How to complain properly to get the result you need

It’s a tired cliché that the British love to moan – but when it comes to things like receiving a faulty product or poor service, knowing how to complain effectively is crucial in protecting your money. 

The need to complain seems to be rising too. The Institute for Customer Service’s most recent figures show consumers’ satisfaction with customer service is declining.   

When things do go wrong, it often feels difficult to contact an actual human and get complaints resolved - and if we do manage to speak to a real person, getting a solution often isn’t as easy as it should be. 

Thankfully, when it comes to making complaints about poor service or faulty goods, consumer law is on your side. It’s absolutely possible to get your complaint heard, dealt with appropriately and obtain the outcome you want. 

And if the thought of complaining makes your blood run cold, the good news is learning your rights when dealing with issues is often just as important as being assertive. 

Ensure your complaint is valid 

Now, if you’re left out of pocket after a purchase, then you’re probably entitled to a remedy or compensation – this is often referred to as ‘redress’. 

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) you’re entitled to goods and services that are:  

• of satisfactory quality 
• matching the description 
• able to last a reasonable length of time 
• free from defects  
• in the case of services, carried out with reasonable care and skill 

So, if any of these have been broken, you’ve got grounds to start a complaint against the company in question. 

Complain to the right person in writing 

With so many businesses using chat bots and removing customer service email addresses, it sometimes seems impossible to find the right person.  

You might be able to find the CEO’s name, email address and head office postal address from the CEO Email service. 

The CEO may not respond personally (although some do) but your correspondence may well be escalated past customer service if they take note.  

If this route doesn’t yield any results, other contact details might work instead, as long as you highlight that it's regarding a customer complaint. 

Remember, your contract is always with whom you paid your money and only ever the manufacturer if you bought directly from them. If there’s a problem with delivery, contact the retailer, not the courier.  

Wherever possible, it’s best to write rather than using the telephone, as you’ll then have the evidence should you need to escalate the matter. 

If you talk through the issue on the phone, you may forget things or get cut off and, importantly, you won’t have all the evidence of what was said and agreed.  

If you must phone, make notes of what you want to say beforehand. Take the person’s name straightaway and ask them to send you what was agreed by email, if possible, while you wait. 

Be objective and remove emotion 

The first thing to remember when starting a complaint is to stay calm – always being polite will, invariably, bring the best outcome.  Even if you’re upset with the situation, being clear is critical. 

Your goal should be to explain the issue succinctly and describe events (perhaps using bullet points), giving ultimate clarity on when and where things happened.  

If the complaint is long, summarise the main points at the end and take care to only use the facts - subjective opinion isn’t relevant. 

Know your rights 

You don’t have to be a lawyer to complain effectively, but quoting the basics of consumer law will show businesses you know what you’re talking about and why you’re raising the issue. 

Lisa Webb, Senior Lawyer at Which?, says: “We have some great consumer protections in the UK that mean you shouldn't end up with poor products and services.  

“However, if you do end up with a dud, you've got the ability to have things put right, whether that be in the form of a refund, replacement or repair.”  

When using the CRA you’re entitled to a full refund up to 30 days from purchase, after which time the retailer can offer a replacement or repair. 

When shopping ‘off premises’ (so, things like buying online, on the phone or using a mail order company), you’ve got 14 days to change your mind - and another 14 days in which to return the item under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.  

Whether you pay return postage will depend on the retailer’s terms and conditions, unless there’s a CRA breach, in which case the retailer should pay. 

Tell them what you want… 

OK, so you’ve decided that you’ve got a case and are clear how you’re going to do it – now's the time to create the complaint itself. 

Start by stating what you want as a resolution. Now, this could be an apology, a refund, a replacement, repair or training for their staff to make sure the issue doesn’t happen again.  

Be reasonable, but assertive, referring to your consumer rights as shown above. 

…when you want it 

Set a deadline.  Five working days is fine for an email but allow two calendar weeks if writing a letter.  

You may get a holding response informing you that they’re investigating the matter and a date by which they’ll contact you again – if this happens, make a note of when to get in touch if you haven’t heard anything. 

…and what you’ll do if you don’t get it 

Always end your correspondence with “Should I not be fully satisfied with your response I will not hesitate in taking the matter further, which will include but not be limited to…”  

Then fill in what would be appropriate, such as contacting any relevant Ombudsman, Trading Standards, posting on review sites or taking the matter to the Small Claims Court. 

Keep copies of everything you send and all correspondence you receive as you may need them if you do end up taking the matter further. 

And do it, if necessary 

If you’ve not heard back from the company you’re complaining to within a reasonable time, or believe the response to be unfair, it might be time to take things further. 

There’s an Alternative Dispute Resolution Provider (ADR) - usually an Ombudsman - for many areas of business, and it’s mandatory for regulated sectors. 

These includes The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), The Energy Ombudsman and there are two bodies for mobile, broadband and landline issues: The Communication Ombudsman or the Communication & Internet Services Adjudication Scheme.  

But they exist in some non-statutory sectors too, such as the Motor Ombudsman, the Furniture & Home Improvement Ombudsman and Rail Ombudsman, all of which provide ADR. 

It can be more complicated for pensions. For complaints about a workplace or personal pension, contact the Pension Ombudsman. If it’s about a complaint relating to advice on pensions, then it’ll be the FOS.  

If you have a pension complaint, Edale Investments’ Financial Adviser, Lawrie Chandler, says it’s important to go through the financial provider’s complaint process before raising the issue with an Ombudsman.  

Always complaining to the provider first and allowing them to rectify the situation will make things easier. 

“In 2023, around 86% of complaints received by the Pension Ombudsman were rejected because the customer had not provided any documentation, had not yet raised the matter with those being complained about, and/or had not completed an internal dispute resolution procedure,” adds Chandler. 

Key takeaways 

• Make sure you understand your consumer rights before making a complaint. 
• It’s better to put your complaint in writing, rather than picking up the phone. 
• Be assertive, spelling out what happened, the outcome you want and when you expect a response. 
• Don’t be afraid to escalate your complaint or take it to the relevant Ombudsman if you aren’t happy with the situation.