Complaints Policy

This document can be used by a private business in the United Kingdom (including a sole trader) to set out its policy and procedure for dealing with complaints. This complaints policy is designed to address consumer complaints.

A consumer is an individual who purchases goods and/or services for personal use. Consumers have certain rights and protections.

A business should have different procedures in place to deal with internal complaints made by its employees or staff members. This is known as a grievance procedure.

It is important for a business to have a complaints policy. The legal regulations which govern the provision of goods and services to consumers state that businesses should provide consumers with information about any complaints-handling policy of the business. Furthermore, the regulations relevant to the provision of services by businesses stipulate that a business should hold a complaints-handling policy.

Certain trade associations or professional bodies may also stipulate the requirement as part of a code of conduct that a business must hold a complaints-handling policy. A business will wish to check whether there are not any industry-specific requirements that they must address within their complaints-handling procedure.

A business which is providing goods or services to consumers will hold a complaints policy in conjunction with other important documents such as:

• Terms and conditions of sale (in-store)
• Website terms and conditions of sale
• A website privacy policy

How to use this Document

This document should be completed with all the relevant information about the business. Once the document has been completed, it should be kept in an accessible place (usually on the website of the business).

Consumers' attention should also be brought to the existence of the complaints procedures. Once the policy has been put in place, the business should deal with complaints in accordance with the policy.

Relevant Law

Some of the key legal provisions which are relevant to the handling of consumers complaints are:

• The Consumer Rights Act 2015
• The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013
• The Provision of Services Regulations 2009

Help from a lawyer

You can choose to consult a lawyer if you need help.

The lawyer can answer your questions or help you through the process. You will be offered this option when you complete the document.

How to modify the template

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.