How to complain about our service

Introduction
At Steve Willis Training Centres (SWT) we work hard to provide the best possible service. However, if you feel that this service has not met your needs, we will make every effort to deal with your concerns. We pride ourselves in putting customers first and do our very best to ensure your time at our Centres is enjoyable and your aims are achieved. Sometimes though, we make mistakes, and we want you to tell us when we do. By letting us know when things go wrong you can help us to put them right and we can improve our services as a result of your feedback.

What is a complaint?
A complaint is when you tell us you are not happy about the service we provide:

• When we do not deliver the service expected
• When your course is not as expected
• When you receive a poor-quality service

SWT is committed to advancing equality and eliminating discrimination on these grounds. We believe that equality, diversity and inclusion bring tangible benefits for all our customers, including apprentices and their employers. For our apprentices this means a training environment taking into account their individual requirements. This policy applies to all staff, including senior managers and directors, paid staff, consultancy staff, volunteers and sessional workers, agency staff, apprentices and course delegates or anyone working on behalf of SWT.

Purpose of our complaints procedure
Our complaints procedure is designed to bring problems to our attention, and it has the following standards:

• We treat your complaint seriously
• We deal with your complaint promptly and in confidence
• Every effort is taken to resolve your complaint at an early stage
• There is a clear procedure to deal with all complaints
• Every effort is taken to resolve your complaint at an early stage
• All formal complaints are recorded and investigated
• We learn from complaints and use them to review and improve our service.

How to make a complaint
If you wish to make a complaint, we would encourage you to use the informal procedure outlined in this policy as a starting point. If you are not satisfied that your complaint has been addressed, you may then wish to use the formal procedure. To enable us to deal with them effectively, all complaints should be raised with the person concerned in a prompt and reasonable manner.

Informal Complaints Procedure
The quickest way to raise your concerns is to follow these steps:

• Discuss your concerns with your trainer, assessor or invigilator, or another member of staff at our Centres.
• If you find this difficult or inappropriate, then speak to one of our Managers.
• If you are not satisfied with how your complaint has been handled, then you should contact one of our Directors (not Managing Director).

We hope that after the above steps you will have had your concerns dealt with to your satisfaction. If this is not the case, you may then wish to make a formal complaint.

Formal Complaints Procedure
There are several steps to the formal complaints procedure:

Fill in a complaint form or write a letter of complaint
We would prefer to have your formal complaint in writing – by email or on the Complaint Record Form which is included at the end of this policy. You can ask for a copy of this form which is available from the main office at either Centre or on our website. If you would like someone to write the letter or complete the form on your behalf, please contact our Administration Team on 01444 870860 or 02392 190190.

Submit your complaint
Your completed Complaint Record Form or complaint letter should be emailed to info@stevewillis.com

Receive a response
You should have an initial response within two working days and any further investigation should take no longer than ten working days. SWT will deal with your complaint by:

• Acknowledging the formal complaint in writing
• Responding within the agreed time frame
• Dealing with the complaint in consistent and sensitive manner
• Taking action where appropriate.

In the formal complaints procedure, consistency and fairness are dealt with by:

• Interviewing the person(s) or investigating the circumstances surrounding the complaint and documenting the allegations
• Finding out if the complaint has substance
• Report the process, the evidence, the finding and recommend an outcome
• Implement the outcome or decide another action.

You will also be given a deadline by which we will deal with your complaint. If your complaint requires further investigative meetings, you will be welcome to bring a friend to any planned meetings. Notes of all meetings held at each stage will be kept on the complaint record.
 
Appeals Procedure
If you are not happy with the way in which your complaint has been handled, please write to the Managing Director, outlining the reasons why you are not satisfied with the outcome. The Managing Director will confirm receipt of the appeal with five working days. The Managing Director will investigate the issues raised by consulting with those concerned in the initial procedure. You should hear the results of this investigation within a further ten working days.