Data Protection Complaints Procedure

Our Commitment

At Glanvilles Damant, we are committed to protecting your personal information and handling it fairly, lawfully and transparently.

If you are unhappy with the way we have collected, used, shared or otherwise handled your personal information, you have the right to make a complaint. We will investigate your concerns promptly, fairly and in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

This procedure explains how you can make a data protection complaint and what you can expect from us.

What Can You Complain About?

You can complain if you believe we have not handled your personal information correctly. This may include concerns about:

how we collected your personal information;
how we use or share your personal information;
the accuracy of the information we hold about you;
the security of your personal information;
how long we keep your personal information;
our response to a request to access, correct or delete your personal information;
direct marketing communications;
any other issue relating to your personal information.

This procedure only relates to complaints about data protection. If your complaint concerns the legal service we have provided, please refer to our general Complaints Procedure.

How to Make a Complaint

You can make a complaint by contacting the Director who is our Data Protection Officer:

Email: april.newton@gdlegalservices.co.uk

Post: Data Protection Officer, Glanvilles Damant, The Courtyard, St Cross Business Park, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 5BF
You may also raise your concerns with the person dealing with your legal matter, who will ensure your complaint is passed to the appropriate person.

When making your complaint, it is helpful if you tell us:

your name and contact details;
what has happened;
when the issue occurred;
why you believe your personal information has not been handled correctly; and
what outcome you are seeking.

You do not have to use a particular form, and there is no charge for making a complaint.

If you need assistance in making your complaint or require reasonable adjustments, please let us know and we will do our best to assist you.

What Happens Next?
Acknowledgement

We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 30 calendar days of receiving it.

Our acknowledgement will confirm:

that we have received your complaint;
who is dealing with it; and
whether we need any additional information from you.

Investigation

We will investigate your complaint as quickly as possible.

This may involve:

reviewing our records;
speaking with members of staff involved;
reviewing our procedures; and
making any enquiries necessary to understand what happened.

If we require further information from you, we will contact you.

If our investigation is likely to take longer than expected, we will keep you informed of our progress.

Our Response

Once our investigation is complete, we will write to you explaining:

the outcome of our investigation;
whether we believe your complaint is upheld, partially upheld or not upheld;
the reasons for our decision;
any action we have taken or intend to take; and
your right to complain to the Information Commissioner if you remain dissatisfied.

Where appropriate, we may:

correct inaccurate personal information;
delete information where we are required to do so;
restrict or change how we process your information;
improve our procedures;
provide additional staff training; or
take other appropriate remedial action.

If You Are Not Satisfied

If you remain dissatisfied with our response, you may ask us to review our decision.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner, the UK's independent authority responsible for data protection.
Making a complaint to us does not affect your legal rights.

Confidentiality

We will treat your complaint confidentially and will only share information with those who need it to investigate and resolve your complaint.

Keeping Records

We keep a record of data protection complaints so that we can:

investigate concerns effectively;
improve our services;
identify recurring issues; and
demonstrate compliance with our legal obligations.

These records are retained securely in accordance with our data retention and data protection policies.

Review of this Procedure
We review this procedure regularly to ensure it remains up to date with changes in data protection law and regulatory guidance.

Version: 1.0
Effective Date: July 2026
Review Date: July 2027

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