Prepare before contacting Citizens Advice

One-page summary

The six facts to put first

• Who the trader or organisation is, including the legal name if known.
• What you bought, agreed to or were told.
• The important transaction and complaint dates.
• What went wrong and the strongest available evidence.
• What outcome you have asked for.
• Any danger, vulnerability, formal notice or deadline.

Dates

Build a short chronology

List only material events at first: order, payment, delivery or performance, discovery of the problem, first report, formal complaint, important response and deadline. Add source references so each entry can be checked against an email, receipt, photograph or letter.

Distinguish the date an event happened from the date you learned about it. If a limitation, cancellation or scheme deadline might apply, record how the date was calculated and treat it as something to verify.

Outcome

Say what you want and why

A request for “help” does not show whether you need advice, a refund, repair, cancellation, correction, compensation, safety action or referral. State the primary result and any acceptable alternative. If money is claimed, explain the amount and provide a simple calculation.

Keep public enforcement separate. You can want your own money back and also want a harmful practice recorded, but those outcomes may require different bodies.

Evidence

Choose the documents that prove the key points

Have the contract, receipt, order confirmation, advertisement, terms, photographs and complaint correspondence ready. Do not send sensitive or excessive material unless requested. Redact another person's personal information where appropriate and keep unedited originals.

Use filenames with a date and description. An evidence index can state what each item proves, which prevents quantity being mistaken for relevance.

During contact

Capture the advice accurately

1. Give the short summary before the background.
2. Ask which route can produce the outcome sought.
3. Ask what evidence or complaint step is missing.
4. Record the date, channel, adviser or reference number where provided.
5. Write down the next action, who must take it and when.

Privacy and urgency

Share carefully and flag urgent facts

Do not put bank credentials, passwords or unnecessary special-category data into a general summary. If the issue concerns immediate danger, fraud, homelessness, court papers or an essential service, say so at the start. The ordinary advice sequence may not be the first action.

ConsumerWise tools

Build reusable working records

Use the chronology builder, evidence checklist and Complaint Route Planner to create a structured record. Exports are working documents, not proof by themselves, so retain the source files separately.

Issue list

Turn a long story into questions that can be answered

Write each disputed issue as a neutral question. For example: “Was the retailer entitled to refuse rejection after the repair failed?” or “Was this fee disclosed before the contract?” Under each question, list your position, the organisation's position and the two or three strongest documents. This keeps advice tied to the decision that must be made.

Do not include every frustrating interaction as a separate issue. Record poor complaint handling in the chronology, then elevate it only where it affects fairness, evidence, delay or a remedy.

Organisation

Identify who actually supplied, financed or decided

Receipts, invoices, website terms, Companies House records, finance agreements and bank statements may show different names. A marketplace may only host a third-party seller. A brand may be operated by a separate legal company. A finance provider may carry its own responsibility.

Write down each entity and its role. This prevents a complaint being rejected because it was addressed to a brand, platform or group company that was not the contracting party.

Remedy

Calculate the money or action requested

List the refund, price reduction, consequential expense, compensation or correction separately. Show dates and receipts for financial loss. Explain why each item follows from the problem. Distress, inconvenience and time spent may be relevant in some schemes, but do not inflate a claim or treat ordinary complaint effort as automatically recoverable.

If several outcomes would solve the problem, rank them. This helps an adviser assess proportionality and gives the organisation a practical route to settlement.

Working note

A concise opening format

Follow with the chronology and questions. This format does not replace a full complaint, but it gives the adviser an accurate starting point.

Final check

Check the pack before contact

• Names and account references are accurate.
• Dates are consistent across the summary and chronology.
• The requested outcome is explicit.
• Urgent risks and deadlines appear on the first page.
• Documents are labelled and sensitive material is controlled.
• Questions are about the route or decision, not just a general request for help.

Official sources

Check the current official route