Complaints Procedure

Islington Man and Van Complaints Procedure

This Complaints Procedure explains how Islington Man and Van handles concerns and complaints about our removal and man and van services. We aim to resolve issues quickly, fairly, and transparently, and to use all feedback to improve our home and office moving services.

Our Commitment to You

Islington Man and Van aims to provide a professional, reliable and efficient service on every move. If something goes wrong, we want to know about it. We treat all complaints seriously, investigate them thoroughly, and respond in a clear and timely manner.

We will always aim to:

Listen carefully to your concerns, record the details accurately, investigate what happened, explain the outcome clearly, and where appropriate, put things right and learn from the experience.

What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our services, whether reasonable or not, that requires a response. This can relate to any part of our work, including but not limited to the booking process, communication before or after your move, conduct or attitude of removal staff, timing and punctuality, the condition of vehicles or equipment, packing or handling of items, damage or loss of goods, or charges and invoicing.

You do not have to use the word complaint for it to be treated as one. If you tell us you are unhappy and you expect a response, we will follow this procedure.

How to Make a Complaint

You can raise a complaint in any reasonable way that suits you. We encourage you, where possible, to raise issues as soon as they arise so that we can try to resolve them quickly.

You can make a complaint by speaking to a member of our team during or immediately after your move, providing written details of your concerns, including dates, addresses, and a description of what went wrong, or providing any supporting information you may have, such as photographs of damage or copies of documents.

Please provide as much detail as possible so we can understand the issue clearly and investigate efficiently.

Information We Need From You

To help us deal with your complaint promptly, please provide the following information where applicable:

Your full name, the address where the service took place, the date of your move or booking, a clear description of your concerns, details of any items affected, including approximate value if relevant, and what outcome or resolution you are seeking.

If any part of this information is not available, you should still contact us; we will work with what you can reasonably provide.

Stages of Our Complaints Process

Stage One: Initial Review and Early Resolution

Once we receive your complaint, we will acknowledge it within a reasonable period. We will conduct an initial review of the issue, which may involve speaking to the removals team, checking booking records, and reviewing any relevant documentation.

Where possible, we aim to resolve straightforward complaints quickly at this stage, often within a short timeframe. We will explain any findings and, if we are at fault, we will discuss appropriate next steps, which may include an apology, corrective action on future bookings, or other reasonable remedies.

Stage Two: Formal Investigation

If your complaint is more complex, cannot be resolved informally, or you remain dissatisfied after Stage One, we will carry out a more detailed investigation. This may involve obtaining further statements from staff, reviewing photographs or evidence you supply, checking route or timing records, and assessing our service against our standard procedures.

We will then provide you with a written response setting out a summary of your complaint, what we have investigated, our findings and reasons, and any proposed resolution. We aim to complete this stage within a reasonable time, depending on the complexity of the issues involved.

Stage Three: Further Review

If you are still unhappy with the outcome of the formal investigation, you can request a further internal review. You should explain why you disagree with our findings or proposed resolution and provide any additional information you believe is relevant.

A different member of the team, who was not directly involved in the original investigation where possible, will review the complaint, the evidence, and our previous responses. Following this review, we will provide a final position on your complaint.

Timescales

We aim to respond to complaints promptly and to keep you updated if we need more time. The time required will depend on the nature of the complaint, for example if we need to inspect alleged damage, contact staff who worked on your move, or review multiple service records.

If we expect a delay in providing a full response, we will let you know and explain why. Our priority is to give you a fair, thorough answer rather than a rushed one.

Remedies and Outcomes

Where we find that our service has fallen below the standard you are entitled to expect, we will consider appropriate remedies. These may include an apology, an explanation of what went wrong, practical steps to put matters right where reasonably possible, and reasonable goodwill gestures where justified by the circumstances.

Any remedy will take into account the terms and conditions agreed at the time of booking, the extent of any loss or inconvenience, any limits of liability applicable to removals work, and any contributory factors outside our control, such as access restrictions or customer packing.

Using Complaints to Improve Our Service

We view all complaints and serious concerns as an opportunity to review and improve the way we operate. As part of this, we may review staff training, update our procedures and checklists, improve communication and information given before moves, and refine how we plan and manage moves across our service area.

By following this Complaints Procedure, Islington Man and Van seeks to ensure that every customer of our man and van and removal services is treated fairly, listened to, and given a clear response when something goes wrong. We are committed to learning from every complaint and using that learning to provide a better moving experience in the future.