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.

We hope that you never have reason to complain. If you do, please follow these steps to ensure that your concerns are resolved quickly:

Our Complaints Procedure
If you have a complaint please contact Mr Niels Dagless. You can write to him at:
Dagless and Whitlock Solicitors, 44 High Street, Milford on Sea, Hampshire, SO41 0QD.

What Will Happen Next
If we have to change any of the responsibilities or timescales set out below we will let you know and explain why.

Within three days we will send you a letter acknowledging your complaint and asking you to confirm or explain any details.

  1. We will investigate your complaint by examining the relevant file.
  2. We endeavour to respond to the complaint in full within 14 days and we will write fully to you setting out our views on the situation and any redress that we would feel to be appropriate.
  3. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, please let us know. We will then arrange to review our decision. We will again aim to do this within 14 days. This will happen in one of the following ways:
    • The person who investigated the complaint will review his or her own decision.
    • We will arrange for someone in the firm who has not been involved in your complaint to review it.
  4. At this time we will write to you confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.

The Legal Ombudsman
If you are not satisfied by our response you may refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman is an independent organisation with powers to resolve complaints about legal services where a client is not satisfied by the Solicitor’s response to their complaint.

The Legal Ombudsman’s contact details are as follows:
• Postal Address – PO Box 15870, Birmingham, B30 9EB
• Telephone Number – 03005 550 333
• Email Address – [email protected]
• Website – www.legalombudsman.org.uk

You will need to bring a 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.

If your complaint is about you can apply to the Court for an assessment of the Firm’s bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. If you exercise a right to have the firm’s costs assessed by the Court, you cannot refer the issue to the Legal Ombudsman.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority
The SRA deals with issues of dishonesty or breaches of the Solicitor’s Code of Conduct. It does not deal with issues of poor service which is the remit of the Legal Ombudsman. However, if the Legal Ombudsman thinks your case involves a breach of their Principles, they will refer your case to the SRA

Please contact the SRA in situations where there are allegations of breaches of the SRA Principles. The SRA does not have the power to award compensation for poor service, or to reduce or refund your legal fees. However, you should report the matter directly to the SRA if you think a firm or anyone regulated by the SRA has breached an SRA Principle.

• Telephone number – 0370 606 2555
• Postal address – Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN
• Website – https://www.sra.org.uk/home/home.page