Complaints Policy
THOBURNS ENFORCEMENT SERVICES LTD – COMPLAINTS POLICY
1. Definitions
1.1 In this Complaints Policy the following expressions have the following meanings:
“Appeal” means your request to escalate a Complaint from Stage One to Stage Two if you are not satisfied with the outcome at Stage One;
“Appeal Handler” means an employee of Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd working at senior management who will handle Stage Two Complaints:
“Business Day” means, any day (other than Saturday or Sunday) on which ordinary banks are open for their full range of normal business in England;
“Complaint” means a complaint about services by Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd, about our customer service, or about our employees, agents or subcontractors;
[“Complaints Form”] means our standard complaints form, available from www.thoburns.co.uk;
“Complaint Handler” means an employee of Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd working as Customer Service Advisor who will handle Stage One Complaints:
“Complaints Policy” means this document;
“Complaints Procedure” means the internal complaints handling procedure of Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd which is followed when handling a Complaint and is available from www.thoburns.co.uk for your reference;
“Complaint Reference” means a unique code assigned to your Complaint that will be used to track your Complaint;
[“External Resolution”] means the referral of your Complaint to an external body or organisation for resolution if you are not satisfied with the outcome at Stage Two;
“Stage One” means the first stage in our complaints handling procedure under which your Complaint will be handled by a Complaint Handler;
“Stage Two” means the second stage in our complaints handling procedure under which you may appeal the outcome of a Stage One Complaint. Your Complaint will be handled by an Appeal Handler.
2. Purpose of this Complaints Policy
2.1 Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd, welcomes and encourages feedback of all kinds. If you have a Complaint about our service or about our employees, not only do we want to resolve it to your satisfaction, but we also want to learn from it to improve our business and customer experience in the future.
2.2 It is our policy to resolve Complaints quickly and fairly, where possible without recourse to formal investigations or external bodies. In particular, the aims of this Complaints Policy are:
2.2.1 To provide a clear and fair procedure for any customers who wish to make a Complaint about Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd, our services, our customer service, or about our employees.
2.2.2 To ensure that everyone working for or with Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd knows how to handle any Complaints made.
2.2.3 To ensure that all Complaints are handled equally and in a fair and timely fashion.
2.2.4 To ensure that important information is gathered from Complaints and used in the future to avoid such a situation arising again.
3. What this Complaints Policy Covers
3.1 This Complaints Policy applies to the provision of services by Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd, to our customer service and to our employees.
3.2 For the purposes of this Complaints Policy, any reference to Thoburns Enforcement Service Ltd also includes our employees, agents or subcontractors.
3.3 Complaints may relate to any of our activities and may include (but not be limited to).
3.3.1 The quality of customer service you have received from Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd.
3.3.2 The behaviour and/or professional competence of our employees, agents or subcontractor.
3.4 The following are not considered to be Complaints for example it would not be appropriate for us to consider a complaint where.
3.4.1 We have already considered the complaint and provided a decision about it.
3.4.2 It relates to a matter where legal proceedings have been launched, or that has already been considered by a court, or which would be more appropriately considered by a court.
3.4.3 Matters concerning contractual or other legal disputes.
3.4.4 Formal requests for the disclosure of information, for example, under applicable legislation.
3.4.5 It relates to a matter that is being considered by another organisation.
4. Making a Complaint
4.1 All Complaints, whether they concern our services, our customer service, or our employees, agents or subcontractors, should be made in one of the following ways:
4.1.1 Sending a letter to: Customer Service Advisor, Thoburn Enforcement Services Ltd, Design Works, Unit 12 William St. Felling, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear NE10 0JP.
4.1.2 Sending an Email: addressed to Customer Service Advisor at info@thoburns.co.uk
4.1.3 Online: Using our Complaints Form, following the instructions included with the form at www.thoburns.co.uk
4.1.4 By telephone, on 0191 4772080 and choosing option 2 when prompted.
4.2 When making a Complaint, you will be required to provide the following information in as much detail as is reasonably possible:
4.2.1 Your name, address, telephone number, email address and reference number. (We will contact you using your preferred contact method as your Complaint is handled)
4.2.2 If you are making a Complaint on behalf of someone else, that person’s name and contact details as well as your own.
4.2.3 If you are making a Complaint about a particular transaction, the reference number.
4.2.4 If you are making a Complaint about a particular employee, agent or subcontractor of ours, the name and, where appropriate, position of that employee, agent or subcontractor.
4.2.5 Further details of your Complaint including, as appropriate, all times, dates, events, and people involved
4.2.6 Details of any documents or other evidence you wish to rely on in support of your Complaint.
4.2.7 Details of what you would like Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd. to do to resolve your Complaint and to put things right. (Please note that whilst we will make every reasonable effort to accommodate such requests, we are not bound to take any action beyond that which we may be contractually or otherwise legally obliged to take.)
5. How We Handle Your Complaint
5.1 Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd operates two-stage complaints handling procedure. Following our Complaints Procedure, our aim is to always resolve Complaints to your satisfaction at Stage One without further recourse to Stage Two. If you are not satisfied at the end of Stage One, you may escalate your Complaint to Stage Two. If you are still not satisfied at the end of Stage Two, Complaints may progress to External Resolution as detailed below.
5.2 Stage One:
5.2.1 Upon receipt of your Complaint, the Customer Service Advisor identified above in Section 4.1 will log the Complaint in our complaints log, complaints system etc, and will acknowledge receipt of it in writing within 5 working days of their receipt, giving you a Complaint Reference.
5.2.2 When we acknowledge receipt of your Complaint, we will also provide details of your Complaint Handler. This may be the Customer Service Advisor to whom our original Complaint was directed (as above) or your Complaint may be assigned to another appropriate member of our team.
5.2.3 If your Complaint relates to a specific employee, agent or subcontractor, that person will be informed of your Complaint and given a fair and reasonable opportunity to respond. Any communication between you and the employee, agent or subcontractor in question should take place only via the Complaint Handler and we respectfully ask that you do not contact the employee, agent or subcontractor in question directly concerning the Complaint while we are working to resolve it.
5.2.4 If we require any further information or evidence from you, the Complaint Handler will contact you as quickly as is reasonably possible to ask for it. We ask that you use reasonable efforts to supply any such information or evidence quickly to avoid delaying the complaints handling process. If you are for any reason unable to provide such information or evidence, we will use all reasonable efforts to proceed without it, however, please be aware that we will not ask for further information or evidence unless we consider it important to the successful resolution of your Complaint.
5.2.5 We aim to resolve Stage One Complaints within 20 working days, however in some cases, particularly if your Complaint is of a complex nature, this may not be possible. If this is not possible for any reason you will be informed of the delay, the likely length of the delay and the reasons for it.
5.2.6 At the conclusion of the Stage One complaints procedure, regardless of the outcome, we will provide you with full details of our investigation, our conclusions from that investigation, and any action taken as a result. You will also be reminded of your right to appeal our decision and escalate the complaint to Stage Two in the form of an Appeal.
5.3 Stage Two:
5.3.1 If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your complaint at Stage One, you may appeal the decision within 20 working days, and have the complaint escalated to Stage Two. Appeals are handled by the Appeal Handler at senior management level of our team.
5.3.2 Appeals, quoting your original Complaint Reference, should be directed to your original Complaint Handler who will forward the request to an appropriate Appeal Handler. Receipt of Appeals will be acknowledged in writing within 5 working days.
5.3.3 If your Complaint relates to a specific employee, agent or subcontractor, that person will be informed of your Appeal and given a further opportunity to respond. Any communication between you and the employee, agent or subcontractor in question should take place only via the Appeal Handler and we respectfully ask that you do not contact the employee, agent or subcontractor in question directly concerning the Complaint while we are working to resolve it.
5.3.4 If we require any further information or evidence from you, the Appeal Handler will contact you as quickly as is reasonably possible to ask for it. We ask that you use reasonable efforts to supply any such information or evidence to us quickly to avoid delaying the complaints handling process. If you are for any reason unable to provide such information or evidence, we will use all reasonable efforts to proceed without it, however please be aware that we will not ask for further information or evidence unless we consider it important to the successful resolution of your Complaint.
5.3.5 We aim to resolve Stage Two Complaints within 20 working days from the date the case passed to Stage Two, however in some cases, particularly if your Complaint is of a complex nature, this may not be possible. If this is not possible for any reason you will be informed of the delay, the likely length of the delay and the reasons for it.
5.3.6 At the conclusion of the Stage Two procedure, regardless of the outcome, we will provide you with full details of our investigation, our conclusions from that investigation, and any action taken as a result. Our decision at this stage is final, subject to your right to seek External Resolution of your Complaint.
5.3.7 As we are a member of CIVEA – Civil Enforcement Association and accredited by the ECB – Enforcement Conduct Board you, have the right to seek External Resolution of your Complaint from these organisations if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your Stage Two Complaint.
5.4 External Resolution:
5.4.1 If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your Complaint at Stage Two you may seek External Resolution of your Complaint, you may refer your complaint to the:
5.4.2
Council’s Complaints Officer.
Tel 0345 6006400
Email recovery@northumberland.gov.uk
Should the complainant remain unhappy with the response they receive they have the right to contact the:
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Tel 0300 0610614
www.lgo.org.uk
Your complaint should be about the council that you sent your original complaint to. Explain what the Enforcement Agents have done wrong but focus on your council’s response to your original complaint.
If your complaint relates to Magistrates and Highways England, you may refer your complaint to the:
ECB – Enforcement Conduct Board
10 Queen Street Place
London EC4R 1BE.
Email: contact@enforcementconductboard.org
www.enforcementconductboard.org
CIVEA – Civil Enforcement Association
Tel 0844 893 3922
Email: admin@civea.co.uk.
www.civea.co.uk
6. Confidentiality and Data Protection
6.1 All Complaints and information relating thereto are treated with the utmost confidence. Such information will only be shared with those employees, agents or subcontractors of Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd who need to know in order to handle your Complaint.
6.2 We may ask for your permission to use details of your Complaint (with your personal details removed) for internal training and quality improvement purposes. If you have given such permission, you may revoke it at any time by contacting the Customer Service Advisor, whose details are provided above in Section 4.1.
6.3 All personal information that we may collect (including, but not limited to, your name and address) will be collected, used and held in accordance with the provisions of UK data protection law (including but not limited to the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003) and your rights thereunder, as set out in our Privacy Policy available from our website www.thoburns.co.uk.
7. Questions and Further Information
7.1.1 If you have any questions or require further information about any aspect of this Complaints Policy or about our Complaints Procedure, please contact the:
Sending a letter to: Customer Service Advisor, Thoburn Enforcement Services Ltd, Design Works, Unit 12 William St. Felling, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear NE10 0JP.
Sending an Email: addressed to Customer Service Advisor at info@thoburns.co.uk
Online: Using our Complaints Form, following the instructions included with the form at www.thoburns.co.uk
8. Policy Responsibility and Review
8.1 Overall responsibility for this Complaints Policy within Thoburns Enforcement Services Ltd. and the implementation thereof lies with Quality Manager.
8.2 This Complaints Policy is regularly reviewed and updated as required.
8.3 This Complaints Policy was adopted on 23/01/2025.
8.4 This Complaints Policy was last reviewed on 23/01/2025.
Policy Reviewed Annually. Date of Last Review: 10.02.2025