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Complaints Policy

CILT(UK) are committed to providing high quality services to our members and our customers.

We value complaints and use information learnt from them to help us improve what we do and how we do it.

If something goes wrong or you are dissatisfied with what we are providing, please tell us – you should feel free to raise matters of concern without risk of disadvantage.

This document describes our complaint procedure and how to make a complaint.

This policy will be reviewed every 2 years or sooner subject to any changes in legislation.

What is a complaint?

We regard a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by us or on our behalf.

What can I complain about?

You can complain about things like:

The quality and standard of any service we provide.
Failure to provide a service.
The quality of our facilities or resources.
Unfair treatment or inappropriate behaviour by a staff member or someone representing CILT(UK).

What cannot you complain about?

There are some things we can’t deal with through our complaint handling procedure.

These include:

A request for information or an explanation of policy or practice.
An attempt to have a complaint reconsidered where we have already given our final decision following an investigation.

We will not normally treat information received through routine feedback mechanisms – such as responses to surveys – as complaints.

Who can complain?

Any users of CILT(UK) products and services including members, customers and learners.

For complaints relating to the Awarding Organisation (exam results) a separate complaints procedure is applicable which can be found here: www.ciltuk.org.uk/AO Policies

How do I complain?

It is easier for us to resolve concerns if you raise them as soon as you become aware of the issue, and directly to the service concerned.

Please talk to the manager within that department regarding your concerns so that they can try to resolve any problems on the spot.

If your complaint is not resolved or you are not able to speak to the manager (for any reason) then you can contact complaints@ciltuk.org.uk.

When complaining, please tell us:

Your full name and address.
The date and time the incident took place, if applicable.
As much as you can about the complaint and what has gone wrong.
How you would like us to resolve the matter.

Normally, you must make your complaint within six months of:

the issue arising, or
finding out that you have a reason to complain.

In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept a complaint after the time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please tell us why.

What will happen if I complain?

Our complaints procedure has two stages:

Stage 1 – Departmental Resolution.

Should the service manager not be able to resolve your complaint, the matter can be escalated to the director responsible for the department you are complaining about by contacting complaints@ciltuk.org.uk. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days (unless there are exceptional circumstances).

We will respond to your complaint within 14 working days from the acknowledgement of your complaint and may contact you within that period to request further information.

Our response will:

Clearly outline our decision providing clear reasons for this decision.
Respond openly explaining why the organisation considers these points justified or not.
Take responsibility for the actions of our staff and those who are representing CILT(UK).
Acknowledge if things have gone wrong and take proportionate action to put things right, including apologising where appropriate.
Include any lesson(s) learnt and any changes made to services, guidance or policy because of the complaint.

If you are not satisfied with the response we give at this stage, we will tell you what you can do next. If you choose to, you can take your complaint to Stage 2 of the complaint procedure. You may choose to do this immediately or shortly after you get our initial decision.

If you choose to, you can take your complaint to Stage 2 of the complaint procedure. You may choose to do this immediately or shortly after you get our initial decision.

Stage 2 – Appeal

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the departmental resolution, you can appeal the result stating the reasons for the appeal to be sent to complaints@ciltuk.org.uk), within 5 business working days.

This complaint will go to the CEO and COO, unless the complaint involves either party in which case it will go to the board for further review. Your complaint and any supporting documents will be seen by the person investigating your complaint, by anyone named in the complaint and by relevant staff in the department(s) being complained about.

At stage 2 we will:

Acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 working days and tell you who is dealing with your complaint.
Discuss your complaint with you to understand why you remain dissatisfied and what outcome you are looking for.
Give you a full response to the complaint as soon as possible and within 20 working days.

If our investigation will take longer than 20 working days, we will tell you. We will agree on the revised time limits with you and keep you updated on progress.

If you are not happy with the appeal outcome, you can contact the Chair of Board Directors or for membership issues, the Chair of MRG through enquiry@ciltuk.org.uk

Use of your Personal Information

CILT(UK) collects and uses your personal information to operate the CILT(UK) website and deliver the services you have requested. CILT(UK) also uses your personally identifiable information to inform you of other products or services available from CILT(UK) and its affiliates. CILT(UK) may also contact you via surveys to conduct research about your opinion of current services or of potential new services that may be offered.

CILT(UK) does not sell, rent or lease its customer lists to third parties. CILT(UK) may, from time to time, contact you on behalf of external business partners about a particular offering that may be of interest to you. In those cases, your unique personally identifiable information (email, name, address, telephone number) is not transferred to the third party.

All such third parties are prohibited from using your personal information except to provide these services to CILT(UK), and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information.

CILT(UK) does not use or disclose sensitive personal information, such as race, religion, or political affiliations, without your explicit consent.

If you're employed within the MOD and have an active CILT(UK) membership, your name and job title may be shared with your employer. The purpose of this is to support CILT(UK)’s ongoing partnership with the MOD and ensure that membership provides maximum value to MOD personnel.

CILT(UK) websites will disclose your personal information, without notice, only if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on CILT(UK) or the site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of CILT(UK); and, (c) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of CILT(UK), or the public.

Security of your Personal Information

CILT(UK) secures your personal information from unauthorised access, use or disclosure. CILT(UK) secures the personally identifiable information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorised access, use or disclosure.

Non-Retaliation Clause

There shall be no discrimination or retaliation of any kind against any person because of any complaints or investigations made