This policy and procedure is subject to The Equality Act 2010 which recognises the following categories of individual as Protected Characteristics: Age, Gender Reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity, Race, Religion and Belief, Sex (gender), Sexual orientation, Disability.
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1. Policy
The Road Haulage Association Ltd places a significant emphasis on customer feedback and views the complaints process as valuable tool to drive improvements in the quality of our services. The policy of The Road Haulage Association Ltd is to respond to all suggestions, whether positive or negative, in a prompt and courteous manner. All complaints will be treated seriously.
2. Minimum Expectations
2.1 All complaints will be acknowledged within two working days of receipt
2.2 We will try to resolve complaints to the satisfaction of all parties within ten working days of receipt.
3. Protocol for Responding to Complaints
3.1 Formal acknowledgement of the complaint, with, where relevant, a copy of the Complaints Policy and Procedures, will be confirmed within two working days of receiving the complaint. This communication will inform the complainant that they will receive a full response within 10 working days.
3.2 The administrator responsible for complaints will copy the complaint to the Manager responsible and to the appropriate quality assurance personnel. All complaints will be treated as confidential and will be handled with sensitivity by the investigating manager.
3.3 Every communication, either from the complainant or from RHA, will be copied to the appropriate Senior Training Manager(s) / Quality Manager, in electronic format, where possible. Notes will be kept of meetings and telephone calls and will also be copied to the Senior Training Manager(s) / Quality Manager for filing with the original complaint.
3.4 The Manager responsible for the area of business about which a complaint has been made will ensure that a full response to the complaint is provided within 7 working days wherever possible. When this is not possible, explanation will be given to the complainant within ten working days, this will include a proposed schedule for response.
3.5 The final response should include an explanation to the complainant of how to take their complaint further, if necessary.
3.6 On receipt of a complaint made directly to a director or the RHA Board, they will inform the SMT and ensure that a full investigation of the complaint takes place, including how it has been handled. An acknowledgement will be confirmed within two working days and a full response will be given within 10 working days.
4. Responsibilities
4.1 The Manager responsible for the area of business about which a complaint has been made is responsible for investigating and responding to the complainant.
4.2 The Manager who receives the complaint is responsible for copying information on the response to the complaint and the Senior Training Manager(s) / Quality Manager.
4.3 The Senior Training Manager(s) / Quality Manager (as appropriate), will be responsible for monitoring the timely and effective implementation of the complaints policy and procedure.
4.4 The Senior Training Manager(s) / Quality Manager will be responsible for recording an overview of the nature and number of complaints in a monthly report to the Business Unit Directors, Commercial Director and Compliance Director.
5. Protocol for Complainants
5.1 Learners, Employers, members of the public and members of staff are able to complain through a number of avenues, including: via e-mail; a telephone call direct to a member of RHA staff; or by contacting a member of the Management Team.
5.2 If the complainant needs help in making a complaint, this can be provided through the RHA Administration Team or by contacting a member of the RHA Training / Compliance Teams.
5.3 If the complainant remains dissatisfied following the response from the relevant manager, they are able to take it further by contacting the relevant Business Unit Directors, Commercial Director or Compliance Director and finally to the RHA CEO.
5.4 If the complainant has exhausted the RHA complaints policy and is still not satisfied, they may wish to write to the relevant agency about the handling of the complaint, details of which will be provided on request.
5.5 If the complaint is an appeal against grading or assessment, the separate appeals procedure should be followed. The appeals policy is available to all Learners upon enrolment. Separate appeal processes exist for each qualification, examination body or awarding organisation and reference should be made to the policies provided by each.
5.6 If the complaint is in relation to an apprenticeship and this cannot be resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction through this policy and procedure then complainants may escalate this with ESFA https://www.gov.uk/complain-further-education-apprenticeship
6. Receipt of Complaints
6.1 If a complaint is received by post or given to reception it will be forwarded on the
same day that it is received to the Senior Training Manager(s) / Quality Manager.
6.2 If a complaint is received directly by a Manager, copies of all correspondence and notes of telephone calls or meetings will be forwarded to the Head of Quality & Training as appropriate to the area the complaint originates from.
This policy will be reviewed every 12 months by the Head of Training and Sales.
Appendix 1-Definition of Complaint
A complaint is defined as the formal expression of dissatisfaction by anyone who uses or if affected by any of the organisation’s services and facilities.
An informal complaint is one that is received by a member of staff and is resolved
with the agreement of the complainant at the time at a local level.
A formal complaint is one that cannot be resolved immediately at the local level and/or is directed to the Senior Training Manager(s) / Quality Manager or any member of The Road Haulage Association Leadership Team or board (usually in writing).
A vexatious complaint is one which is primarily intended to annoy or distress other
parties in a malicious way, or is part of a series of complaints by the same complainant where other complaints have been investigated and resolved, or a complaint promoted by an employee with the intention of by-passing or subverting the normal organisational procedures.
A high-risk complaint is one which involves:
a) Allegations of corruption against a company employee
b) A claim of personal injury
c) A claim of dereliction of duty by a company employee
d) A claim that a law has been broken
e) A claim of discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or age etc.