Complaints Policy
Clarion UK welcomes and encourages feedback about our products and services and the people who provide them. We view this as a positive method for continually reviewing and improving the way we do business. We will endeavour to provide clients, customers, suppliers and partners with a clear understanding of the products and services offered and a simple procedure for making positive suggestions toward improving them. We aim to achieve the highest levels of customer satisfaction. However, it is inevitable that our levels of service and quality of products may not always meet our clients’ expectations. Under such circumstances they must have the confidence and means to share their concerns with us, and the knowledge we will investigate shortcomings quickly, fairly and objectively.
To deliver an effective and timely response to complaints we will:
- Acknowledge all complaints within 24 hours
- Respond to all complaints within 1-3 working days.
- Be courteous, sympathetic and respectful at all times.
- Provide feedback on progress where it is appropriate to do so.
- Ensure all Clarion UK personnel are familiar and compliant with this policy and procedure.
- Review this policy regularly, and report against its performance quarterly.
Procedure
First Stage: Informal complaint or comment
Where it is appropriate, the complainant should raise their concern directly with the person responsible for the matter, or his or her supervisor.
It is our experience that most issues can be quickly and amicably resolved by engaging in dialogue at the earliest opportunity.
If this fails to resolve the issue, the complainant should invoke the second stage of this procedure and raise a formal complaint.
Second Stage: Formal complaint or comment
Where the client wishes to make a formal complaint the following procedure must be followed:
- The complainant must complete a Client Feedback Form available from the website, by email or post from any member of Clarion UK staff and returned to the Account Manager either by email or post[1].
- The form should be requested, completed and returned as soon as the matter arises to avoid any undue delay which may adversely affect an investigation and subsequent outcome. The complainant will receive an acknowledgement of receipt of the form by Clarion UK within 1 working day.
- The CEO will nominate a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) to investigate the complaint, or for more serious matters, and those made against a member of the SMT, investigate it herself. The investigation will normally be completed within five working days of receipt.
- The responsible manager will conduct a diligent and thorough investigation and keep all parties appropriately informed throughout the process.
The outcome of the investigation will be communicated to the complainant within five working days of the complaint being received by Clarion UK.
Appeals
If the complainant wishes to appeal against the outcome of the investigation he or she must submit the grounds for their appeal in writing to the CEO within five working days of receiving the letter confirming the outcome.
Following a review by the CEO of the grounds of the appeal (or by a member of the SMT[2] if it was the CEO who conducted the earlier investigation), the outcome will be communicated to the complainant within ten working days of receiving the appeal letter.
If the complainant wishes to appeal against a final decision about a member of staff regulated by, or registered with, a professional organisation they may raise the matter later through the appropriate professional or registration bodies’ Code of Conduct and/or Complaints Procedure. Further details of these can be obtained from Clarion UK or by contacting the National Register of Communication Professionals with Deaf & Deafblind People (NRCPD).
All complaints regarding quality, standard of interpretation or breach of codes of conduct will be referred to the independent, quality assurance supplier, The Language Shop, within one day.
Further information about the quality assurance supplier can be found here:
If the complaint is against a member of staff or freelancer not regulated or registered by NRCPD, Clarion UK staff can provide details of the appropriate body to which the complaint should be registered.
[1] Complainants may also submit their comments by video letter.
[2] In exceptional circumstances Clarion UK may appoint an independent arbitrator to investigate and adjudicate on the matter.