Complaints Policy

Waters & Co., is confident  you will find we offer high quality legal advice and client care but if you are unhappy about any aspect of the service you have received please contact Teresa Waters, Solicitor and Managing Partner by email on Teresa@waterssolicitors.co.uk or telephone 01675 463855 or by post addressed to 81 High Street, Coleshill, Birmingham, B46 3AG.  Our written complaints procedure is as follows:-

Our complaints policy

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.

If you have a complaint, please contact us with the details.

What will happen next?

1. We will send you a letter or email acknowledging receipt of your complaint within three days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.

2. We will then investigate your complaint.  This will normally involve passing your complaint to our client care partner, Teresa Waters, who will review your matter file and speak to the member of staff who acted for you.  If the complaint involves Teresa Waters, the complaint will be passed to the other Partner, Bruce Waters.  We would draw attention to the fact that the partnership is a husband and wife team.

3. Teresa Waters, or Bruce Waters, will then invite you to a meeting to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint. S/he will do this within 14 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.

4. Within three days of the meeting, Teresa or Bruce Waters will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions s/he has agreed with you.

5. If you do not want a meeting or it is not possible, Teresa or Bruce Waters will send you a detailed reply to your complaint, including her/his suggestions for resolving the matter, within 21 days of sending you the acknowledgement letter.

6. At this stage, if you are still not satisfied, you should contact us again and we will arrange for someone unconnected with the matter at the firm or an appropriate alternative to review the decision, eg an outside solicitor or mediator, to review the decision.

7. We will write to you within 14 days of receiving your request for a review, confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons.

8. If you are still not satisfied, you can contact: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167. Slough, SL1 0EH about your complaint.  Please note that the time limit to bring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman must not be later than one year from the date of the act or omission being complained about, or one year from the date when you should have realised there was a cause for compliant. If you feel the need to refer a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, you must do so within 6 months of our final response to you. For further information, you should contact the Legal Ombudsman on 0300 555 0333 or at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk.  

9. If we have to change any of the timescales above, we will let you know and explain why.

If you are not satisfied with our handling of your complaint you can ask the Legal Ombudsman to consider your complaint.

The contact details are:
Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
03005550333
enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
www.legalombudsman.org.uk

The Solicitors Regulation Authority work with solicitors firms to make sure they comply with SRA Principles, to make sure they behave independently, fairly and with integrity to best serve the interests of their clients and the public interest.  The SRA welcomes information about dishonesty or breaches of their Principles; however they are not able to deal with issues of poor service.

You can go to the SRA website www.SRA.org.uk and download a Report Form.

Regulatory Information

Waters & Co., is a partnership of Victor Lionel Bruce Waters Solicitor and Teresa Connie Waters Solicitor. Waters & Co., is regulated and authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and is subject to the SRA Code of Conduct.  The SRA’s professional rules including the Accounts Rules and Code of Conduct may be found at www.sra.uk/handbook.  Our principal place of business is 81 High Street, Coleshill, Birmingham, B46 3AG. Our SRA number is 67055.  Our VAT number is 443668234.

Waters & Co., maintains Professional Indemnity Insurance cover in accordance with the Solicitors Indemnity Insurance Rules as set out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.  Minimum mandatory cover is provided by Allianz.

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, Waters & Co., is registered as a Data Controller on the Public Register of Data Controllers maintained by the Information Commissioner.

Waters & Co., is a member of the accredited Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme under number CQS01006.