About the complaints procedure

Complaints do arise. Sometimes we make mistakes. When this happens, we want people to let us know immediately what has gone wrong so we can apologise and put things right.

The SCC both commissions its own research and carries out research for other people. We also work in partnership with other organisations and we receive funding from various sources for project work. Our complaints procedure applies to all these functions and we have internal guidelines for ensuring that they are carried out to a high standard. The procedure also covers complaints about our recruitment practice which adheres to our equal opportunities policy.

We will report on the complaints we receive during the year in our Annual Report, available free on request.

Complaints is one way to make us better	We will try to help you
If you think we have failed to meet any of our standards, or you are dissatisfied with some other aspect of our work, we want to hear about it.	However, you choose to make your complaint, we will treat it seriously. We will act to solve your immediate problem and - to the best of our ability - to prevent it happening again.

Please do not hesitate to ask any staff for help if you need it, or are unsure about anything to do with making a complaint.

How to make a complaint

If, after our initial response, you are still dissatisfied or feel the procedure has not been followed at any stage, please let our complaints officer, Trisha McAuley, know.

Stage one of our complaints procedure

Complaints can often be resolved immediately and informally - and this will be our aim at this stage.

1. If you have already been dealing with someone at the SCC, start by contacting that person and putting the problem to them. If you do not know who to contact, please ask our reception or switchboard staff.
2. Alternatively, you are welcome to get in touch straight away with Trisha McAuley, Head of Corporate Resources and our complaints officer. She will try to resolve the problem on the spot.

Trisha McAuley
Head of Corporate Resources
Scottish Consumer Council
Royal Exchange House
100 Queen Street, Glasgow G1 3DN

Telephone 0141 226 5261
Fax 0141 221 0731
Minicom 0141 226 8459
Email: tmcauley@scotconsumer.org.uk

If the matter cannot be resolved immediately, we will look into your complaint and let you have a full response as soon as possible - certainly within twenty working days. If you are not satisfied with our response, please say so and ask us to look into your complaint again, which is stage two of the procedure.

Stage two of our complaints procedure

Please contact Trisha McAuley, our complaints officer, and describe why you want your complaint to be looked at again. If she dealt with your complaint in the first place or you prefer not to contact her again, or if she is away, please get in touch instead with the SCC's Director.

• Once you have taken your complaint to this stage, we will acknowledge it within three working days and tell you who is dealing with it.

The senior officer dealing with the complaint will then carry out a full and fair investigation. You will get the result of the enquiries, within twenty working days of you putting your complaint. We will tell you what we have investigated, and how we will try to put things right.

• If you are still not satisfied, please ask us to review the problem - stage three of the procedure.

Stage three of our complaints procedure

Contact the SCC's Chairman who will look into your complaint again, if you are not satisfied with earlier result.

• The Chairman will acknowledge your request for a review within three working days of receiving it.
• He will respond in full within twenty working days, giving details of what has been done and the results of his enquiries.

Review stage

If you are still not satisfied, you can refer the matter to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, also known as the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.

• The Ombudsman is completely independent of the SCC and will investigate how we have handled your complaint.

If you want to complain to the Ombudsman, you must tell an MP about your complaint and ask him/her to refer it to the Ombudsman. It is usual to approach your own constituency MP in the first instance - your local library or citizens advice bureau can give you your MP's details.

You can get more information about how to complain to the Parliamentary Ombudsman
by contacting the helpline: 0207 217 4163
or by writing to:

The Parliamentary Ombudsman
Church House
Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3BW

The Parliamentary Ombudsman’s website also contains information about how to complain – http://www.parliament.ombudsman.org.uk

Because the SCC is funded by the Department of Trade and Industry in London, you need to contact your Westminster MP and not your MSP (member for the Scottish Parliament).

However where our actions relate to devolved matters, you can contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman direct by phoning: 0800 377 7330 or by writing to:

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
4 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7NS

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