Standards of service

We will always be polite, friendly and professional at all times, and treat everyone fairly. 

• If you contact us about an issue that we cannot investigate, we will provide you with the contact details for an organisation who can help.
• Our correspondence will be easy to understand.
• When we receive a response to your complaint from the service provider, we will provide you with a copy within 5 working days.
• We will also keep you updated throughout the complaint investigation.

You can call us for free on 0800 121 6022, Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.

We will aim to answer 75% of calls to 0800 121 6022 within 40 seconds on average.

If you leave us a voicemail, we'll call you back within 3 hours, if left before 4pm Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays. Calls left after 4pm will be returned within 3 hours the next working day.

You can contact us in writing by:

• email: contact@consumercouncil.org.uk
• online using our online complaints form
• sending a letter to FREEPOST THE CONSUMER COUNCIL

We will acknowledge written correspondence sent via email or letter within 3 working days. We'll then contact you to move forward with your complaint, and ask you for more information if we need it.

You can book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors in person at our offices in Belfast City Centre. We aim to meet you within 5 minutes of your appointment time. Contact us in a way that suits you to book an appointment.

If you visit our offices without an appointment, one of our advisors will speak to you within 15 minutes.

If you need a bit of extra help, we'll do what we can. We:

• have a telephone translation service through Big Word Translation
• are a JAM Card friendly organisation
• have induction loops in our office and have a Textphone facility
• ensure our website is as accessible as possible. All information on our website is text reader compatible and can be viewed in large text. We also have read-aloud software, language translation, and font size changes
• can provide our information in various formats upon request, such as Audio CD or in Braille.

We're always trying to make our service to you better, and we welcome your feedback.

See ways that we have changed and improved our services as a result of your feedback.

If you are unhappy with our service and make a complaint, we will acknowledge this within 3 working days and provide a written response to you within 10 working days. Find out more here.