Internal Complaints Policy
This document outlines our policy that identifies how we will accept, record, investigate, respond, and conclude complaints received.

Options to lodge a complaint
Should a member of the public wish to complain, they should do so in writing to our postal address.

Recording Complaints
Once a written complaint is received by the designated member of staff, it must be recorded on our internal complaints register in the TPS complaints folder. The following must be recorded: 

a) date of complaint.
b) the complainant.
c) outcome.
d) details of corrective action required and undertaken to ensure the situation does not recur (where the complaint has merit). A file must be opened in the physical “open complaints” register containing:
e) copy of complaint.
f) copy of all correspondence.

Once the complaint has been addressed the physical file should be moved to the “closed complaints” register.
We are obligated to maintain a register showing the last 24 months of complaints. We also have responsibilities under the GDPR because the complaint will contain personal data and our members of staff handling the complaints should be aware of these.

Acknowledging Complaints
We must acknowledge to the Complainant, that they we have received the complaint and will be investigating within 28 working days.

Investigating and Concluding Complaints
We must investigate and conclude complaints within 28 working days. Where there are exceptional circumstances for not concluding the complaint within 28 working days we must write to the complainant and explain why the matter is not concluded and when it will be. We must write to the complainant when the complaint is concluded.

If the response provided is unsatisfactory, customers may escalate their complaint for further review. The matter will then be handled by Senior Management to ensure it receives the attention it requires.

Process:

a) Submit a written request for escalation via the same email or postal address, clearly stating why the initial response was unsatisfactory.
b) Senior Management will acknowledge the escalation within 7 working days and provide a detailed response within 21 working days.
c) For particularly complex matters requiring extended investigation, customers will receive an interim response detailing the progress and expected timeframe for a full resolution.