COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
COMPLAINTS
At Cogent Hire we understand things don’t always happen the way they are intended to and, therefore, we look to ensure any client concern is addressed with a view to finding the most fair and reasonable outcome. This is ensuring we are taking into account the importance of treating all customers fairly and demonstrating this through fair and prompt resolutions.
As a business we also understand it is important to learn from any shortcoming, whether this relates to an individual or a process, in order to continually improve the service we provide and also maintain awareness of the outcomes which are considered fair and reasonable by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
In order to do this, we ensure that all issues are raised and recorded, investigated and then the correct feedback is provided to the relevant areas of the business which are responsible for implementing any next steps.
All concerns, regardless of whether they are about our handling, a supplier or a combination of both, are recorded on our complaints register. This becomes a vital tool in our analysis of the root cause, in which we have the ability to identify any trends or multiple concern which may require any more high level action. This also assists in understanding how our suppliers have performed and provides us with a good understanding to form the basis of any audits we carry out.
In addressing complaints, Quality Assurance and Improvement work with the philosophy of ensuring the most fair and reasonable outcome is reached. They will assess the concerns the client has raised to understand the impact on the client and whether the client’s comments are justified. This is with a view to finding the right outcome, not the easiest.
We aim to ensure that 90% of complaints are closed within four weeks of the concern being raised, with a final written report being provided to the client.
IDENTIFYING A COMPLAINANT
A complainant will be an individual who has expressed dissatisfaction, either orally or in writing, which is either justified or otherwise about Cogent Hire’s provision of, or failure to provide a suitable level of service.
We aim to treat all of our customers fairly at all times. We take any complaint very seriously and welcome any feedback, whether positive or negative as it allows us to improve the service we provide. We believe that if the correct approach is taken, the most fair and reasonable outcome will be reached.
We accept a complaint by any means, whether post, email, verbally, in person or via social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook. All complaints received are all handled with the same level of care.
Each employee will be made aware of the internal complaints handling procedure upon commencement of their employment and it forms part of their subsequent training schedule.
UPON RECEIPT OF A COMPLAINT:
Any complaint, whether made in writing or verbally, is initially referred to the Dedicated Case Manager. They will review the complaint and make any relevant investigation, obtaining evidence from the complainant where necessary and recording all information on to a Complaint Advice Form. The Case Manager will work hard to resolve any dissatisfaction within 24 hours of the complaint being registered. The Complaint Advice Form will be sent to Quality Assurance and Improvement so that the complaint is recorded for our own internal monitoring purposes.
IF THE COMPLAINT CANNOT RESOLVE BY THE CASE MANAGER:
Any complaint that cannot be resolved by the Case Manager within the first 24 hours, or where the complainant is not happy with the resolution put forward, is immediately escalated to Quality Assurance and Improvement.
Quality Assurance and Improvement will then take steps to further investigate the complaint in full to reach a fair and non-bias conclusion.
Any complaint that is escalated to Quality Assurance and Improvement is acknowledged in writing (either by post or email) by the second business day from when it is received. If Quality Assurance and Improvement is able to resolve the complaint before the close of the second business day, then the acknowledgement will:
- Outline the result of our investigation, including any redress or
resolution/work to be carried out - Explain that if the complainant is unhappy with our response then the next stage of escalation is to our Risk and Compliance Director.
If our investigation is not complete by this time, we will issue our acknowledgment enclosing a copy of our complaints procedure and confirm that we will:
- Investigate the complaint and aim to respond within four weeks of
receiving the complaint and explain that, if we cannot complete the investigation within four weeks of receiving the complaint, we will write again giving the reason for the delay. - Explain that on completion of our investigation we will inform the
complainant of the outcome and the options available to him/her.
ONCE WE HAVE INVESTIGATED THE COMPLAINT:
Immediately on completion of our investigation, Quality Assurance and Improvement will write to the complainant notifying them of the outcome, and the nature and terms of any settlement where applicable. When considering any compensation, we will ensure we are fair, and the basis of any calculations will be explained.
Our response letter will advise that if the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of our investigation, they may escalate the matter to our Risk and Compliance Director.
IF WE CANNOT RESOLVE THE COMPLAINT WITHIN FOUR WEEKS:
We aim to be able to respond to any complaint within four weeks. If, for any reason, our investigation is not concluded within four weeks, the Quality Assurance and Improvement member will write to the complainant again, informing them that our investigation is continuing, giving the reasons for the delay, and a time scale in which we expect to be able to contact the complainant with further information.
IF WE CANNOT RESOLVE THE COMPLAINT WITHIN EIGHT WEEKS:
While we always aim to complete an investigation much sooner, if for any reason our investigation is not complete within this period, the Quality Assurance Team member will write to the complainant again explaining the reasons for the delay. We will also advise of any relevant update in the investigation, what we are doing to try and resolve the concerns as quickly as possible and when we expect to be able to fully respond to the complaint.
CLOSING THE COMPLAINT:
Once Quality Assurance and Improvement and/or the Risk and Compliance Director (where applicable) have concluded their investigations, a final response is issued to the complainant.
Should the complainant not be satisfied with the handling or the outcome of the complaint they will be given appropriate advice on the next steps they can take.
As Cogent Hire are not regulated by the FCA, the Financial Ombudsman Service will not assist with complaint resolution. If the complainant does not accept the final decision, we can offer access to an Arbitration Service. This service will be provided by an independent company who specialise in Alternative Dispute Resolution. As there is a cost involved when utilising this service, we may ask the complainant to contribute towards the fees incurred.
If the complainant declines to enter into Alternative Dispute Resolution with us we would suggest contacting the Citizens Advise Bureau. They may be able to provide advice on how the complainant can progress their complaint further and whether there is a legal route available to them.