Consumer Complaints Handling & ADR Compliance Check

Why this matters

If you sell to consumers in the UK, how you handle complaints is a legal issue, not just a customer service one. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives customers rights to repair, replacement, refund and price reductions when goods, digital content or services are faulty or not as described, and a poor complaints response often turns a fixable problem into a dispute. Under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015, a trader that cannot settle a complaint must tell the consumer about an approved ADR provider and say whether it will use that provider. Some sectors, such as energy, telecoms, financial services and package travel, have their own mandatory ombudsman or complaints rules on top.

Enforcement has become much sharper. Since April 2025 the Competition and Markets Authority can directly investigate and fine businesses for breaches of consumer protection law under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, with penalties of up to 10% of global turnover. Misleading customers about their rights, ignoring complaints, or making refunds difficult can all be unfair commercial practices. A clear, written, well-followed complaints procedure is one of the cheapest ways to reduce that risk and to resolve problems before they reach a regulator, a chargeback or a small claims court.

What you'll need

• Your current complaints policy or procedure, if you have one
• Your terms and conditions and any customer-facing complaints wording
• Details of any ADR provider or sector ombudsman you are a member of
• A rough idea of how many complaints you receive and how they are logged

What you'll get

A personalised compliance report covering: a score out of 100, an executive summary, a list of findings ranked by severity, and a prioritised action plan with timeframes.