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1 Complaint Handling Letter Suite
The templates below accompany our Complaint Handling documents and are basic letter templates for areas such as holding letters, acknowledgements and final responses. It is important that you customise the letters to suit your industry and needs and ensure that you have the compliant and legally required content in all correspondence.
The letter templates we have included should be copied onto your own headed paper and customised accordingly. You may also wish to add further letters to your suite as applicable to your industry or the type of complaint received.
Templates Included
- Informal Acknowledgment & Final Response (where response is within 3 days of complaint receipt and has followed the informal process, being quickly/easily resolved)
- Complaint Acknowledgement
- 4-Week Holding Letter
- 8-Week Holding Letter
- Final Response – Complaint Upheld
- Final Response – Complaint Rejected
Where applicable, you may also need to have copies of the FOS Consumer Leaflet which can be ordered from http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/leaflet_ordering.htm
Informal Acknowledgment & Summary
[Internal complaints procedure must be enclosed]
NOTE: This should only be used where you are responding within 3 days of complaint receipt, during the frontline informal process and the issue was resolved easily and quickly. It is best practice to send the conclusion in writing. If you are rejecting the complaint or not upholding the complainants’ requests, you should always refer the case through the formal route with the complete letter suite.
[Enter Date]
[Enter Complaint Reference]
Dear [Enter Name]
Thank you for your [visit/phone call/letter/email] received on [date]. As discussed with you after receipt of the initial complaint, I was sorry to learn that [insert complaint issue] and that you had cause to raise your concerns with us.
As you are aware, I was able to review your complaint immediately and concluded that your concern(s) were valid and have now been addressed. Because of the complaint, we agreed to [insert the actions taken/response given to the complainant]. This outcome was agreed to be in final resolution to your concerns and you have confirmed that the complaint can now be closed.
Please note that, under the terms of our Complaints Procedure and with your agreement, this is our final response and we now consider the complaint to be closed. However, if you are dissatisfied with the agreed outcome or this decision, you have the right to ask us to reopen the complaint and complete a formal investigation. Please find enclosed a copy of our internal Complaints Procedure for your information. Please take the time to read this as it explains what your rights are.
[Delete ICO section if not related to personal data]
As this complaint involves the processing of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint directly with the Supervisory Authority, details of which are below:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
SK9 5AF
0303 123 1113
Yours sincerely,
[Enter Name Complaint Officer/Person handling complaint] [Enter Job title of person handling the complaint] [Enter direct contact methods (i.e. direct dial, direct email, extension etc)]
Enc: [Name of company] Complaints Procedure leaflet
Written Complaint Acknowledgment Letter
[Internal complaints procedure must be enclosed]
[Enter Date]
[Enter Complaint Reference]
Dear [Enter Name]
Thank you for your [letter/email] received in our office on [date].
I am most sorry to learn that [insert complaint issue] and can confirm that we take this matter most seriously and will be conducting a thorough investigation into your concerns. Once we have completed this, we will write to you again.
Please find enclosed a copy of our internal Complaints Procedure for your information. Please take the time to read this as it explains how we will deal with your complaint and when we will contact you again.
[Delete ICO section if not related to personal data]
As this complaint involves the processing of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint directly with the Supervisory Authority, details of which are below:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
SK9 5AF
0303 123 1113
In the interim if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
[Enter Name Complaint Officer/Person handling complaint] [Enter Job title of person handling the complaint] [Enter direct contact methods (i.e. direct dial, direct email, extension etc)]
Enc: [Name of company] Complaints Procedure leaflet
4-Week Holding Letter
[Enter Date]
[Enter Complaint Reference]
Dear [Enter Name]
Further to my letter dated [insert date of latest correspondence], I am still investigating the details of your complaint and wanted to keep you informed of our progress and continued efforts in this matter. The investigation is still ongoing due to [insert reason for delay/prolonged investigation].
I apologise for the delay and thank you for your patience. I will write to you again as soon as our investigation into your complaint has been finalised, and at the latest, within eight weeks of the date from which we received your complaint.
If you need to contact me in the meantime, please do not hesitate to do so. My contact details are below.
Yours sincerely,
[Enter Name Complaint Officer/Person handling complaint] [Enter Job title of person handling the complaint] [Enter direct contact methods (i.e. direct dial, direct email, extension etc)]
8-Week Holding Letter
[Enter Date]
[Enter Complaint Reference]
Dear [Enter Name]
Further to my letter dated [date of latest correspondence], I am sorry that I have still been unable to write to you with the results of my investigation.
This is due to [insert reason for the delay/prolonged investigation]. I apologise for the delay and hope to be able to respond to you within [insert expected response time]. Thank you for your continued patience.
[If you are regulated by a complaint supervisor/ombudsman, use the below or delete]
If you are dissatisfied with the progress of the investigation into your complaint, you may refer your complaint to the [insert name of ombudsman service]. For more information please read the enclosed guide [insert name of guide if supplied by ombudsman’].
The address of the [insert ombudsman service name] is: –
[insert ombudsman name] [insert address] [insert tel number]
[If the complaint involves personal data or GDPR/DPA18 infringes, use the below instead or delete]
If you are dissatisfied with the progress of the investigation into your complaint, you may refer your complaint to the Supervisory Authority: –
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
SK9 5AF
0303 123 1113
Please do not hesitate to contact me in the meantime using the contact details below.
Yours sincerely,
[Enter Name Complaint Officer/Person handling complaint] [Enter Job title of person handling the complaint] [Enter direct contact methods (i.e. direct dial, direct email, extension etc)]
Enc: [enclose any ombudsman leaflets or required material if applicable]
Final response Letter – Complaint Upheld
[If applicable, enclose ombudsman leaflet]
[Enter Date]
[Enter Complaint Reference]
Dear [Enter Name]
Further to my letter dated [insert date of latest correspondence], I have now investigated your complaint fully and would like to apologise for [short summary of mistake/poor service/issue], and for any inconvenience/distress this has caused you.
As a result of our investigation we have concluded that [enter your final response/investigation outcome and actions taken]. As we have upheld your complaint, we will [insert what compensation/actions are to be taken/offered].
Please note that, under terms of our Complaints Procedure, this is our final response.
[If you are regulated by a complaint supervisor/ombudsman, use the below or delete]
If you are dissatisfied with it, you may refer your complaint to the [insert ombudsman name]. You need to do this within six months from the date of this letter. For more information please read the enclosed guide [insert name of guide if supplied by ombudsman’].
The address of the [insert ombudsman service name] is: –
[insert ombudsman name] [insert address] [insert tel number]
[If the complaint involves personal data or GDPR/DPA18 infringes, use the below instead or delete]
If you are dissatisfied with the progress of the investigation into your complaint, you may refer your complaint to the Supervisory Authority:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
SK9 5AF
0303 123 1113
Once again, we are sorry for the inconvenience we caused you and hope you will find that the points above offer an appropriate explanation and fair resolution.
Yours sincerely,
[Enter Name Complaint Officer/Person handling complaint] [Enter Job title of person handling the complaint] [Enter direct contact methods (i.e. direct dial, direct email, extension etc)] Enc: [enclose any ombudsman leaflets or required material if applicable]
Final Response – Complaint Rejected
[If applicable, enclose ombudsman leaflet]
[Enter Date]
[Enter Complaint Reference]
Dear [Enter Name]
Further to my letter dated [insert date of latest correspondence], I have now investigated your complaint fully. While I understand the [inconvenience/distress] that this has caused you, I regret that I am unable to [summary of customer’s request/demand]. The reason for this is [give full detail/results in investigation/final response].
Please note that, under terms of our Complaints Procedure, this is our final response.
[If you are regulated by a complaint supervisor/ombudsman, use the below or delete]
If you are dissatisfied with it, you may refer your complaint to the [insert ombudsman name]. You need to do this within six months from the date of this letter. For more information please read the enclosed guide [insert name of guide if supplied by ombudsman’].
The address of the [insert ombudsman service name] is: –
[insert ombudsman name] [insert address] [insert tel number]
[If the complaint involves personal data or GDPR/DPA18 infringes, use the below instead or delete]
If you are dissatisfied with the progress of the investigation into your complaint, you may refer your complaint to the Supervisory Authority:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
SK9 5AF
0303 123 1113
I acknowledge the [inconvenience/difficulties/distress] this situation has caused you, but considering my comments above, I am sorry that we are unable to [offer the response you were looking for/take this matter further].
Yours sincerely,
[Enter Name Complaint Officer/Person handling complaint] [Enter Job title of person handling the complaint] [Enter direct contact methods (i.e. direct dial, direct email, extension etc)]
Enc: [enclose any ombudsman leaflets or required material if applicable]