Tips for resolving a complaint with a government entity or department

Tips for resolving a complaint with a government entity or department

At times, public services can go wrong. If you are unhappy with your experience at a Government department or another public entity, it is your right to make a complaint. Not only does this help resolve issues for yourself, but it also assists organisations in improving their services.

What is a complaint?

A complaint arises when you are unsatisfied with a service, action, or lack of action by a public body, and you want them to address and rectify the issue.

Tips for making a complaint with the public entity before coming to the Office of the Ombudsman

1. Make your complaint clear

Clarify what you want to say. This should include:

• What happened?
• Who was involved?
• When and where it happened.
• How has it affected you?

2. Decide what you hope to achieve

Think about what you want the public body, entity or authority to do to make things right.  This might include an apology or action to prevent the same issue from happening again.

3. Complain as soon as possible

It is best to make your complaint while the details are still fresh.  If possible, speaking directly to those involved might resolve the issue quickly.  Always enquire about their complaint procedure.

4. Contact the organisation

Find out the best way to lodge your complaint - in person, by phone, or in writing.  If there is a form to fill out, use it and ask when you can expect a response.

5. Keep to the point

Ensure your complaint is concise and clear.  Highlight your main concerns and clearly state your desired outcome.

6. Include your contact details

Let the public organisation concerned know how to reach you, including by providing a contact number.

7. Keep a record

Note down the names and positions of everyone involved with your complaint.  Save copies of any communications, such as emails or letters, as these might be useful later.

8. Contact us

If you have gone through the organisation’s complaints process and you are still unsatisfied, you may bring your complaint to us. 

By following these tips, you can effectively communicate your concerns and help ensure a constructive resolution.

Dealing with Internal Grievances Units

Many Government departments, authorities, entities, or other public bodies have an internal grievances unit that handles complaints.

If you have already lodged a complaint with such a unit but are unsatisfied with the outcome, you can bring your grievance to our Office.  When you do, please include all relevant correspondence and documents, especially a copy of any decision made by the internal grievance unit.

In addition, if you believe that you were adversely affected by the implementation of a decision made by the grievances unit, you can also complain to us.  However, we will only investigate these complaints if it is clear that you have a significant personal interest.

Submitting your complaint: a simple process

1. Check if we can investigate

Use our online complaint checker to see if we can look into your grievance. This quick tool helps you understand if your issue falls within our remit.

Go to complaint checker

2. Submit Your Complaint

If eligible, you can submit your complaint through our online form, by email, or by visiting our office. Make sure to include all relevant details and documents.

Go to complaint form

3. We Review and Investigate

Once received, we will assess your complaint and begin an investigation if it meets our criteria. We handle all cases independently and impartially.

How we deal with your complaint

4. Receive our Conclusions

Once received, we will assess your complaint and begin an investigation if it meets our criteria. We handle all cases independently and impartially.

See some of our cases

Check if we can investigate your complaint

You can check if we can help you with your complaint by using our complaint checker tool

Complaint Checker