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Compliments, Comments and Complaints Procedure
Purpose statement
We are committed to delivering a high quality service. Our Accommodation Student Charter outlines what you can expect from us. We will work hard to achieve these standards and welcome your comments, complaints – and of course your compliments! Your feedback provides us with the opportunity to improve our services and facilities and lets our teams know what they are doing well.
Complaints and comments
We are always happy to receive any feedback you have regarding our services or facilities. The easiest way for you to submit your feedback is through our online form or talking to our Customer Services Team the next time you call into your reception. With your permission, we might also use your feedback on our website and other promotional materials.
Complaint
What is a complaint? A complaint is when you tell us about something that Accommodation Services has done, or should have done that you are not happy about or, where we fail to fulfil our contractual obligation.
What is not a complaint?
There are some issues that we don’t consider to be complaints but rather issues that you are dissatisfied with, such as:
- requests for us to provide a service to you eg if you are reporting a repair to your accommodation for the first time
- complaints about the behaviour of other residents; you should report any
- anti-social behaviour to our ResLife team who are here to support you or you can speak to our Customer Services Team at reception.
The complaints process
If you are unhappy with any aspect of your stay with us, in the first instance please discuss this informally with our ResLife team or call down to your reception and chat with one of our colleagues who will try and resolve the matter. ResLife can also be contacted in situations that you do not feel is acceptable, and try to support you. Complaints can be submitted through our online Complaints Form or alternatively via email, telephone or letter. Complaints should be made as soon as possible. Complaints received more than 4 weeks after the event(s) in question will not be investigated without a detailed reason for the delay being provided.
Hopefully, we can resolve your complaint quickly and informally, without having to progress the matter further. However, if you feel that your complaint has not been dealt with appropriately, or to your satisfaction, then you may initiate a formal complaint. So that we can deal with your complaint effectively, we have a three-stage process for formal complaints. We will strive to respond to your complaint to your satisfaction at stage one. Your complaint will only proceed to the next stage if you inform us that you are not satisfied with our response.
Stage one
Complaints can be submitted through our online Complaints Form, or alternatively via email, telephone or letter. We will acknowledge your complaint within two working days. Your complaint will be forwarded to the relevant manager who will undertake a thorough investigation and provide you with a full written response. We will aim to complete this process within 10 working days. If we are not able to meet this deadline, we will keep you informed of our progress. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive at stage one, you should move on to stage two, within 10 working days of receiving the stage one decision.
Stage two
A member of the Senior Management Team, or a nominated manager, will review your complaint. We will aim to provide you with a full written response within 10 working days and will keep you informed if this is not possible. If you are still unhappy with the response received at stage two, then you should move on to stage three, within 10 working days of receiving the stage two decision.
Stage Three
If you have completed stages one and two and you remain dissatisfied with our response, you may wish to refer your complaint through the University’s Student Complaints and Resolution Procedure, managed by Student Progress who will also provide information for the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA). The OIA is an independent body set up to review student complaints and offers a free service to students.
Confidentiality
All complaints will be dealt with confidentially, though enquiries may have to be made with third parties to investigate the complaint fully. For this reason anonymous complaints will not be accepted.