Complaints procedure
Making a complaint about us.
The complaints process
There are 3 stages to our complaints process:
Stage 1 – The team or our contact centre
Stage 2 – Response from customer service team
Stage 3 - Escalation to the Head of Service Delivery
Types of complaints we can help with
This process deals with complaints about the
- accuracy of information on the companies register
- level of service we’ve provided
There are separate procedures if you want to:
- make a complaint about a limited company
- appeal against a late filing penalty
- report fraud about a company
How to complain
Call the Contact Centre on 0303 1234 500 or e mail enquiries@companieshouse.gov.uk. You can also contact the manager of the team you want to complain about.
Explain the problem, provide as much information as you can, and tell us what you want to happen.
If we can’t resolve your complaint, email complaints@companieshouse.gov.uk. You can also telephone 0303 1234 500 and ask to speak with customer services.
What happens next
A member of our customer services team will reply, in writing or by telephone within 5 working days.
If we can’t give a full response in this time, we’ll tell you what we’re doing and when you can expect a full reply. This might happen if your complaint needs more detailed investigation. We’ll give a contact name and a complaint reference number.
If you’re not satisfied
Ask us to review your complaint at the next stage of the process. You can ask the customer services team to escalate your complaint.
Senior customer service managers will review your complaint.
In some situations, we may not be able to help you. For example, this might be where you’re not happy about a legal requirement and escalation will not change the outcome.
At stage 3, the Head of Service Delivery will investigate.
This is the final stage and completes our internal complaints process.
If your complaint isn’t resolved, you can ask us to refer your complaint to the independent complaint adjudicators. You have to finish the internal complaints process before you can ask for this to be done.
Our customer services team can refer your complaint. We’ll tell you about this in more detail if you reach this stage.
Independent complaint adjudicators
The adjudicators only investigate complaints about:
- level of service
- mistakes
- our complaint handling
- appeals against late filing penalties
Your complaint must be less than 6 months old.
Further information on the independent adjudicators
If you’re not happy with the adjudicator’s decision, you can ask your MP to take your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.