We’re always looking at ways to make our service better, that’s why we’ve taken steps to improve how we deal with complaints.
Making every contact count
We want to hear your feedback, whether it’s a suggestion for improvement, a compliment, or something you’re not satisfied with. We’re here to listen and learn.
To make things easier, we’ve put our feedback into three categories:
- Compliments: We love to hear when we’ve gone the extra mile to help you. Compliments help us to say thanks to our hardworking teams and to improve services based on what made you happy.
- Concerns: We want to make sure we address any safety concerns you have as quickly as we can. By recording safety concerns, we can look at trends and themes that come up so that we can see where we need to improve.
- Complaints: We’ve updated our policy to record all instances of dissatisfaction from our customers as complaints. We believe every dissatisfied customer deserves attention, and every piece of feedback gives us a chance to improve on where we have gone wrong.
Resolving issues at the first point of contact
Our aim is to address your concerns quickly and in the right way. To do this, we’re focusing on resolving complaints at the first point of contact whenever possible. When you reach out to us, we will listen, understand, and aim to provide a solution. We will confirm any outcomes agreed so you can hold us accountable to deliver.
When further investigation is needed
Sometimes, working out a complaint requires a bit more time and investigation. If we can’t resolve your concern immediately, we’ll escalate to a manager to who will look further into the matter for you. This ensures that we understand the issue from all angles, offer the right solution and learn from our mistakes.
Policy updates and internal processes
We’ve reviewed and updated our complaints policy in collaboration with our Complaints Scrutiny Group.
You can read it here https://calicohomes.org.uk/complaints-handling-policy/
Additionally, we’ve revamped our internal processes to meet the standards outlined in our latest policy. These updates reflect our commitment to delivering a consistent, high-quality complaints handling service.
What you can expect
Clear communication: We’ll acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days, setting out our understanding of the issue and the outcome you’re seeking.
Timely responses: For complaints that need investigating, we’ll aim to provide a full written response within 10 working days of that acknowledgment letter at Stage 1. If we need more time, we’ll let you know why and provide an updated timeline.
Continued support: If you’re not satisfied with our first response, you have the option to move your complaint up to Stage 2. We’ll acknowledge your request within 5 working days and provide a final written response within 20 working days.
If you want advice about a complaint or are not happy with our response at Stage 2, The Housing Ombudsman service is there to help. Please note you can contact the Housing Ombudsman Service at any point during the complaint process.
It cannot investigate your complaint whilst your complaint is going through our internal complaints procedure. However, the Ombudsman may be able to help you reach a resolution.
You can find out more about the Housing Ombudsman service by visiting www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk or calling 0300 111 3000.
Email info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk, or in writing to Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 152, Liverpool, L33 7WQ.