Send a final written chaser today that states the complaint deadline has passed, asks for a full response within a short fixed period, and confirms the next escalation route if nothing arrives. If no action is taken, the business usually treats the complaint as low priority and the delay drifts on until the issue becomes harder to evidence and resolve. Keep everything in writing, stick to dates and outcomes, and avoid negotiating by phone until a proper response is on record. If the matter involves a regulated firm, prepare to move to the relevant ombudsman route once the firm’s process allows it.
What the problem is
A formal complaint has been raised with a UK company, a deadline has been given (often in the company’s own policy or in a written acknowledgement), and that deadline has now passed without a full response. This tends to affect everyday consumer situations such as delayed refunds, disputed charges, poor workmanship, cancelled services, or ongoing billing problems where the company asked for time to investigate and then went quiet. It commonly shows up after an initial acknowledgement email, after a partial reply that does not answer the key points, or after the company promises a call-back that never happens. By this stage, the customer is usually holding a reference number, a timeline of contact, and a growing sense that the complaint is stuck in a queue rather than being actively handled.
In UK cases, the missed deadline often arrives at an awkward moment: the customer is waiting to decide whether to cancel, charge back, switch provider, or accept a partial offer. The company may still be trading normally and responding to sales queries, while complaint handling slows down. The practical problem is not just the delay; it is the uncertainty about whether the complaint is being investigated at all, and whether the next step will be treated as “premature” if escalation happens too soon.
Why this happens
Missed complaint deadlines usually come from a mix of workload, internal handoffs, and incentives that favour closing easy tickets first. Many businesses run complaints through a separate team that relies on information from billing, delivery, or technical departments, and those internal requests can sit unanswered. Where the complaint involves money, the company may also wait for a manager sign-off, a supplier credit, or a reconciliation cycle before committing to a written position. If the complaint is complex, staff may send a holding message and then fail to diarise the next action, especially when the customer has already provided a lot of detail that takes time to read.
Some businesses also behave strategically: delaying can reduce the number of customers who persist, and it can push people towards accepting a smaller goodwill offer just to end the hassle. Another driver is channel confusion—complaints raised by webform, email, social media, and live chat can end up in different systems, and the “formal” complaint record may not be updated even when someone replies informally. A typical organisational pattern is that the first chaser gets a generic apology and a promise of a callback, but the file does not move until a clear escalation trigger is stated in writing.
Your UK position
When a company misses its own complaint deadline, the practical leverage comes from tightening the timeline and making the next step predictable. A calm, dated chaser that references the original complaint, the promised response date, and the remedy being sought often prompts a proper written reply because it becomes easier for staff to justify prioritising the case. Keeping the request outcome-focused helps: asking for a decision (refund, repair, cancellation, correction of account, compensation) is harder to ignore than asking for “an update”.
In many UK consumer disputes, the strongest position comes from showing that the company has had a fair chance to put things right and has not done so within a reasonable time. That record matters if the dispute later moves to an ombudsman, ADR, a card provider dispute route, or court. The aim is not to argue about policy wording; it is to create a clean paper trail that shows missed deadlines, reasonable follow-ups, and a clear request for resolution.
Practical pressure points that usually work include: setting a short final deadline for a full response, asking for the complaint to be escalated to a manager or complaints lead, and requesting confirmation of the company’s “deadlock” or final response position if they are not going to resolve it. Where the issue is ongoing (billing, service access, account markers), asking for interim steps—such as pausing collections activity or correcting an obvious error while the complaint is reviewed—can also move the case forward.
Official basis in UK
For many consumer disputes, the most useful official basis is the Consumer Rights Act 2015, because it supports a practical expectation that services are carried out with reasonable care and skill and within a reasonable time, and that remedies should be provided when that does not happen. In practice, referencing this is less about quoting legal text and more about framing the complaint as a request for a clear remedy after a missed deadline: a repeat performance, a price reduction, or a refund where appropriate. When a company has already missed its own complaint timescale, a written reminder that a reasonable time has passed can help justify escalation and strengthens the record if the business later argues that it was not given a chance to respond.
For a plain-English overview that supports this approach, use GOV.UK guidance and align the complaint remedy with what is realistically available for the type of service or purchase involved.
Evidence that matters
Evidence is what turns a missed deadline into a solvable dispute. The most persuasive material is usually simple: the complaint acknowledgement, the promised response date, and proof of what was asked for and what was delivered. If the company has replied partially, keep that too, because it often contains admissions (for example, that something was delayed, cancelled, or processed incorrectly). Where the issue involves money, bank or card statements showing the transaction and any partial refund are often more useful than long narrative emails.
What not to do is just as important. Do not send repeated daily chasers across multiple channels, because it can create parallel threads and give the company an excuse to say the complaint is “duplicated” or “awaiting allocation”. Do not edit or overwrite earlier emails; keep the original chain intact. Do not accept a phone-only explanation as the final position; ask for it in writing so the deadline and outcome are clear.
Checklist to gather before chasing again:
- Complaint reference number and the date it was submitted
- The company’s acknowledgement and any promised response timescale
- Key documents: order confirmation, contract, invoice, or booking details
- Proof of payment and any partial refund or credit
- A short timeline of contact dates and what was said
Three common mistakes seen in UK complaints that miss deadlines are: sending a long emotional message that hides the remedy being requested, threatening legal action immediately without giving a final clear deadline, and switching to social media arguments that are hard to evidence later. One thing not to do yet is start a court claim before sending a final written chaser that sets out the missed deadline and the exact remedy being sought.
Steps to take next
Send final chaser
Send one message by the company’s official complaints channel (the same email address or webform thread used for the formal complaint) and keep it short. State the date the complaint was submitted, the date the company said it would respond, and that the deadline has passed. Ask for a full written response within 7 days (or another short fixed period that fits the urgency), and specify the remedy being requested. If the issue is time-sensitive (travel dates, service cut-off, ongoing charges), say what interim action is needed while the complaint is reviewed.
Keep one channel
Stick to one channel for the formal record and attach the key documents again if the company’s system is known to lose attachments. If a phone call comes in, ask for the outcome to be confirmed by email and note the time and name of the person spoken to. If the company tries to move the discussion to live chat, request that the chat transcript is emailed and that the complaint record is updated with the same remedy request and deadline.
Escalate properly
If the company does not respond by the final deadline, escalate using the company’s own complaints escalation route (often “complaints manager”, “customer relations”, or “executive complaints”). Use the official process only and avoid creating new complaint tickets unless the company instructs it, because multiple tickets can reset internal timers. Where the situation matches a wider pattern of silence, the steps in Company ignoring formal complaint help decide when to stop chasing and move to a firmer escalation route.
Change strategy
Change approach when the company keeps sending holding replies without addressing the remedy. At that point, ask for a final position in writing and confirmation of whether the company considers the complaint closed. If the dispute involves a card payment and the company is delaying a refund decision, consider whether a card provider dispute route is appropriate, but keep the complaint record running in parallel so the timeline stays clear. If the company is offering a partial settlement, respond in writing stating whether it is accepted as full and final or only as a partial payment, and keep the remedy request unchanged unless the offer genuinely resolves the problem.
Use official forms
If the company requires a specific complaints form or portal submission, use that official form rather than sending the details in a new email. The form is usually found under the company’s “Complaints”, “Contact us”, or “Help” pages, and it often generates a reference number that is needed for escalation. Prepare the information first so the submission is complete and does not get paused for “missing details”.
Checklist to prepare before submitting the official complaint form or escalation request:
- Reference number and the missed response date
- One-paragraph summary of the issue and the remedy requested
- Attachments: proof of purchase, key emails, and payment evidence
- Any deadlines affecting the remedy (travel date, renewal date, service end date)
- Preferred resolution method (refund to original payment method, repair date, written correction)
A normal response timeframe after a clear final chaser is that a substantive reply arrives within a couple of weeks, though it can be faster where the remedy is straightforward. If there is no response by the final deadline, escalate in writing the next working day using the company’s escalation route and request a final written position; if that still fails, move to the next available external route for that sector (such as ADR or an ombudsman where applicable) using the complaint record as evidence. One neutral typical UK outcome is that the company issues a written final response and offers a remedy once escalation is clearly signposted and the timeline is set out cleanly.
Frequently asked points
Missed response timescale
A missed complaint response timescale usually justifies a final written deadline and escalation to a higher complaints tier. Keep the request focused on the remedy and ask for a full written position.
Holding reply received
A holding reply after deadline often means the case is not actively being worked, so ask for a specific date for a full response and what interim action will be taken. If no date is given, treat it as non-response and escalate.
Phone call pressure
Phone call pressure to settle quickly is common when a company wants the complaint closed without a clear record, so ask for the offer and terms in writing. Do not agree to “full and final” unless the remedy genuinely resolves the issue.
Partial offer made
A partial offer after missed deadline can be accepted as a partial payment while keeping the complaint open, as long as that is stated in writing. If the offer is rejected, restate the exact remedy being sought and keep the timeline intact.
Before you move on
Write down the missed deadline date, send one final chaser with a clear remedy and a short response window, then escalate the next working day if nothing arrives. Time pressure can show up as being pushed to accept quickly on a call while the written complaint remains unanswered.
Get help with the next step
Contact UKFixGuide — Share the date your complaint was submitted, the promised response date, and what remedy is being asked for so the next escalation message can be kept tight and evidence-led.
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