Complaints Procedure
This policy was last updated on 18 May 2020
First Tier Complaint
A complaint should be raised within 1 year of the complained of issue arising.
Complaints should be addressed to the Managing Director of ARC Costs Limited, Robert Collington, via any of the below methods. An initial response will be formulated within 14 days to any response received, and a full response to the complaint will be provided within 8 weeks from the date of complaint.
Please mark any email/letter with the subject ‘Complaint’ followed by any reference number/name.
By Email, click here.
By Post: ARC Costs Limited, 4 Bark Street East, Bolton, BL1 2BQ
By Phone: 01204 397302
If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint under the Complaints Procedure, it is recommended that the parties proceed to the Second Tier Complaint Process. This is not mandatory however, and if the First Tier outcome is unsatisfactory or the complaint has not been resolved within eight weeks, then the complainant has the right to refer a service complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, or refer a conduct complaint to the CLSB. Details of the same can be found in the Third Tier Complaint process.
Second Tier Complaint
If a complaint cannot be resolved with the Managing Director as a First Tier Complaint, we would recommend that an approach of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) take place.
For the avoidance of doubt, ADR is not mandatory and the complainant can proceed directly to a third-tier complaint however, ADR will be proposed by ARC Costs Limited as it generally results in an amicable outcome for both parties, at a more conservative cost and in a time-efficient manner.
Approved ADR providers are detailed below however, ARC Costs Limited would also consider any alternative providers suggested by the complainant if they offer a particular benefit to both parties:
– CADR (Costs Alternative Dispute Resolution) – Hunt ADR Limited
If the complaint cannot be resolved within the Second Tier Process, the complainant can proceed to the Third Tier Complaint’s Process.
Third Tier Complaint
The complainant can refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman or the Cost Lawyers Standards Board (CLSB) to escalate a complaint, once the mandatory eight weeks’ time period has expired, but before one year has passed since the complaint arose/you realized you had cause for the complaint.
Legal Ombudsman – Complaint about the Quality of Service Provided
A complaint can be raised by any of the methods detailed below:
Online: https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/
By Post: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
By Phone: 0300 555 0333
Cost Lawyers Standards Board – Complaint about the Professional Conduct of a Costs Lawyer
A complaint can be raised by any of the methods detailed below. For the avoidance of doubt, a complaint should not be made to the CLSB regarding the quality of service received:
Online: https://clsb.info/contact-us
By Email: enquiries@clsb.info
By Post: CLSB, Centurion House, 129 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3WR
By Phone: 0161 956 8969