How to complain to companies How to complain

If you have a problem with something you've bought (or want to buy), you'll need to contact the shop, trader or service provider to get it sorted.

You might be able to get things sorted out quickly and easily by talking to them in person or over the phone. Explain what’s happened and ask for a reasonable remedy – for example, a refund, a replacement product or free repairs. Often, an informal approach is enough to get things put right.

But if it’s a complicated or serious problem, or if the company you're dealing with is unhelpful, you’ll need to take stronger action. Here’s how to make an effective complaint to get the result you want.

Gather evidence and write a letter

Make sure you have evidence to back up your claim. Include copies of previous correspondence or receipts with your letter if possible.

Mention any other evidence that you have that you can use if you need to – for example, if you’re complaining about a holiday, this might be video footage of a substandard hotel room, or names and addresses of witnesses or other people that suffered the same problem as you.

Also quote the law that applies to your problem if you can.

Say what you want

Tell the company what action you would like them to take, such as repair, replacement, a refund or compensation, for example, for money you’ve had to spend.

But you must be reasonable about compensation: you can’t ask for £1,000 when it cost only £30 to fix something.

Set a deadline

If a first letter doesn’t produce results

A first letter to a company might not get the result you want – or you might not get a response at all. A company may tell you something like ‘we don’t give refunds’ or ‘it’s too late – you should have complained within 30 days’.

But these kinds of statement are often not true – and might be contrary to what the law says. For example, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 make it illegal for a shop to display a notice saying ‘no refunds’, which implies that you can’t get your money back under any circumstances. By law, a shop is liable for goods it sells that turn out to be faulty, and you have up to 6 years (5 in Scotland) to make a claim for breach of contract.

If you want to take the matter further, your next letter should:

• quote the law or regulation that the company is in breach of, and explain why, and
• make it clear that, unless the company deals with your complaint properly, you will take further action. This could be, for example, starting proceedings in the small claims court, or taking your complaint to an ombudsman, depending on the problem.

If you paid by credit card

If you pay for goods and services on a credit card, under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, your credit card company is equally liable for any breaches of contract (as long as the goods cost more than £100 but less than £30,000). If you are having problems contacting the company, or it fails to resolve your complaint you can take up the matter with the credit card company.

Where to get advice

If you need help or advice making a complaint, see the Which? guides that relate to your problem. If you need more specific advice contact your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau or Which? Legal Service. You may need to consult a solicitor if you’ve been injured (for example, by a defective product) or if the complaint is complicated or involves a large sum of money.