Complaints procedure
If something has gone wrong we would much rather hear about it than not. This page explains how to raise a complaint, who deals with it and how long it takes.
Email claims@pthclaims.com with the word Complaint in the subject line, or call 0121 516 6441 and ask for the person handling complaints.
We will acknowledge it within 5 working days and give you a full written response within 8 weeks, usually a good deal sooner.
Before you complain
A lot of problems turn out to be a missing update rather than a genuine failing, and those are usually sorted out in one phone call with your handler.
If you have already tried that and it has not been resolved, or the issue is serious enough that you would rather it went straight to a complaint, go ahead. Nothing below stops you complaining at any stage, and doing so will never affect how your claim is handled.
How to complain
By email
Put Complaint in the subject line so it is routed correctly. This is the quickest route.
By phone
Ask for the person who deals with complaints. We will take the details and confirm them to you in writing.
By post
Grosvenor House, 11 St Pauls Square, Birmingham B3 1RB
What to include
The more of this you can give us, the faster we can look into it properly.
Your claim reference
If you have one. It lets us pull the full file straight away rather than searching for it.
Your name and contact details
And how you would prefer us to reply, by phone or in writing.
What went wrong
What happened, and roughly when. Dates and names help, but do not worry if you do not have them.
What you would like us to do
Sometimes it is an explanation, sometimes an apology, sometimes putting something right. Telling us saves a round of correspondence.
Any documents
Emails, letters or photographs that relate to what you are raising.
Anything you have already done
Who you have already spoken to about it, if anyone.
What happens next
We acknowledge it
Within 5 working days of receiving your complaint, in writing, confirming what we understand the complaint to be and who is dealing with it.
It is investigated
By someone not directly involved in what you are complaining about wherever that is possible. We review the file, the correspondence and the call notes.
We may come back to you
If anything is unclear, or we need a document, we will ask. This is also the point where we may be able to resolve it straight away.
You get a written response
Within 8 weeks at the very latest, and usually a good deal sooner. It sets out what we found, whether the complaint is upheld and what we propose to do.
If you are still unhappy
Tell us and we will review it again at a senior level. The section below sets out what else is open to you.
If we cannot resolve it
If you remain unhappy after our final response, you are free to take the matter further.
Where your complaint concerns how we have handled your personal data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Where your complaint concerns a contract or a sum of money, you may take the matter to court in the usual way, and you may wish to take independent legal advice first. Citizens Advice can also help, free of charge.
Where a solicitor has acted for you on an injury claim, that is a separate firm and any complaint about their service goes to them, and then to the Legal Ombudsman if it is not resolved.
Raising a complaint will never affect how your claim is handled, whether you keep your replacement vehicle, or the service you receive from us. It is not held against you in any way.
How we use complaints
Every complaint is logged, including the outcome. We look at them together rather than one at a time, because the same issue coming up repeatedly usually points at something in the process rather than at one person.
Records of complaints are kept in line with our privacy policy.
Need to speak to someone now?
If it is about a live claim and the vehicle is off the road, call us and ask for your handler.
Common questions
We acknowledge every complaint within 5 working days and give a full written response within 8 weeks. Most are resolved a lot sooner than that.
No. Your claim is handled exactly as it would be otherwise, and you keep your replacement vehicle on the same terms. Raising a complaint is never held against you.
Wherever possible, somebody who was not directly involved in what you are complaining about. We will tell you who it is when we acknowledge your complaint.
For complaints about how we have handled your personal data, the Information Commissioner’s Office can consider them. For a dispute about a contract or money, the courts are the usual route, and you may want independent legal advice. A complaint about a solicitor who acted for you goes to that firm, and then to the Legal Ombudsman.
Tell us anyway. Those suppliers work on our instruction, so we will take it up with them and respond to you ourselves.