Believing in accessibility for all

Complaints policy

2023

Monitoring and review

Document owner
Approved by
Authorised by
Effective date
Review date
Belinda Mulloy – Homes Direct Manager Julie Haydon, AD – Corporate Services CSD Committee  2021 2022
Andrew Finch – Customer Experience Manager Rebecca Clarke – Head of Customer Experience CSD Committee  2022 2023

Document history

Version
Summary of changes
Document status
Date
2023/2 Housing Ombudsman – update to insurance reference content. Current October 2023
       

1.0 Purpose

1.1 Wolverhampton Homes aims to provide great homes in clean, safe neighbourhoods and to help people get on in life. We are also committed to providing a high-quality customer feedback service, dealing with complaints in a fair and impartial way.

1.2 By proactively listening to our customers and dealing with complaints about our services, we are able to make improvements based on the feedback you give us. It also allows us to manage, respond to and learn from complaints.

1.3 The policy sets out clear processes and timeframes to help customers understand how we will investigate their complaint and how we will respond. We have developed this policy in line with dispute resolution principles recommended by the Housing Ombudsman, which are to:

  • Be fair – treat people fairly and follow fair process.
  • Put things right.
  • Learn from outcomes.

1.4 In a small number of cases where complainants, either individually or on behalf of someone they represent, pursue their complaint in an unreasonable and persistent way, where this is considered to be unacceptable or habitual, this is covered separately by the Persistent or Unreasonable Complainant Policy, as detailed in Section 10.

1.5 The complaints policy aims to set out a clear and fair process for the handling of complaints from all our customers relating to the services we provide.

1.6 The policy contributes to the overall aim of dealing with all complainants in a transparent, consistent, fair, and reasonable way.

2.0 What is a complaint?

2.1 Under this policy, the definition of a complaint is:

An expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the organisation, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents.

3.0 Who can make a complaint?

3.1 A customer can make a complaint if they are the person who is affected by the action, or a customer can give consent for somebody else to act on their behalf.

3.2 Complaints can also be made by Designated Persons as defined by the Localism Act 2011. A Designated Person can be an MP, a local councillor, or a tenant panel member. They can intervene on a customers’ behalf to help to resolve a complaint. 

4.0 Complaints that cannot be dealt with under this policy

4.1 There are certain types of complaints that are not covered by this policy and will not be considered or escalated as a complaint. They are:

  • Anonymous complaints.
  • Where the issue is a service request unless the complaint is relating to a response to a service request.
  • A complaint that has already been fully investigated in line with this policy.
  • A complaint made by an employee about any matter relating to their employment.
  • When the issue took place more than six months ago.
  • Where we have specific arrangements with you, in line with our Persistent or Unreasonable Complainants Policy.
  • Complaints that are being pursued in an unreasonable manner.
  • The policy does not cover complaints which are subject to legal action, where action has commenced following the pre-action protocol.
  • Where there is an insurance claim, whether on-going or closed, this will not prevent related formal complaints being dealt with.

5.0 How to make a complaint

5.1 Information about making a complaint or giving feedback can be found on our website: https://www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk/giving-feedback

Request a compliments and complaints form by calling Homes Direct on 01902 556789.

5.2 Complaints can be made in any one of the following methods:

5.3 We ask customers to let us know if they need any help in making a complaint and we will put them in touch with our Customer Resolution Team who will be able to support them. 

5.4 Where a complaint raises issues that fall within the responsibility of both the City of Wolverhampton Council and Wolverhampton Homes, we will agree with the council who will lead the investigation. We will let the customer know how their complaint will be handled and the reply will be approved by both organisations before it is sent. 

6.0 Putting things right

6.1 We aim to resolve expressions of dissatisfaction quickly, wherever possible at first point of contact with a customer, either by our customer services team or by the relevant service area. If the matter cannot be resolved quickly, we follow a two-stage complaints process detailed as Stage 1 and Stage 2. If we have made a mistake, there are several ways we can try to put it right. This includes:

  • Speaking to the customer over the telephone or in person to ensure we are clear about the concerns.
  • Making an apology.
  • Giving a full explanation.
  • Reviewing a decision that has already been made.
  • Reviewing our procedures.
  • Consider financial compensation – this may include making a goodwill payment or providing advice on making an insurance claim.

We will consider each case on its own merits and offer the most suitable remedy to resolve the issue, to take steps to put things right, and to learn and make service improvements.

7.0 Complaints process

7.1 Stage 1

We aim to resolve all complaints at this stage.

Our Customer Resolution Team will acknowledge the Stage 1 complaint within five working days. They will contact the customer to discuss the complaint and how we can work to resolve it. A check will also be made on any customer support needs to help identify any reasonable adjustments that may be required in the handling of the complaint. Once a complaint is received, we will review it and pass it on to the relevant service lead to investigate and contact the customer. Attempts will be made to resolve the matter straight away.

We will aim respond fully in writing within 10 working days from the day the complaint was received. The service lead will provide all information to the Customer Resolution Team, including whether each element of the complaint is upheld or not. The Customer Resolution Team will contact the customer again to talk through the outcome of the investigation and to check on satisfaction before the letter is issued to the customer. This is an opportunity to review our reply at stage 1 reply if needed, before it is issued within the 10 working days.

If the investigation is going to take longer, the Customer Resolution Team will contact the customer within 10 days of the complaint being received. They will provide the reasons for the delay and agree an extension of the investigation with the customer, providing a new response date. Any extension will not be longer than 10 working days.

7.2 Stage 2

If a customer is not satisfied with the response given at Stage 1, they can ask us to review our original investigation. The customer will need to explain how the complaint meets one of the following criteria:

  • The issue was not properly addressed at Stage 1 of the process.
  • There was something inaccurate in the response given.
  • The customer has new information or evidence to give to us, that was not available originally.

If the above criteria is not met, we may decide not to escalate a complaint to stage 2, however we will clearly explain the reason for this decision in writing to the customer.

We ask customers to do this as soon as possible, preferably within 20 working days of our response to the Stage 1 complaint. 

We will acknowledge the Stage 2 complaint within 5 working days. The Customer Resolution Team will contact the customer to discuss the complaint and how we can work to resolve it. Once the complaint is received, we will review it and pass it on to the relevant Head of Service to investigate, and we will also try to resolve any outstanding matters straight away.

The Head of Service will, where possible, contact the customer to review the initial investigation to ensure it was thorough and that it followed our complaints policy and procedure. If they are satisfied that it did, the original decision will be upheld.

We will respond fully within 20 working days from the day the Stage 2 complaint was received to confirm our decision.

If the investigation is going to take longer, the Customer Resolution Team will contact the customer within 20 days of the complaint being received. They will provide the reasons for the delay and agree an extension of the investigation with the customer, providing a new response date. Any extension will not be longer than 10 working days.

This is the end of our internal complaints process.

8.0 What if I am still not happy with the outcome to my complaint?

8.1 If a customer is still not happy with the response you have received, they can choose to refer your complaint to a designated person, such as a Member of Parliament or Councillor.

8.2 In some cases the customer will be able to refer the case to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. If this is the appropriate body for the complaint, details of how to contact them will be provided in our Stage 2 response letter.

8.3 The Housing Ombudsman is responsible for complaints about council or housing association landlords. They can look at how a landlord dealt with a request for a service. The Ombudsman decides if a landlord acted properly and followed the correct procedures.

8.4 The Housing Ombudsman can be contact by telephone on 0300 111 3000 or email at Contact us - Housing Ombudsman (housing-ombudsman.org.uk)

9.0 Learning from complaints

9.1 Customer satisfaction is very important to us, and we use your feedback, including learning from complaints to shape improvements to our services and processes.

9.2 Wolverhampton Homes produce an annual report, and we will include our complaints performance and how we have improved services in line with customer feedback.

10.0 Persistent or unreasonable complaints

10.1 As detailed above, we are committed to providing a high-quality customer feedback service and dealing with complaints in a fair and impartial way. However, in a small number of cases customers pursue their complaints in an unreasonable and persistent way that can negatively impact the investigation of their complaint and the ability of staff to provide a quality service to other customers.

10.2 This may involve making persistent complaints about different matters, or repeated complaints about the same issue. These actions can occur either while their complaint is being investigated, or once the investigation has been completed.

10.3 We consider these types of unreasonable complaints to be unacceptable, and they will be handled in line with our Persistent Or Unreasonable Complainants Policy. Where a complaint is considered unreasonable, it is still important to ensure that the customer can access our services, including the complaints service. There are options available to staff to enable them to manage unreasonable complaints effectively and fairly, with minimal disruption to other customers. Full details can be found in our Persistent Or Unreasonable Complainants Policy.

11.0 Policy review

11.1 This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis or in line with changes in law or business requirements.

11.2 The Housing Ombudsman requires landlords to “self-assess” against the Complaint Handling Code on an annual basis and publish this on their website.

12.0 Privacy and personal data

12.1 Customer privacy is important to us, and we are therefore committed to handling personal data in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018, General Data Protection Regulation 2016 / 679, and any subsequent changes to data protection legislation.

12.2 Our privacy policy can be found on our website: https://www.wolverhamptonhomes.org.uk/privacy

13.0 Discretionary payments

13.1 Wolverhampton Homes aims to be fair and proportionate in its response to resolving issues arising from complaints and in doing so may consider a gesture of a good will ‘without prejudice’ to be considered by way of a compensation payment.

13.2 The factors taken into account when deciding the overall amount include:

  • The duration of any avoidable distress or inconvenience.
  • The seriousness of any other unfair impact.

13.3 If a discretionary compensation payment is awarded, the value will be offset against any outstanding balances owed in the first instance, including but not exclusive to rent arrears or repair recharges.

14.0 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

14.1 This policy clearly details the multiple ways that a complaint can be made, including via an advocate. This will help to remove barriers and ensure fair and equal access to the process for all customers. 

14.2 All reasonable adjustments will be made if disability is considered a factor in the ability of our customer to make a complaint. We will take reasonable steps to accommodate any reasonable adjustments you may have to enable you to access this policy or receive responses to complaints in other formats and provide such assistance as you may reasonably require.

14.3 Wolverhampton Homes is committed to making sure our policies and services reflect the community we serve and to meet equal opportunities. Our aim is to make the Complaints policy easy to use and accessible to all of our customers in line with the Equality Act 2010.

14.4 Wolverhampton Homes works with a number of community groups to develop services that are both accessible and responsive to individual needs.