What is most important to you when you make a complaint? Please take our poll

UKParliament

visidigi wrote: »

All of the above.

But above all - a phone number that doesn't make the government more money when you are calling to make a complaint! No Government number should be 0844/0845/0870 etc.

Hi visidigi

Thank you for taking the time to fill out the poll - and in reference to your comments - we will be sure to forward this on to the Committee.

Many thanks
DOT

UKParliament

duchy wrote: »

Wow I'm a mature student (with extensive real world experience of actually dealing with customer complaints over many years) in Social Science and I am amazed at the poor construction of this survey.

A few suggestions

Having an individual taking ownership of both the complaint and the resolution

Ability to check progress of complaint

Cost to complain (leaving someone in a long queue on an 0844 number is proven to reduce number of complaints but not customer satisfaction)

Clear explanation of complaints process and timescales

Quite honestly I don't see the point of research when the raw data collected is so flawed. As pointed out earlier there cannot be one answer as it is too broad . It's a little like saying - What would you like to eat? Depending on the time of day, location , previous meals consumed (or not) that day etc etc-the priorities will be entirely different. It is the same with complaints - some people want resolution there and then, others want acknowledgement there is a problem and info on process to resolve, some even just want someone to vent to-as always one size does not fit all.....a basic concept that this proposed draft has missed but perhaps not too surprising as it mirrors government policy at this time by trying to see situations as entirely black and white and ignoring the vast expanses of greys.

hi duchy

Thank you for your comments. We will take them on board when forwarding the information to the Committee.

The poll is just one of a number of avenues of data collection.

This poll is a good way to gain an overview of concerns for the public when making complaints and can be used to potentially support other, more comprehensive, documentation.

Thank you
DOT

Paully232000

Surely this is not as simple as 'what do i want from a complaint' as complaints take many guises. I could be complaining about something as simple as (for example) a broken DVD and expect the shop to swap it for new one and that is the end to it.

However I could have a more serious complaint for instance about the attitude of staff or the way someone is treated, or spoken to, or where I am left out of pocket unreasonably by a substantial amount of money.

In the first example speed of dealing with the complaint would be a priority in that I am sent a new copy of the DVD and that is an end to it. An apology would be nice, but in the grand scheme of things not that important.

In the second example speed would not be as important and more the apology and potentially independent investigation would be necessary to find out how it happened in the first place, and to trust the organisation again.

Not quite as simple as ticking which box is the 'most important'.
Overall I think that, as others have said, this is a meaningless survey with no real-world application as there are so many definitions of a 'complaint' in terms of complexity, what it is a person is complaining about, who the person is complaining about, what they want done about it etc etc. I, as someone who carries out research for a living, would like to know more about the survey and how this fits into the overall research, and would hope that this involves not just the quantitative information about but also a qualitative element to find out peoples actual experiences of a wide range of complaints to give a full picture of this very vague term 'complaints'.

Sorry to be so negative about the survey but that is just by 2 pence worth.

fluffnutter

Judging by many of the threads on here you should have included 'Huge, huge, HUGE sum in compensation' as one of your options.

cookie365

I want a named individual managing the complaint, and a geographical number (or at least an 03) to call them on.

arcon5

This is one of those moments that make me embarrassed about our choice of MPs, Politicians and like... If they think this thread/poll/method is at all informative and appropriate in producing a report in handling complaints.

And you wonder why politics has lost so much credibility

hollydays

I've learned that if you make an initial telephone complaint, the knowledge of the call taker about my rights , the law, can be poor, but coupled with a belief that they are right, never wrong.

I have to frequently ask to speak to a supervisor/ manager to assert my rights.
I also have to request they call me back to let me know the resolution, and state when they will do this.
It's a shame I have to do this myself.

Valli

All of the above plus an appropriate, impartial body to deal with, readily accessible, which will send down decisions.

Oh, and some proper administration of the fly-by-nights who dissolve their limited companies and set up new ones, leaving folk in the lurch. Especially given actual legal representation is almost out of the reach of the pocket of 'average' people!

fluffnutter

A proper understanding of consumer law is important. It's really common to be fobbed off because companies don't seem to have any knowledge of the SOGA or DSR. The misinterpretations are numerous from unlawfully exempting particular items, e.g. mattresses, underwear, from the DSR; insisting that goods are returned within a time period; insisting that goods are returned in their original packaging; believing that a returns policy supersedes statutory rights; refusing a remedy after a certain time period, e.g. one month; not knowing that it's up to the retailer to prove that a fault's not inherent if the goods fail in the first six months; insisting that the remedy must come from the manufacturer; refusing a remedy because the item is out of warranty. I could go on.

I find it staggering that retailers don't understand the very laws that govern them. It seems to me a crucial part of one's job to understand what laws apply to your business but most seem uninterested at best and disingenuous at worst.

UKParliament

Thank you all for your comments so far.

Do please continue to comment/vote - there is still time!

Many thanks
DOT