this together with the reason why and giving a revised timescale.

If during the investigation of a complaint, the Complaints Handling Representative identifies a matter which could give rise to a potential negligence claim or where a client claims financial loss, compensation or threatens legal action, they will decide, in conjunction with our insurers, whether we should continue with this complaints procedure or adopt some other course of action.

Once the investigation has been completed, if appropriate and necessary, our Complaint Handling Representative shall invite the client to discuss the issue(s) they have raised and hopefully resolve the complaint.  This could be a meeting; video conference call or telephone call and we will discuss the client preference and availability to arrange a convenient time. This process of engagement will take place within ten working days of sending the acknowledgement letter to the client.

Following the meeting, our Complaint Handling Representative shall write to you within five working days of any meeting or call to confirm the discussion and the solution agreed upon and/or any final redress that is offered.

Alternatively, if the client does not want to or are unable to attend such a meeting or would prefer to continue to correspond by email (or if a meeting is not required), we will send the client a detailed, written response, including the proposed solution, within fourteen working days of sending the acknowledgement letter to the client.

Step four: End of complaint or Reconsideration

If the client is satisfied with our response following the above steps, that will be the end of the matter. However, if the client is not satisfied, they will be invited to contact our Complaints Handling Representative again and they will arrange for another senior member of staff who is unconnected with the matter to review the decision. They will write to the client within fourteen days of receiving the request with confirmation of the firm’s final position in relation to the complaint, outlining the reasons and any final redress that is offered.

We have eight weeks to consider your complaint but we will notify you by email if we we cannot resolve your complaint within this time with the reasons why.

Step five: Other avenues

We request that client try complaining to us first in order to allow us the opportunity to put things right.

However, clients do have the right to complain directly to the OISC and are not required to exhaust our complaints procedure before doing so. The OISC, who is the public body regulating immigration advice and services in the UK, may review your file as part of their regulatory role. Their address is:

The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner

21 Bloomsbury Street

London WC1B 3HF

  1. Our Regulatory & Contact Information

EPIS LAW LIMITED is a company registered by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) to provide immigration advice and services at Level 3 in the categories of Immigration and Asylum and Protection.  The company’s Registration number is F202200027.