Complaints Policy

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Silva Lex Ltd - Complaints Policy

Version 1.0 - last updated 13 November 2026

We want every client to be happy with our work and our service. If something has gone wrong, we want to know so we can put it right. This policy explains how to complain and what we will do. It applies to complaints about our work or service and to complaints about how we handle personal data. It sits alongside our Terms of Business at silvalex.co.uk/terms (clause 15) and our Privacy Notice at silvalex.co.uk/privacy.

1. How to complain

   1. Please raise your concern with your point of contact first. Many issues can be sorted out quickly that way.

   2. If that does not resolve it, or you would rather not raise it with them, make a formal complaint in writing by email to info@silvalex.co.uk or by post to Silva Lex Ltd, 37 West Sunniside, Sunderland, England, SR1 1BU.

   3. It helps if you tell us:

      1. your name and, if you are complaining on behalf of a business, its name;
      2. the matter your complaint relates to;
      3. what went wrong and when; and
      4. what you would like us to do to put it right.

   4. A complaint does not end your instructions or our contract. If you want to end the contract, please tell us so separately.

2. What we will do

   1. We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days.

   2. A director of Silva will look into it. We will review the file and the relevant correspondence and may ask you for more information.

   3. We will give you our response in writing within 20 working days of receiving your complaint. If we need longer, we will tell you why and when you can expect our response, and keep you updated.

   4. Our response will explain what we found and, where we agree something went wrong, what we will do about it. Depending on the circumstances, we may apologise, correct or redo work, or reduce or refund part of our fees. We decide what is appropriate.

3. Complaints about personal data

   1. If your complaint is about how we handle your personal data, we will acknowledge it within the time in clause 2.1, which is well within the 30 days the law requires, look into it without undue delay and tell you the outcome.

   2. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

4. If you are still not satisfied

   1. Silva is not a firm of solicitors and is not regulated under the Legal Services Act 2007, so the Legal Ombudsman cannot consider complaints about us and there is no other ombudsman for our services.

   2. If you are a consumer and we cannot resolve your complaint, CEDR is a certified alternative dispute resolution provider for services of this kind. We are not obliged to use alternative dispute resolution and do not currently agree to do so. We will confirm this in our final response.

   3. Nothing in this policy affects your legal rights.

5. Fees during a complaint

   1. Making a complaint does not change when our invoices are due. If your complaint concerns an invoice, clause 12 of our Terms of Business explains how to query it and pay the undisputed amount.

6. How we handle complaints

   1. We treat every complaint fairly and in confidence, and making a complaint will not affect how we treat you.

   2. We keep a record of complaints and use them to improve our service. We keep complaint records in line with our Privacy Notice.

   3. We expect complaints to be made courteously. If a complainant is abusive or makes repeated complaints about a matter we have already dealt with, we may limit or stop further correspondence about it and will say so in writing.

7. Changes to this policy

   1. We may update this policy. The current version is always at silvalex.co.uk/complaints.