What to do before you come to us

1. Complain to the trader

Before using any of our ADR schemes, you must have already complained to the trader in question directly (using its published complaints procedure, if it has one) and either:

• Received a Final Written Response (otherwise known as a ‘Deadlock Letter’)
• Given the trader 8 weeks to respond to your dispute

You must bring your complaint to us within 12 months of receiving the Final Response (or, where the trader did not respond, within 12 months of your complaint to them).

We can only deal with unresolved complaints.

2. Check the trader you’re complaining about is a Participating Member of the relevant ADR scheme

We can only process complaints that involve traders that are participating members of the ADR scheme you’re using.

You can check if the trader you are complaining about is a participating member below: 

Who Are You Complaining About?

3. Complete the Complaint Form

It is important that you complete the complaint form thoroughly and provide as much supporting evidence as possible, such as:

• Receipts
• Photographs
• Copies of correspondence

Use the 8 weeks between submitting your complaint directly to the trader & escalating your complaint with us to gather these bits of supporting evidence in order to strengthen your ADR case.