1. Foreword
Help With Debt is committed to ensuring that a professional, fair and supportive service is provided to all its clients. We provide a high-quality service to all persons or businesses in financial difficulty. To assist in achieving this, we employ specialist staff with professional training in insolvency law, accountancy and tax, supported by administrative staff familiar with insolvency procedures. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our service to you and others is by listening and responding to your comments and complaints.
2. Where We Are
Our head office is at Itek House, 1 Newark Road South, Glenrothes KY7 4NS and is open to the public between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday. We are on a main bus route from Glenrothes town centre, and there are car parking facilities next to our building.
There are two railway stations local to our office: Markinch and Thornton. We can arrange to meet you at either station if necessary.
3. Contact with our Staff
Our staff will:
a) Be efficient, courteous and helpful at all times
b) Give their name when answering the phone and in correspondence
c) Treat all customers consistently and impartially
d) Treat all personal information confidentially and use it only as allowed by law
4. Our Standards of Service
We will provide the following standards of service:
a) Be open to the public between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday. Meetings and calls out with these hours can be arranged by appointment.
b) Attend to you within 5 minutes of arrival when you call at our office for an appointment.
c) Try to see you where possible if you call without an appointment (although it is advisable to make an appointment if you can).
d) Conduct all meetings in private.
e) Our building is accessible to, and has toilet facilities suitable for, disabled individuals.
f) We will give a reply to written enquiries within 5 working days.
g) We aim to answer telephone calls, at our switchboard, within 10 seconds. If the first person cannot deal with your enquiry in full, you will be passed to an alternative staff member. If necessary, we will return your call within 24 hours.
h) We will not conduct any work on your behalf without you authorising it, and we will not charge any fees without you knowing what our fee policy is.
5. Monitoring
Our standards are monitored by our professional bodies; our insolvency practitioners are licensed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Details of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland can be found at https://www.icas.com.
6. Your Comments
We are always pleased to receive your comments about our work. It is useful for us to know when we have done a good job, as well as when things have gone less well. This helps us maintain and enhance our services.
7. If Things Go Wrong – Making a Formal Complaint
We hope you will be fully satisfied with the service you receive from Help With Debt. Should you feel dissatisfied or have a complaint to raise we want to hear from you. In the first instance please contact our Associate Director, Angela Paterson, by telephone on 0333 240 0686.
OR by post at the address below:
Angela Paterson
Help With Debt
Itek House
1 Newark Road South
Glenrothes
Fife
KY7 4NS
OR by email to:
In your letter or email you should include, where possible:
a) The subject – Complaint
b) Your name and address, telephone number (including dialing code) and email address.
c) The name of the Help With Debt team member you have been dealing with.
d) Details of any case reference numbers.
e) Information on the nature of your complaint including copies of correspondence relevant to your complaint.
8. What will happen next?
Angela Paterson will take your comments seriously, will address these personally and respond as quickly as possible. You will receive a written acknowledgement within 5 working days providing early assurance that your complaint has been received and is being addressed.
Angela Paterson will investigate matters and draft a formal response in relation to your complaint raised which will be reviewed and considered by one of our directors. You will be advised of the timescale in which we expect to respond to your complaint and kept informed thereafter of the progress or the measures being taken for your resolution thereon. It is hoped that by making Help With Debt aware that you are dissatisfied that your complaint can be resolved quickly. It will be dealt with in a professional and timely manner. If it is found that Help With Debt has made a mistake you will receive an apology and your complaint will be resolved and a full explanation given.
A final response will be issued to your complaint within 8 weeks of receipt.
The report will include:
(a) An acceptance of the complaint and where appropriate an offer of redress or remedial action; or
(b) An offer of redress or remedial action without accepting the complaint; or
(c) A rejection of the complaint and the reasons for doing so.
9. What can I do if I am still not happy my complaint has been resolved by Help With Debt?
DEBT ARRANGEMENT SCHEME (DAS) or other financial advice
For complaints regarding your DAS or where we have provided you with general financial advice.
In the event that your complaint relates to a concern over our advice or our administration of your DAS we will:
(a) Inform you that if you remain dissatisfied with our response that you may refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman, and
(b) Provide you with the website and contact details of the Financial Ombudsman.
The Financial Ombudsman contact details are
Website – www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Complaints Form – https://help.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/help
Helpline – 0800 023 4567
SEQUESTRATION OR TRUST DEED
For complaints regarding your sequestration or trust deed where we act as trustee.
In the event that your complaint relates to a concern over advice or our administration of your sequestration we will:
(a) Inform you if you remain dissatisfied with our response that you may refer your complaint to the Accountant in Bankruptcy, and
(b) Provide you with the postal and website address of the Accountant in Bankruptcy.
The Accountant in Bankruptcy postal address is stated below: The Accountant in Bankruptcy
1 Pennyburn Road
Kilwinning Ayrshire KA13 6SA
Further information in relation to the Accountant in Bankruptcy can be accessed at www.aib.gov.uk. Comprehensive guidance on the Accountant in Bankruptcy’s complaint-handling procedure is available at www.aib.gov.uk
COMPANY INSOLVENCIES
For complaints regarding advice provided on corporate insolvency options, or work in connection with a formal corporate appointment we are administering.
Our licensed insolvency practitioners are regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Any complaints however would require to be issued to the Complaints Gateway operated by the Insolvency Service.
If your complaint relates to a concern over advice or guidance received in relation to a corporate insolvency or a corporate insolvency appointment (such as an Administration, Liquidation or Company Voluntary Arrangement) we will:
(a) Inform you that if you remain dissatisfied with our response that you may refer your complaint to the Insolvency Service Gateway.
(b) Provide you with the website address of the Complaints Gateway.
(c) Provide you with the details of the relevant authorising body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
More information on the process can be found here:
The simplest way to make a complaint is by completing the online complaints form. This can be emailed or sent by post to the Complaints Gateway.
If you have difficulty accessing the online complaints form you can also make your complaint through the Insolvency Service Enquiry Line – email [email protected] or telephone: 0300 678 0015 and you will be taken through the same questions over the phone.
As part of the complaint, you will need to name the insolvency practitioner you wish to complain about. We will provide you with details of the insolvency practitioner(s) responsible for the relevant appointment referred to.
10. When can Help With Debt not deal with my complaint?
Help With Debt is not able to deal with complaints that refer to matters with another organisation or matters that refer to advice or a service provided more than 36 months before Help With Debt was made aware of the complaint.