Storage Upper Norwood Complaints Procedure
This complaints procedure explains how customers can raise concerns about our storage and removal services, and how we will handle, investigate, and resolve those complaints. We aim to provide reliable and professional services at all times, but we recognise that occasionally things may go wrong. When that happens, we encourage you to tell us so we can put matters right and improve our service.
Our Commitment to Handling Complaints
We take all complaints seriously and treat every concern with respect and fairness. Our objectives when dealing with a complaint are to understand what has gone wrong, to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and to learn any lessons that will help us improve our storage and removal services.
We will always aim to:
Listen carefully to your concerns, acknowledge your complaint promptly, investigate matters thoroughly and impartially, keep you informed of progress, and provide a clear response with our findings and any proposed resolution.
What Is a Complaint
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our services, staff, or processes, whether the issue relates to storage, removals, collection and delivery, handling of belongings, billing, administration, or customer service. You may complain if you believe we have failed to meet our service standards, have not fulfilled an agreement, or have acted in a way that has caused inconvenience, loss, or dissatisfaction.
Raising a Complaint Informally
In many cases, issues can be resolved quickly and informally. If you experience a problem, please speak to a member of our team as soon as possible. Wherever appropriate, we will seek to resolve the matter on the spot or within a short timeframe. Informal resolution may include clarifying information, correcting an error, arranging a practical solution, or offering an explanation or apology where something has gone wrong.
If you are not satisfied with the informal response, or if the issue is more serious, you may wish to make a formal complaint following the steps below.
Making a Formal Complaint
To help us deal with your concerns effectively, please provide the following information when submitting a formal complaint:
Your full name, your preferred method for us to contact you, details of the service you used, including relevant dates, a clear description of what went wrong, including any supporting information, and what outcome you are seeking, for example an explanation, correction, or compensation where appropriate under our terms.
You may raise a formal complaint in writing or verbally. If you raise your complaint verbally, we may ask you to confirm the key points in writing so that we can ensure accuracy and clarity in our investigation.
Time Limits for Complaints
You should raise your complaint as soon as possible after the issue arises. This helps us investigate while information is still recent and allows us to address matters more effectively. We may not be able to investigate complaints that are raised after a significant delay, particularly where records are no longer available or where it would be unfair or impractical to do so. However, we will always consider the specific circumstances and explain our position clearly.
How We Will Handle Your Complaint
Once we have received your formal complaint, we will follow a structured process:
First, we will acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable period. This acknowledgement will confirm that we have received your concerns and are beginning our review. We will then allocate your complaint to a suitable member of staff who has the appropriate experience and is not directly involved in the issue, to ensure fairness and objectivity.
We will investigate by reviewing relevant records, service notes, agreements, and any information you or our staff have provided. Where necessary, we may contact you for further details or to clarify specific points. We may also speak with staff members who were involved in delivering your storage or removal service.
After the investigation, we will prepare a response setting out our understanding of the complaint, the key facts we have identified, our findings and conclusions, any steps we have taken or will take to resolve the matter, and any changes we will make to our procedures or training to help prevent a recurrence.
Response Times
We aim to provide a full response within a reasonable and proportionate timeframe, depending on the complexity of the complaint. Straightforward matters may be resolved much more quickly, while more complex cases, particularly those involving multiple services or historic events, may take longer. If we cannot provide a full response within our usual timescales, we will let you know, explain the reason for the delay, and give you an updated expected timescale for our final response.
Possible Outcomes and Remedies
Depending on the nature of your complaint and our investigation, possible outcomes may include an explanation or clarification, an apology where we have fallen short, corrective action to address the issue, improvements to our internal processes, staff guidance or additional training, and, where applicable and in line with our terms and conditions and any relevant insurance policies, consideration of financial remedies.
We will explain our decision and the reasons for it clearly. If we cannot meet the specific outcome you have requested, we will explain why and set out any alternative steps we can reasonably take.
If You Remain Dissatisfied
If you are not satisfied with our final response, you may ask for a further review. We will consider whether there is any new information, whether our original investigation was complete and fair, and whether our decision remains appropriate. Following this review, we will confirm our final position.
Confidentiality and Data Protection
All complaints are handled confidentially and in line with our data protection responsibilities. Information will only be shared internally with those who need it to investigate and respond to your complaint. We will store complaint records securely and keep them only for as long as necessary for legal, regulatory, and operational reasons.
Using Complaints to Improve Our Services
We review complaints regularly to identify patterns, recurring issues, or areas where our storage and removal services can be improved. This helps us refine our policies, enhance staff training, and maintain high standards of customer care. By raising concerns, you are helping us deliver better and more reliable services to all customers.
