UNANSWERED COMPLAINT GUIDE
What to do when a company is ignoring your complaint
Practical UK steps when a company has not answered your complaint: organise the evidence, follow up clearly and identify the correct escalation route.
Reviewed 9 September 2026 · UK guidance
QUICK ANSWER
What should you do next?
Send a short written follow-up that identifies your original complaint, states when it was sent, asks for confirmation that it is being investigated and gives a reasonable response date. Keep proof of delivery. If the business still does not respond, check its complaints procedure and the relevant independent escalation route rather than repeatedly starting the complaint again.
First, prove what has already happened
Before chasing the company, collect the original complaint, any acknowledgement, order or account reference, relevant receipts and a dated record of calls or messages. This establishes that the business received enough information to understand the problem.
- Original complaint and date sent
- Delivery, ticket or acknowledgement reference
- Names, dates and summaries of later contact
- The remedy you asked for
- Any deadline the business gave you
Write one useful follow-up
Avoid sending a new version of the full story every few days. Refer to the original complaint, summarise the unresolved point in one or two sentences and ask for a substantive response. State a date by which you would like an update, but do not invent a legal deadline.
- Put “Formal complaint — follow-up” in the subject line
- Quote the complaint or account reference
- Ask whether the complaint has reached the correct team
- Request the complaints procedure and escalation details
- Keep the message factual and save a copy
Know when to escalate
The correct next step depends on the sector and the business’s process. Some regulated complaints have defined response periods; other consumer disputes may go to an alternative dispute resolution scheme, an Ombudsman or a trade body. Check the official service that covers the organisation and your type of complaint.
A final response or deadlock letter can be important because it records the company’s position and may explain how to escalate. Do not assume every complaint uses the same timescale.
How a structured pack helps
An escalation reviewer needs to see the issue, the sequence of events, the requested outcome and the supporting evidence without reconstructing the case from an email chain. ProofPackAI organises those elements into a chronology, evidence index and complaint pack; it does not submit the complaint or decide its merits.
BEFORE YOU ESCALATE
Complaint pack checklist
- ✓Original complaint saved
- ✓Proof of delivery or acknowledgement saved
- ✓Follow-up sent in writing
- ✓Requested outcome is specific
- ✓Company complaints process checked
- ✓Correct independent route checked on an official website
Common questions
Should I keep telephoning the company?
Calls can help, but keep a dated note and follow important points up in writing so there is a usable record.
Is no response automatically proof that I am right?
No. A lack of response may justify escalation, but it does not by itself establish the facts or the outcome.
Can ProofPackAI contact the company for me?
No. ProofPackAI helps organise and draft your own documents. You decide where and when to send them.
Official information to check
Processes and time limits can change. Confirm the position for your complaint using the relevant official service: