Complaints procedure
Purpose
The aim of this document is to provide a clear explanation of how to access and use our Complaints Procedure and what will happen at each Stage of the process.
THE COMPLAINTS PROCESS
Within 5 working days - Complaint Acknowledgement
We will contact complainant either to discuss and resolve dissatisfaction or confirm via a letter that complaint has been logged at Stage 1 of our Complaints Procedure.
Within 10 days - Stage 1
We aim to investigate and respond in writing within 10 working days of the complaint being acknowledged
Within 20 days
Complainant given time to accept Stage 1 decision or request that complaint is escalated to Stage 2
Within 2 days
Escalation request received and Senior Manager will review new reasons and/or additional information provided by complainant alongside our original response.
Decision will be confirmed in writing to complainant advising whether or not request to escalate has been accepted or it has not.
Within 20 days - Stage 2
We aim to investigate and respond in writing within 20 working days of confirming that we have accepted the request to escalate.
If you are dissatisfied with our stage 2 response, you are entitled to refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service.
1. How to access the Complaints Procedure
1.1 Complaints or expressions of dissatisfaction can be made in different ways:
- By phone, calling 01296 732600
- Via the website www.fairhive.co.uk
- By e-mailing complaintsgeneral@fairhive.co.uk
- By writing to us at the main office address
- Through social media
- Completing and returning a complaints leaflet available to download from our website, via post upon request or you can arrange to collect one from our main office reception.
When you first contact us we will aim to resolve your concerns either through our Customer Service Team and/or with the support of colleagues within the organisation.
We will aim to do this within 2 days of you contacting us to reduce the length of time you have to wait for a resolution. Importantly this work is logged in our system.
Any evidence of poor service delivery identified by us at this stage will be logged as a learning action.
If you are not happy with our response at this stage you can ask for your concerns to be logged as a formal Complaint at Stage One of our Complaints process.
You do not need to use the word ‘complaint’ for it to be treated as such. If your concerns fall within the definition of a complaint, staff will identify it as such and speak to you about entering the formal process.
2. Exclusions
The following matters will not be classed as complaints:
- Reports of anti-social behaviour or harassment, which are covered by separate policies unless we have failed to respond to you first reporting the matter;
- A first time request for service e.g. a repair request;
- Survey feedback e.g. from information you provide from our nominated feedback provider;
- Complaints about services not authorised by us;
- Legal proceedings have started. This is defined as details of the claim, such as the Claim Form and Particulars of Claim, having been filed at;
- Complaints about any policy, process or rule of law will likely be excluded however we will review each case on merit.
3. Complaint Acknowledgement – within 5 days
- Your complaint will be logged and assigned to the relevant service manager and they will contact you either via phone or email within 5 days to acknowledge receipt of your complaint.
- They will discuss your complaint points and check with you what you are expecting as an outcome.
- They will also check with you what your preferred method of contact is and explain what the next steps are.
- We will send you an acknowledgement letter which will outline your complaint and the outcome you are expecting.
4. STAGE ONE (1) – We aim to complete this stage within 10 working days of logging your complaint with us
- The Service Manager will carry out a full investigation, and follow up with you as necessary, including home visits to assess the problem.
- If the complaint is about a member of staff, the manager will speak to them to find out their side and allow them to comment on the finding before a final decision is made.
- The Service Manager will aim to respond to you within 10 working days. If, for any reason, this timescale is unlikely to be achieved they will contact you and explain the reasons for the delay and agree an anticipated date of response. This extension should be no more than an additional 10 working days.
- Following the conclusion of the investigation, the Service Manager will contact you to discuss the findings and outcomes.
- We will send you a letter confirming the complaint stage, decision and reasons for the decision, our remedy to put things right and any further actions to be taken.
- Should you remain dissatisfied following the conclusion of our investigation, you have 20 working days in which to contact us outlining your reasons for requesting that your complaint is escalated to Stage Two (2) of our complaints process and what you are expecting as an outcome.
- To ensure impartiality, your request will be reviewed by a more senior member of staff who will contact you to either confirm that your complaint has been escalated or the reasons why it has not. They will follow it up in writing to you and provide you with information on what you can do next.
5. STAGE TWO (2) – We aim to complete this stage within 20 working days
- Your complaint will be investigated by a senior manager who will review our Stage One (1) response along with the additional information that you have provided. They will contact you to discuss your concerns and aim to respond in writing within 20 working days advising whether or not your complaint has been upheld.
- Again if, for any reason, this timescale is unlikely to be achieved we will contact you explaining the reasons for the delay and advise you of an anticipated date of response which should be no more than an additional 10 working days
- Should you remain dissatisfied following our stage 2 final response, you are entitled to refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service. (see section 8)
6. Unreasonable or persistent complainants
In a very small number of cases the actions or behaviour of a complainant may be considered unacceptable. For guidance on this matter please refer to the Unreasonable or persistent complainants – Guidance.
7. Customer satisfaction
We are committed to engaging with all of our customers including complainants who can often provide useful insight into how we are delivering our services. Therefore 20 working days after we consider your complaint has been closed we will submit your contact details to our 3rd party provider who captures customer feedback. As part of this process you may be contacted and asked to give your views about our approach to managing your complaint. Your feedback may be used for training or auditing purposes in the future.
If you do not wish to be contacted by our survey provider please let us know.
8. Appeal to the Housing Ombudsman
At any point during the complaints process, you can refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman. They cannot investigate your complaint whilst your complaint is going through our internal complaints procedure however the Ombudsman may be able to help you and Fairhive Homes reach a resolution. A link to their website and their contact number is listed below:
Housing Ombudsman Service
PO Box 1484
Unit D
Preston
PR2 0ET
Telephone: 0330 111 3000
Email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
Web: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk
9. Improvement Opportunities
Improvement opportunities are identified by reviewing complaints on a regular basis to ensure lessons learnt are captured, where applicable changes made to processes and effectiveness of improvements monitored.
10. Monitoring and Review
As part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement our Performance Improvement Manager will be responsible for reviewing this procedure and updating as required every 12 months. In addition the process will be formally reviewed every three years in order to reflect good practice/or changes in legislation.
11. Compensation
There may be occasions where you are entitled to compensation after the investigation of your complaint. Please see our Compensation Policy for details.
| Author | Faziela Dharsey |
|---|---|
| Job title | Performance Improvement Manager |
| Faziela.dharsey@fairhive.co.uk | |
| Reviewed | 14 November 2023 |
| Next Review | 14 November 2024 |
