Complaints Procedure

Initial Complaint

You are invited to discuss your complaint with the individual whom you have been dealing or with their immediate department manager in an effort to resolve the issue.

Where should I send my complaint?

Should you not wish to discuss with them or you continue to be dissatisfied you are invited to email us at infor@debtadviceline.org.uk

What should I include in my complaint?

Please ensure that the following details are included in your complaint:

- Your name, address and case code
- The name of the person(s) to whom you have spoken with and when to help us find the relevant information
- Copies of any correspondence or documents relating to your complaint
- Details about what has gone wrong or has not been handled properly and;- How you would like us to resolve your complaint

Review of Complaint What will happen next?

We will provide you with a written acknowledgement within 10 working days of receipt. Your complaint will be reviewed by the Department Manager and a Senior Manager who will provide you with a written response within a further fourteen days. During these fourteen days the Department Manager and Senior Manager will be ascertaining the background facts as quickly as possible.  They may need to contact you to seek additional information as required.In the event that the Department Manager requires more time to fully investigate the complaint they will inform you in writing of a reasonable timetable for response along with reasons for the delay.Once this has been completed they will provide a reply which will include conclusions of their investigations.  It will also include full and clear explanations of the reasons for the conclusions that have been made.  The Department Manager will also detail any legislation which is specific to your case to ensure that it is made clear why a particular procedure is required which may have been the cause for complaint in the first instance.Should the investigations conclude that an error has been made the Senior Manager and /or Department Manager will rectify the error promptly and offer an apology for the error.

Further Action
What if I am not satisfied with the initial response?

If you are not satisfied with the initial response to your complaint, you should write to the: -The Senior ManagerThe Senior Manager will then conduct a review of the complaint with the assistance of another Senior Manager/ Director of the company. They will investigate the complaint and review all documentation relating to the complaint provided by you and used by the original Senior Manager/ Department Manager to formulate the response previously provided.The Senior Manager will provide a response to your complaint within a further fourteen days with his findings.

The Final Stage of Complaint resolutionIf you are still not satisfied the last thing you can do is contact the Financial Ombudsman Service. If you have not received a final response letter from us within 8 weeks of the complaint date, or you are dissatisfied with the decisions in our final response letter, you can write to or call The Financial Ombudsman Service: -
Exchange Tower
London 
E14 9SRTelephone: 0800 023 4 567 (8am to 8pm. Mon - Fri)
Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk

All advice is free. A fee is only payable where further services are requested. All fees will be explained in detail and discussed prior to commencement of any service or debt repayment plan. In the IVA our fees are included in your monthly payment to your creditors so you will not have to pay anymore than you can afford. More suitable debt solutions may be offered which may result in different fees applying and we will discuss those with you during your initial consultation. Creditors may still contact you with promotional material or to fulfil contractual obligations to you but they should deal with us in all aspects relating to the outstanding debts. Acceptance of your IVA cannot be guaranteed but we will do our best. You must meet certain criteria which will be discussed with  debt advice line advisors. Where we put a client forward for an IVA we believe they have an excellent chance of being accepted. Debts will only be written off where a client has made an agreed payment for a fixed period. In return the creditors agree to write off the remaining balance. Typically, our clients average debt write off is between 60-70% of the debt. What debt you have written off will depend on your individual circumstances and is subject to creditor approval and completion of the IVA. Your credit rating may be impacted for up to six years from the commencement of you IVA. Homeowners may be required to introduce equity if available. IVAs are setup and supervised by our Insolvency Practice through our partners. Phone calls: Calls from a landline are normally free. Please consult your provider if you are unsure. Calls from a mobile may be subject to charges. If you get charged just ask us to call you back for free.