Complaints Policy and Procedure

Policy statement

1.1  Life Cycle UK aims to run activities and to provide services that meet fully the needs and expectations of our various clients. We value their comments and suggestions and actively encourage clients to comment on the quality of the service they have received via feedback surveys.

1.2  Occasionally, things will not go exactly as planned and Life Cycle UK will fail, either in actuality or in the client’s perception, to have provided an adequate level of service. In such situations we will take steps to:

(a)  Ascertain the nature of the client’s complaint

(b)  Investigate the circumstances relating to the incident

(c)  Talk to Life Cycle team members who were involved in the incident

(d)  Make a judgement as to the severity of the incident

(e)  Provide the client with a formal response and, where appropriate, an apology and a refund

(f)  Put in place appropriate measures to improve Life Cycle UK’s procedures and systems

1.3  Minor complaints, properly handled and speedily resolved, can strengthen the organisation. They enable Life Cycle UK to demonstrate its commitment to customer service and to improve the overall quality of its work.

2  responsibility

2.1  A client who complains should not be regarded as a nuisance: they are behaving correctly in voicing their concerns. Life Cycle UK’s role is to take the complaint seriously, to pay close attention to the matter they raise, and to issue an appropriate response.

2.2  Any staff member may, on occasion, receive a complaint, in person, by telephone, e-mail or in writing. All written complaints should be forwarded to the relevant Manager who is then responsible for investigating the complaint and initiating a response. Life Cycle UK’s Chief Executive should be informed as to their actions and sent copies of any correspondence.

2.3  Complaints delivered verbally need to be handled carefully. In many cases, especially relating to minor matters (for example, Life Cycle provided instructions that were unclear, or ran an event that failed to start at the scheduled time), the client may be content simply to have their say and will accept a verbal apology. If a written complaint is received about a minor matter the response is similar: the client will be contacted (ideally by telephone), the mater discussed, and resolved.

2.4  A verbal complaint about a more serious matter (for example, if improper behaviour by a member of staff or a breach of Health & Safety law is alleged) cannot be resolved on the spot. Anyone receiving such a complaint should:

(a)  with maximum courtesy, encourage the client to contact the Life Cycle UK office and to speak to the relevant Manager or to Life Cycle UK’s Chief Executive,

(b)  alert the relevant Manager or Chief Executive that a complaint has been made.

Serious CLIENT complaints

3.1  On receipt of a serious complaint the Manager or the Chief Executive will discuss the matter with the client, record the details of the complaint and initiate an investigation. No immediate response will be offered to the client other than to thank them for raising the issue and promising them a fully considered reply once the matter has been properly investigated. The client will then receive a written response to the points they have raised together with an apology and, if it is appropriate, the offer of a refund or compensation.

3.2  In exceptional circumstances, if a client remains dissatisfied, despite having had their complaint investigated by a Life Cycle UK Manager or the Chief Executive, they have the option of discussing their complaint with a nominated Trustee (Andrew Webber).

3.3  Complaints made through a third party (for example, a solicitor or journalist) should be passed to Life Cycle UK’s Chief Executive and the organisation will take appropriate advice before making a response.

STAFF COMPLAINTS

4.1  Any member of staff who wishes to make a formal complaint in line with Clause 4 of Life Cycle UK's Equality and Diversity Policy should do so as follows:

(a)  In the case of minor matters, report your complaint to your Line Manager who will deal with it confidentially and with appropriate speed and discretion;

(b)  In the case of serious matters, you should contact directly a nominated Trustee (Andrew Webber).

Response time for dealing with complaints

5.1  Life Cycle aims to deal with complaints as speedily as possible. Wherever possible complaints will be resolved on the spot. If this is not possible then we will aim to achieve a resolution within 48 hours of the complaint arising. If this does not satisfy the client we would ask that they submit a written complaint within 14 days to Life Cycle UK’s Chief Executive who would reply in writing within 14 days.

5.2  If the complaint is still not resolved the client has 28 days to write to the nominated Trustee.

6  confidentiality

6.1  Complaints will be handled in the strictest confidence at all times.

7  Communication

7.1 This policy is communicated to staff, freelance workers and volunteers through regular training sessions; hard copy policy, electronic copies and via regular discussions about matters relating to complaints.

8  REVIEW

8.1  Policy updated and reviewed by the Trustees May 2013

Signed

8.2  Date of next review 2016

9  SOURCES

9.1  Data Protection Act 1988

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