Complaints Policy

Complaints Policy of Auto Claims UK Limited

Auto Claims UK Limited views complaints as an opportunity to learn & improve for the future, as well as a chance to put things right for the person or business that has made the complaint.

Our Policy is

To provide a fair complaints procedure which is clear & easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint.
To publicise the existence of our complaints procedure so that people know how to contact us to make a complaint.
To make sure everyone at Auto Claims UK Limited knows what to do if a complaint is received
To make sure all complaints are investigated fairly & in a timely way.
To make sure that complaints are , wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired.
To gather information which helps us to improve what we do .

Definition of a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not about any aspect of Auto Claims UK Limited

Where Complaints come from

Complaints may come from any person or organisation who has a legitimate interest and uses the services of Auto Claims UK Limited

A complaint can be received verbally, by the phone, by email, or in writing. This policy does not cover complaints from staff who should use Auto Claims UK Limited’s Discipline & Grievance Policies

Confidentiality

All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to know & following any relevant data protection requirements.

Responsibility

Overall responsibility for this policy & its implementation lies with Colin Booth Senior Technical Handler and Karen Swann Director of Operations.

Review

This policy is reviewed regularly & updated as required

Adopted on April 2016
Last Reviewed Feb 2017

Publicised Contact Details for Complaints

Written Complaints may be sent to Auto Claims UK Limited at Claims House , Hay Road , Birmingham B25 8HY or by email at info@autoclaims.co.uk. Verbal complaints may be made by phone to 0121 693 0573 or in person to any of Auto Claims UK Limited’s staff volunteers at Claims House, Hay Road, Birmingham B25 8HY.

Receiving Complaints

Complaints may arrive through channels publicised for that purpose or through any other contact details or opportunities the complainant may have .

Complaints received by telephone or in person need to be recorded & the person who receives a phone or in person complaint should :-

Write down the facts
Take the complainants name, address & telephone number
Note down the relationship of the complainant to Auto Claims Uk Limited (i.e Client, Broker, Service provider etc)
Tell the complainant what will happen next & how long it will take

Where appropriate, ask the complainant to send a written account by post or by email so that the complaint is recorded in the complainants own words.

For further Guidelines about handling verbal complaints, see Appendix 1

Resolving Complaints

Stage One
In many cases, a complaint Is best resolved by the person responsible for the issue being complained about. If the complaint has been received by that person, they may be able to resolve it swiftly & should do so if possible and appropriate.

Whether or not the complaint has been resolved, the complaint should be passed to Karen Swann within 2 days , on receiving the complaint Karen Swann should record it on the Complaints Log – Shared Server/ Complaints Log/ Current Year… if it has no already been resolved, then delegate an appropriate person to investigate it and to take appropriate action. If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed & given fair opportunity to respond.

Complaints should be acknowledged by the person handling the complaint within 3 days (FCA Regulation timescale), The acknowledgment should say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person can expect a reply. A copy of this complaints procedure should be attached.

Ideally complaints should receive a definitive reply within 4 weeks, if this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

Whether the complaint is justified or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation and any action taken as a result of the complaint

Stage Two
If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved at Stage One, they can request that the complaint is received at the highest level.

At this stage the complaint will be passed to Darren Swann M.D. the request for a top level review should be acknowledged within 2 days of receiving. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case & when the complainant can expect a reply.

Darren Swann M.D. may investigate the facts of the case themselves or delegate to a suitably senior person to do so. This may involve receiving the paperwork of the case & speaking with the person who dealt with the complaint at Stage One.

If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed & given a further opportunity to respond. The person who dealt with the original complaint at Stage One, should be kept informed of what is happening.

Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within 4 weeks, if this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

The decision taken at this stage is final, unless the M.D. decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution, such as The Legal Ombudsman, PO BOX 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ.

Variation of Complaints Procedure

The M.D may vary the procedure for good reason. His may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, a complaint about the M.D should not also have the M.D as the person leading a Stage Two review.

Monitoring & Learning from Complaints

Complaints are reviewed annually to identify any trends which may indicate a need to take further action.

Appendix 1 – Practical Guidance for Handling Verbal Complaints

Remain calm and respectful throughout the conversation
Listen – allow the person to talk about the complaint in their own words. Sometimes a person just wants to “let of steam “.
Don’t debate the facts in the first instances, especially if the person is angry
Show an interest in what is being said
Obtain details about the complaint before any personal details
Ask for clarification wherever necessary
Show that you have understood the complaint by reflecting back what you have noted down
Acknowledge the persons feelings (even if you feel that they are being unreasonable) – you can do this without making comments on the complaint itself or making any admissions of fault on behalf of the business. e.g. “ I understand that this situation is frustrating for you”
If you feel that an apology is deserved for something that was the responsibility of our organisation, then apologise
Ask the person what they would like done to resolve the issue
Be clear about what you can do , how long it will take and what it will involve
Don’t promise things you can’t deliver
Give clear & valid reasons why requests cannot be met
Make sure that the person understands what they have been told
Wherever appropriate, inform the person about the available avenues of review or appeal