Guide to making an effective complaint
These are our top tips on making an effective complaint.
- Don't delay
- Make checks
- Provide all the relevant information
- Be clear and brief
- Provide evidence if relevant
- Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write your complaint
Don't delay
The sooner you tell us the better. We may be able to solve the problem quickly with little impact on you.
If a full investigation is required, access to information and the people involved will be much easier, meaning that the investigation will be much more effective.
We normally only accept complaints raised within 12 months of the issue occurring, or when you become aware of the issue.
Make checks
Make sure you are complaining to the right organisation and that you are following the correct complaints procedure.
Provide all the relevant information
To help us conduct a thorough and effective investigation, we need to know what has happened, what impact this had on you and what we can do to put things right.
We need to know as much information as possible so when describing what happened please let us know:
- which service is involved
- the names of the people involved
- when it happened
- where it happened
- if you have contacted us about this before - for example who you contacted, when, and if you got a response
Be clear and brief
Cover all the relevant points, but please be as brief as you can - lengthy documents can slow down the process.
Use numbered lists and headings to highlight the important issues and only tell us what is relevant to your case. If we need more information to consider your complaint fully, we will let you know.
Provide evidence if relevant
If you have documents that may help us investigate the matter, please provide them when submitting your complaint.
We do not need to see original documents. If you send us items through the post, please make sure you keep a copy.
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write your complaint
We know some people find AI tools useful to support with their writing.
It's important to remember the risks of sharing your information with AI tools. Avoid entering sensitive personal information unless you are confident about how it will be used and protected.
Here are some suggestions to get the best results from AI tools while making sure it still sounds like you and your complaint:
- keep your prompts focused on your experience and how it made you feel - a prompt is a question or instruction that you type into an AI tool to tell it what you want help with
- do not ask AI to add legal arguments, use formal legal language or reference laws to try and make your complaint sound more ‘official’ - simple, clear language that explains what happened to you will always be more helpful than complicated, formal writing
- It's important to check any AI-generated text to make sure it reflects your own personal experience and contains accurate facts