Complaints
Please note: this complaints procedure only relates to incidents that occurred on or after 1st January 2025 where the complaint has been raised by either the debtor or a third party.
For complaints relating to an incident that occurred on or before 31st December 2024, or a complaint made by the claimant (regardless of when the incident occurred), please refer to our previous complaints procedure.
What you can expect from us
We take complaints very seriously. If you have complained, we are sorry that you have felt a need to complain and we want to understand how we can improve. We will listen to your complaint and treat you fairly, honestly and proportionately.
Our procedure
This procedure has been prepared for your benefit in plain language.
The purpose of this procedure will be to arrive at a conclusion that will be mutually agreeable to you, the complainant, and to us as a company which is entrusted to enforce High Court judgments or orders.
Who can complain
Any individual affected by enforcement action undertaken by an accredited firm can lodge a complaint. This includes the person subject to enforcement and anyone reasonably affected by an accredited enforcement firm's actions.
What is a complaint?
A complaint is defined as an expression of dissatisfaction that requires a response. It will be about the negative impact of the standard of service, actions or inaction provided by either our company or our staff.
Everyday queries and service requests (a request for action to be taken, or a change to an agreed payment plan, for example), are not themselves a complaint.
We are unable to consider complaints about the actions of a claimant/creditor or how the debt arose in the first place.
We will only deal with a complaint within three months of the complainant becoming aware that they had a complaint. Outside of this period we will not consider a complaint.
Complaints we cannot consider
We may decide that it would not be appropriate for us to consider a complaint.
For example, it would not usually be appropriate for us to consider a complaint where:
- It relates to the behaviour of a claimant/creditor
- We have already considered the complaint and provided a decision about it
- It relates to a matter where legal proceedings have been launched, or that has already been considered by a court, or which would be more appropriately considered by a court
- It relates to a matter that is being considered by another organisation
- It relates to contractual or commercial matters
We would also not consider complaints relating to the legitimacy of a debt being passed to enforcement agents:
- Complaints about whether a writ is legal, as this is a matter for the Courts to decide
- Complaints about the amount being enforced for on the writ. This should be directed to the judgment creditor or the Court
- Complaints about the law, rather than the enforcement action of the High Court Enforcement Officer, or the enforcement agent, as this is a matter for
the Court - Complaints that are awaiting an outcome from the Courts
- Complaints that are awaiting an outcome from a Police or other enquiry
How to complain
You can send us your complaint by:
- Email to: complaints@thesheriffsoffice.com
- Telephone: 0333 003 0420
- Letter: Complaints Officer, The Sheriffs Office, Vaughan Thomas House, 141 Walter Road, Swansea, SA1 5RW
In order for us to fully investigate your complaint, please provide the following information:
- Your full name
- Your business name (where applicable)
- Your home and business address
- Our reference number
- Parties to the writ
- Date(s) our enforcement agent called to your address
- A clear statement of your complaint (why you are aggrieved)
- Any documentation that you feel will be useful in support of your complaint
- An indication of what you are looking for to satisfy your complaint
We ask that you stick only to the facts and avoid speculation.
Support
If you need support to help you make your complaint a family member, friend or advice organisation can help you. Here are a number of independent, free debt advice organisations who provide advice and support.
The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) may also be able to help.
If you are a third party and assisting someone, please ensure that written authority is provided on behalf of the complainant.
Our complaints process
- On receipt of your complaint, we will send you acknowledgement of receipt and information on how it will be handled and the timeframes. We will normally undertake this within two working days
- We will attempt to investigate and resolve your complaint informally within five working days, normally by phoning you to discuss the matter, unless you tell us you would prefer contact by an alternative method
- Where that is not possible, for example where the complaint is more complex, we will move on to a formal investigation, where we may review body worn video footage, listen to call recordings and review case notes and correspondence. The formal stage will be completed within 20 working days, however if there are exceptional circumstances where we will need more than 20 working days to complete our investigation, we will update you
- Once a decision has been reached, we will let you know the details of that in writing
If we are unable to resolve your complaint after the formal stage of the process has been completed, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB). We will provide you with details on how and where to do this.