Complaints Procedure for South Lambeth Customers

This complaints procedure explains how we manage, review and resolve complaints from customers in South Lambeth and the surrounding areas. It is designed to be clear, fair and accessible, so that any concern about our removal services or related activities is handled promptly and professionally.

Our Commitment to Resolving Complaints

We aim to deliver a reliable, respectful and careful service on every move. If something goes wrong, we want to know about it. Complaints help us identify what needs to be improved and allow us to put things right wherever possible. We treat every complaint seriously, whether it is about punctuality, communication, conduct of staff, handling of goods, charges or any other aspect of our work.

We will always aim to:

Listen to your concerns without interruption or bias, understand what has happened from your point of view, investigate the facts objectively, keep you informed during the process, and provide a clear outcome with an explanation of any decision or action taken.

Who Can Make a Complaint

This procedure is for any customer who has used, or has agreed to use, our services in South Lambeth or nearby locations. A complaint may be made by the person who booked the service or by another person acting with their permission and authority. We also accept complaints made on behalf of a customer who may find it difficult to raise the issue themselves, provided we can confirm that they are aware a complaint is being made.

What We Class as a Complaint

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, whether written or verbal, about any aspect of our services that requires a response. This can include, but is not limited to:

Concerns about delays, cancellations or missed appointments, issues relating to handling or care of belongings, problems with staff behaviour or communication, disagreements about charges, quotations or invoicing, concerns about how a previous issue or query was handled.

We encourage you to raise concerns as soon as possible so that they can be addressed promptly and effectively.

Stage One: Raising Your Complaint Informally

For many issues, the quickest way to resolve a concern is to raise it informally with a member of our team as soon as it arises. This may be with the crew on the day of your move or with the office team who arranged your booking. We will do our best to resolve the matter immediately or within a short timeframe. Where we agree a solution with you at this stage, we will confirm what will happen next so that both sides are clear.

If you feel that your concern has not been addressed properly, or if the matter is more serious or complex, you can move to the formal complaints stage.

Stage Two: Formal Complaint

To make a formal complaint, please set out your concerns clearly, including what happened, when it happened and what outcome you are seeking. Providing any relevant information, such as dates, names of staff involved or details of damage or loss, will help us investigate more thoroughly.

Once we receive your formal complaint, we will:

Acknowledge receipt, normally within five working days, allocate a member of the management team to review the matter, carry out a thorough investigation which may include speaking with staff, reviewing records and, where appropriate, asking you for further information.

We aim to provide a full written response within twenty working days of acknowledging your complaint. If we are unable to meet this timescale, we will let you know, explain the reasons and provide a revised timescale.

Outcome of a Formal Complaint

When the investigation is complete, we will send you a clear response setting out:

What we understand your complaint to be, the steps we have taken to investigate, our findings based on the available evidence, whether your complaint is upheld in full, in part or not upheld, and any actions we will take as a result.

Possible outcomes may include an apology, corrective action to complete or rectify work, a review or change of internal processes, staff training or guidance, and, where appropriate, a goodwill gesture or settlement, for example in relation to loss or damage in line with our service terms.

Stage Three: Escalation and Further Review

If you remain dissatisfied after receiving our formal response, you may request an escalation and further review. In doing so, please explain why you believe the outcome is not fair or accurate and provide any additional information you feel has not been considered.

On escalation, your complaint will be reviewed by a senior member of the team not previously involved, wherever possible. They will reconsider the evidence, assess whether the procedure has been followed correctly and determine whether any further action is required.

We will aim to provide an escalation outcome within fifteen working days of your request. This represents our final internal position on the complaint.

Time Limits for Making a Complaint

To help us investigate effectively, we encourage complaints to be raised as soon as possible and, in any event, normally within six months of the event you are complaining about, or from the date you became aware of the issue. Complaints submitted after this period may be more difficult to investigate fully, as records and recollections may be less complete. However, we will consider late complaints where there is a clear and reasonable explanation for the delay.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

All complaints are handled in confidence and only shared with staff who need the information to investigate and respond. We handle all personal information in line with our data protection obligations. Information collected during the complaints process is used only for the purpose of investigating and resolving the complaint and for improving our services.

Learning from Complaints

We are committed to using complaints as an opportunity to improve the quality, reliability and safety of our services. We review complaints regularly to identify any patterns, recurring issues or areas for improvement. Where we identify a need for change, we may update our procedures, provide additional staff training or adjust our operational practices.

By following this complaints procedure, we aim to ensure that customers in South Lambeth feel heard, respected and confident that any issues connected with their move are dealt with fairly and transparently.