Asking the local Citizens Advice to
resolve the problem informally
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.

How: By phone: 08082 787 910
By email: emma.symonds@plymouthcab.org.uk

If they can’t help, 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 wil 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.

How: By email: director@plymouthcab.org.uk

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 National Citizens Advice Feedback team,
using the details on the back of this leaflet. The
review will overseen by the Chief Executive of
National Citizens Advice.

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 Citizen’s 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 already
provided.

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 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 satisified with the final
response, of if eight weeks have passed since
you first let us know about your concerns, you
can ask the Financial Ombudsman to review
your complaint.