Complaints procedure

What can I do if I am not satisfied with the service I have received?

Whilst we are committed to providing a quality service, we acknowledge that on occasions things can go wrong. If we do not meet your expectations and you are dissatisfied in some way, then we wish to know. Most complaints stem from a lack of communication, in that either we misunderstand your instructions or customers misunderstand the service we provide.
In the first instance, we would encourage you to discuss any problems verbally and informally with your principal contact within the company. If this does not resolve your concerns, then the formal complaints procedure can be invoked.
We have adopted a formal two stage procedure to ensure that any complaint is dealt with fairly and that anyone with a grievance is aware of the procedure to follow, thus avoiding any additional frustration.

How do I make a formal complaint?

Stage 1
If the verbal and informal approach does not satisfactorily deal with your concerns, we ask that you put your complaint in writing to Winnie Taylor or Charlie Brookes at 107 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1NW. If your complaint is about either person and you would prefer the complaint to be handled by another officer of the company, please write to Karen Short, at 107 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1NW. We advise you to keep copies of all correspondence sent to us and notes of any conversations or telephone calls.

In order that we can help resolve your concern as quickly and efficiently as possible, we ask you to provide the following information in the letter of complaint:

• Your name, address and a daytime telephone number on which you can be contacted.
• The name of the individual within the company with whom you have been dealing.
• A clear description of your complaint, giving concise details of what you believe has gone wrong.
• Details of what you would wish to be put right.

Your letter will be acknowledged within 3 working days of receipt enclosing a copy of this procedure. An internal investigation into your complaint will be undertaken and, following completion of the same, you will be provided with a full response within 15 working days of sending the acknowledgement letter with details of what actions we have taken or will take. It is hoped that this response will resolve the matter to your complete satisfaction.

Stage 2
If your complaint is not satisfactorily resolved by stage 1 above or if you still have concerns, you can request that the matter be referred to the Managing Director, Mr Nigel Errington-Smith. A separate review of your complaint will be undertaken and you will be contacted usually within a further 15 working days to inform you of the conclusions reached. This response will represent the final viewpoint of the company.

If you remain dissatisfied after the last stage of the in-house complaint procedure (or more than 8 weeks has elapsed since the complaint was first made), you can request an independent review from The Property Ombudsman without charge:

The Property Ombudsman Ltd, Milford House, 43-45 Milford Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 2BP

01722 333 306

[email protected]

www.tpos.co.uk

Please note the following:

You will need to submit your complaint to The Property Ombudsman within twelve months of receiving our final viewpoint letter, including any evidence to support your case.

The Property Ombudsman requires that all complaints are addressed through this in-house complaints procedure, before being submitted for an independent review.