Businesses utilise GDPR complaints management to handle complaints about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In 2026, data privacy will be very important. If you deal with GDPR concerns the proper way, you'll stay within the law, keep your customers' trust, and protect your brand's reputation.

Any company that handles personal data needs to have a clear way to handle complaints, whether they are about a request to see personal data, a worry that data is being misused, or a report of a breach.

What do you do when people complain about the GDPR?

GDPR complaints management is the organised way of getting, gathering, looking into, and resolving problems people have with how their personal data is being used.

In other words, it entails following the GDPR requirements and also dealing with complaints regarding privacy from consumers or staff. This procedure helps businesses move quickly, keep track of what they do, and stay out of problems with the law.

Important Parts of Dealing with GDPR Complaints

  • Logging complaints means keeping a record of every complaint in a safe place.

  • An investigation is when you look into a complaint to make sure the facts are correct and check if any regulations were broken.

  • Resolution: Taking steps to quickly and effectively fix the problem.

  • Documentation: Keeping records that show you are complying the GDPR.

  • Reporting: If there is a data breach, make sure the relevant people know about it, especially if you have to.

Why you need to take care of GDPR complaints

It's not enough to just follow the regulations when it comes to GDPR difficulties. You also need to minimise risks and gain trust. This is why it matters:

  • Legal Compliance: If you don't manage GDPR complaints correctly, you could get in a lot of trouble with the law. Your business may have to pay up to €20 million or 4% of its global yearly turnover, whichever is higher.

  • Reputation Management: When you rapidly fix problems, it tells clients that you care about their privacy, which builds trust and confidence.

  • Risk Reduction: If you handle complaints the right way, you can find problems with how you handle data, which lowers the chances of breaking the rules or having a breach.

  • Better Relationships with Customers: Customers will be more loyal over time if you quickly address their issues. This shows that you care about their privacy rights.

  • Operational Efficiency: A well-organised complaints management system makes things easier, speeds up the time it takes to fix problems, and cuts down on extra work.

How to Handle GDPR Complaints

A strong way to handle GDPR complaints is to ensure that each one is adequately and legally handled by following specified steps.

Step 1: Receiving the Complaint

Anyone whose data is being used, such as customers and employees, can complain. They could be about using personal information without permission.

  • Data leaks or breaches

  • Requests to get, update, or remove data were not handled properly.

  • Not following the norms of marketing consent

Step 2: Write down what you are unhappy about

There should be a safe way to jot down any complaint that has:

  • When you got it and when

  • Information about the individual who made the complaint

  • What the complaint is about

  • First, look at how bad it is.

Step 3: Recognition

Companies have to tell the person who complained that they got it and are looking into it within 24 to 48 hours.

Step 4: Look it over

The investigation includes the following:

  • Looking through the right records

  • Speaking with the staff or departments that are involved

  • Following the regulations of the GDPR

  • Finding out if a crime happened or someone's rights were broken

Step 5: Finding out what's really going on

Groups do the right things after looking at difficulties, including fixing mistakes in data.

  • Letting people see their own information

  • If asked, removing personal details

  • Making modifications to processes so that they don't happen again

Step 6: Have a conversation

Once the problem has been rectified, the person who complained is told what happened with the investigation.

Things that have been done to make things better

What they can do if they're not happy (such getting in touch with a data protection authority)

Step 7: Write things down and tell someone about them.

It is important to write down all complaints, investigations, and solutions. If there are major violations, you may need to tell regulatory organisations like the ICO in the UK or the CNIL in France.

People who are hurt if the breach is really bad

Benefits of Properly Handling GDPR Complaints

There are a lot of nice things about having a proper way to deal with GDPR complaints:

Following the rules:

  • It makes sure that your company follows the rules of the GDPR, so you don't have to worry about breaking the law or incurring fines.

  • Customer Trust: Shows that you care about keeping private information safe, which makes your brand look better.

  • Risk Mitigation: Tries to find weak spots in how data is handled to lower the chances of a breach.

  • Operational Efficiency: Makes it easy to handle problems, which saves time and boosts productivity.

  • It's easy to show that you're responsible to the authorities if you employ a clear method.

  • Continuous Improvement: You can change your policies, training, and systems based on complaints.

The Right Way to Handle GDPR Complaints

  • In 2026, businesses should use these best practices to handle complaints swiftly and well:

  • Centralised System: Use a secure, centralised system to keep track of and log any complaints.

  • Defined Roles: Make sure everyone knows what their job is when it comes to looking into things, fixing them, and talking about them.

  • Regular training: Teach your workers about the GDPR rules and how to deal with issues.

  • Quick Acknowledgement: Answer complaints right away to show that you are responsible.

  • Data Security: Handle complaints in a way that keeps them safe and private.

  • Escalation Procedures: Make sure there are clear ways to handle concerns that are challenging or harmful.

  • Audit Trails: Keep detailed documents to show that you are following the rules during inspections.

Different kinds of complaints under the GDPR

There are a lot of different elements that can make people complain about GDPR compliance:

Subject Access Requests (SARs) are when someone asks to see the personal information you have about them.

  • Requests for Correction: concerns about missing or wrong personal information.

  • Deletion Requests, often known as the "Right to be Forgotten," let anyone ask for their data to be destroyed in certain conditions.

  • Processing Objections: Complaints regarding how personal information is utilised for marketing or profiling.

  • Data Breach Complaints: Reports of personal information being accessed, leaked, or used without permission.

  • Problems with consent: Problems with cookies, marketing consent, or other data permissions.

Problems with handling GDPR concerns

It's hard to cope with GDPR problems, even though they are important:

Number of Complaints: Big businesses could get hundreds of complaints every month.

  • Complicated Cases: Some complaints need to be looked at in detail by more than one department.

  • Not dealing with concerns properly can put data privacy at risk by allowing more breaches to happen.

  • Regulatory Pressure: When you deal with complaints, the government may check to make sure you are following the rules.

  • If you employ automated methods and set processes, these problems can be considerably easier to deal with.

Questions and Answers

Q1: How long does a company have to answer a complaint under the GDPR?

Usually, you should get an answer within a month, but for more complicated circumstances, it could take up to two months.

Q2: Who is responsible for handling concerns about the GDPR?

The Data Protection Officer (DPO) is usually in charge of complaints, but everybody who works with personal data should know how to handle them.

Q3: What should you do if the problem isn't fixed?

If someone complains, they can take the matter to a higher authority, which may look into it and punish the person who is at fault.

Q4: Do you have to write down your complaints?

Yes, the GDPR says that all complaints, investigations, and findings must be kept on file to establish that people are responsible.

Q5: Is it possible to file complaints online?

Yes, most businesses offer websites, email addresses, or online forms where you may voice your GDPR concerns.

Q6: Do all companies have to deal with GDPR complaints?

It applies to all businesses that handle personal data of EU citizens, no matter where they are located.

Conclusion

Handling complaints about GDPR is an important part of following data privacy rules in 2026. Businesses can: Stay out of difficulties with the law

  • Keep vital information safe

  • Make sure that your clients and stakeholders have faith in you.

  • Help things go more smoothly

A good complaints management system not only ensures sure that your firm follows the rules, but it also shows that you care about protecting people's privacy. Companies that react with concerns right away indicate that they are responsible, honest, and care about privacy. This gives them an advantage in today's world of data.