Customer Care – Complaints
Handling of complaints
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Before filing a complaint in relation to any of EUIPO's services please consider contacting us through our general information contacts where we would be pleased to help you.
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You can also check our website for frequently asked questions regarding European Union trade marks and registered Community designs.
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Please see our warning on the misleading requests for payment.
When something goes wrong or our level of service has failed to meet your expectations, we need you to tell us about it. We value all complaints, as we aim to learn from any mistakes to be able to provide the best possible service.
We generally consider a complaint to be a written expression of dissatisfaction with the services provided by EUIPO and/or EUIPO's processes. The Customer Care – Complaints does not however have the competence to answer complaints about the legal reasoning of the decisions granted by EUIPO. In case of disagreement with EUIPO decisions, you can file an appeal for decisions taken by EU trade mark or Community design examiners.
If your complaint concerns issues relating to Human Resources, please address your query directly to our Human Resources Department – by post or by email.
How to complain
The complaint can be submitted via online form. This is EUIPO´s preferred means of communication since it ensures that your complaint can be handled without any delay. Alternatively, you can send your complaint by post
Please provide the following information (where applicable), to allow us to identify and analyse your case:
- EUTM/RCD file number
- Identity of Complainant (name, surname)
- Address of Complainant (Street, City, Country, Phone No., e-mail)
- Reason for the complaint
What will happen next?
- Once we receive the complaint, the Customer Care – Complaints will send you an acknowledgement of receipt by e-mail or post within one working day
- Your complaint will be dealt with swiftly by the appropriate departments so that a written response can be prepared within the service charter standards
- We will send you a written response to your complaint within 9 working days of sending you the acknowledgment of receipt
What if you are still not satisfied?
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the process or the manner in which a complaint has been handled, please contact us again with your concerns. A review of the complaint and our response to you will then be undertaken by our top management.
European Ombudsman
If you are a citizen of a Member State of the Union or reside in a Member State, you can also make a complaint to the European Ombudsman. The European Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration in the institutions and bodies of the European Union.
Any complaint lodged with the Ombudsman must be preceded by the appropriate administrative approaches to EUIPO.