Customer Complaints Procedure
Informal Complaints
The company is committed to providing a quality service for its customers, suppliers and stakeholders working in an open and accountable way that builds the trust and respect of all our stakeholders. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve our service is by listening and responding to the views of our customers, suppliers and stakeholders, and in particular by responding positively to complaints, and by putting mistakes right.
Therefore we aim to ensure that:
- making a complaint is as easy as possible;
- we treat a complaint as a clear expression of dissatisfaction with our service which calls for an immediate response;
- we deal with it promptly, politely and, when appropriate, confidentially;
- We respond in the right way - for example, with an explanation, or an apology where we have got things wrong or information on any action taken etc.
- We learn from complaints, use them to improve our service, and review annually our complaints policy and procedures.
- Any complaints will be handled in a professional and non-confrontational manner
We recognise that many concerns will be raised informally, and dealt with quickly. Our aims are to:
- resolve informal concerns quickly;
- keep matters low-key;
- Enable mediation between the complainant and the individual to whom the complaint has been referred.
An informal approach is appropriate when it can be achieved. But if concerns cannot be satisfactorily resolved informally, then the formal complaints procedure should be followed.
Formal Complaints
Stage 1
In the first instance, if you are unable to resolve the issue informally, you should write to the member of personnel who dealt with you, or their manager, so that he or she has a chance to put things right. In your letter you should set out the details of your complaint, the consequences for you as a result and the remedy you are seeking and send it to our company address. Alternatively you can e-mail your complaint to the line manager with the subject ‘Complaint’.
You can expect your complaint to be acknowledged within 4 working days of receipt. You should get a response and an explanation within 15 working days, and we will respond in the same medium you put forward your complaint, unless requested differently. If you are unsure which member of personnel to write to, your complaint should be sent to the Operations Manager.
Stage 2
If you are not satisfied with the initial response to the complaint then you can write to the Line Manager and ask for your complaint and the response to be reviewed. You can expect the Line Manager to acknowledge your request within 4 working days of receipt and a response within 15 workings days.
Our aim is to resolve all matters as quickly as possible. However, inevitably some issues will be more complex and therefore may require longer to be fully investigated. Consequently timescales given for handling and responding to complaints are indicative. If a matter requires more detailed investigation, you will receive an interim response describing what is being done to deal with the matter, and when a full reply can be expected and from whom.
Final Stage
If you are not satisfied with the subsequent reply from the Training Manager, then you have the option of writing to the General Manager, Andy Gough, stating the reason why you are dissatisfied with the outcome. This is your ultimate point of appeal. You must do this within 10 days of receiving the written response from the Training Manager.
The General Manager will normally respond within 10 working days to inform you of the action which will be taken to investigate your complaint, and when you can expect to hear the outcome of the investigation.
e-Quality Learning Office Staff Contact Details:
Samantha Laidlaw – sam.laidlaw@e-qualitylearning.com – Training Operations Manager
Sam McDougall - samantha.mcdougall@e-qualitylearning.com – Team Leader
If at any point you feel as though you would like to contact a third party about your complaint, then contact your needs assessor directly. You can refer back to your Needs Assessment Report (NAR) and you will find your assessors details on there.
If the complaint needs to be escalated any further then we advise you to contact your Funding Body. You can find their details below.
Funding Body Contact Details:
Student Finance England – 0330 100 0607
PO Box 210, Darlington, DL1 9HJ
Student Finance Wales – 0300 200 4050
SFW_DSA_Team@slc.co.uk
PO Box 211
Llandudno Junction
LL30 9FU
NHS – 0330 330 1345
Nhsbsa.sbaccount@nhs.net
Hesketh House
200-220 Broadway
Fleetwood
FY7 8SS