Complaints procedure

How to complain

You can complain in whatever way suits you:

• Email: info@accountingagents.co.uk, with "Complaint" in the subject
• Phone: 0113 833 4233 (Monday to Friday 9:30am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 1pm)
• Post: The complaints lead, Accounting Agents Ltd, 90 New Road Side, Horsforth, Leeds, England, LS18 4QB
• Client portal: send us a message

It helps if you tell us what went wrong, when, what you would like us to do about it, and any reference or documents that help. If you would prefer to raise it informally with your client manager first, that is fine too. If they can't sort it out quickly to your satisfaction, we'll treat it as a formal complaint.

If you need help making a complaint, or need us to communicate in a different format, just let us know.

What happens next

• Acknowledgement, within 3 working days: we confirm we have received your complaint, tell you who is handling it, and give you a reference number.
• Investigation, started straight away: someone who was not involved looks into it. We'll review your file and may ask you for more information or to talk it through.
• Update, within 4 weeks: if we haven't finished, we write to tell you where things stand and when to expect our answer.
• Final response, within 8 weeks: we write to you with what we found, whether we uphold the complaint, what we will do to put it right, and how to take it further if you are not satisfied.

If a complaint is simple and we can resolve it to your satisfaction within 3 working days, we'll confirm the outcome in writing and treat that as our final response.

Putting things right

If we got something wrong, we will say so and try to put you back in the position you would have been in. Depending on what happened, that might include correcting the work at no charge, reducing or refunding fees, or paying a penalty or interest you incurred because of our mistake. If your complaint involves a possible claim against us, we may need to tell our professional indemnity insurers. That will not delay our response to you.

Fees while a complaint is open

If your complaint is about a fee, we will not chase that amount while we look into it. Please keep your Direct Debit in place for your normal monthly fee, so your service continues. If we agree a refund or reduction, we will pay it back or adjust your next collection.

If you are not satisfied

If you are not happy with our final response, or we have not responded within 8 weeks, you can take your complaint to our professional body, the AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians): www.aat.org.uk/membership/standards-requirements/complaints. The AAT looks at whether we have met its professional standards. It does not handle fee disputes.

Other routes, where relevant:

• How we used your personal data: you can complain to the Information Commission at www.ico.org.uk. We would be grateful if you contacted us first so we can try to resolve it.
• A dispute about money: you may also have the right to take the matter to court, including the small claims track for smaller amounts. You may wish to take independent advice.

Our commitment

We will treat your complaint fairly, confidentially and without delay. The person handling it will not be the person complained about. If your complaint is about a director, it is handled by someone independent of it.

Making a complaint will not affect how we treat you or the quality of our work.