Complaints Procedure

Complaints Procedure for Man with Van Addiscombe

Man with Van Addiscombe is committed to providing a reliable and professional removal service for homes and businesses. We recognise that, on occasion, things may not go as planned. This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern, how we will handle it, and what you can expect from us throughout the process.

Our Commitment to You

We aim to deliver a fair, transparent, and prompt response to all complaints. We use every complaint as an opportunity to review our work, improve our service, and prevent similar issues from occurring in future. We treat all customers with respect and expect the same courtesy towards our staff.

What This Procedure Covers

This complaints procedure applies to all services provided by Man with Van Addiscombe, including but not limited to home removals, office and business moves, man and van services, packing assistance, loading and unloading, and short-distance and longer-distance moves within our normal service area.

This procedure does not cover matters that are already being dealt with by insurers, law enforcement, or legal representatives, although we may still record and review your feedback for service improvement.

What We Class as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction from a customer about the standard of our service, the conduct of our staff, our vehicles or equipment, the handling or timing of a move, or how we have carried out our agreed work, where a response or resolution is reasonably expected.

We welcome both informal concerns and formal complaints. In many cases, we can resolve an issue quickly and informally if it is raised at the time of the move or shortly afterwards.

How to Raise a Complaint

You can raise a complaint verbally or in writing. While we will accept verbal complaints, we encourage you to put your concerns in writing so that we can clearly understand the details and respond thoroughly. When raising a complaint, please provide the following information:

The date of your move or booking, your full name and the address where the service took place, a clear description of what went wrong and when it occurred, details of any damage, delays, or missed services, and what outcome you are seeking, such as an apology, explanation, corrective action, or compensation where appropriate.

If you are unable to provide all of this information, we will still log your complaint and work with you to clarify any missing details.

Time Limits for Raising a Complaint

We recommend that you raise any complaint as soon as possible after the event so that we can investigate effectively. In particular, complaints about physical damage to property or belongings should be raised as soon as they are noticed. If a significant amount of time has passed, it may be more difficult for us to verify the details, but we will still look into your concerns where we reasonably can.

How We Will Handle Your Complaint

Once we receive your complaint, we will log it and begin our review. Our complaints handling process usually follows these stages.

First, we acknowledge your complaint and confirm that it has been received. Where possible, we will do this promptly. Next, we investigate by reviewing booking records, job sheets, driver and porter reports, and any photographs or notes taken on the day of the move. We may contact you for further clarification or supporting information. We will also speak with any team members involved.

After investigation, we assess what happened, whether our service fell below our standards, and whether our terms and conditions or any relevant policies have been breached. We will then issue a clear response. This will usually include an explanation of our findings, any apology where appropriate, and details of any corrective action or offer of remedy.

Timescales for Response

We aim to resolve most complaints as quickly as possible, often within a short period. Complex cases, especially those involving alleged damage, insurance matters, or disputes over timings and access, may take longer while we gather all the necessary information. If our investigation takes longer than we first expected, we will aim to keep you informed of progress and let you know when you can expect a further update.

Possible Outcomes and Remedies

Depending on the circumstances, our response may include a verbal or written apology, an explanation of what went wrong and why, a proposal to repeat or correct part of the service where feasible, advice on how to make an insurance or damage claim where applicable, or a goodwill gesture or other remedy, where appropriate and at our discretion.

Any remedy offered will be based on the specific facts of your complaint, our terms and conditions, and any applicable insurance arrangements. Not every complaint will result in financial compensation. However, we always take your concerns seriously and will explain the reasons for any decision.

Escalating Your Complaint

If you are not satisfied with our initial response, you may ask for your complaint to be reviewed at a higher level within our company. In your escalation request, please clearly explain why you disagree with the outcome, which points you feel have not been fully addressed, and what you would like us to consider further.

We will then carry out a further review, which may include re-examining evidence, speaking again with staff involved, and reassessing our decision. After this review, we will issue a final response setting out our position.

Recording and Using Complaints to Improve

We record all formal complaints and significant informal concerns. This information is used to monitor patterns, identify areas where training, equipment, scheduling, or communication can be improved, and update our procedures and policies where necessary. Our goal is to continuously refine our removals and man and van services so that future customers benefit from any lessons learned.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

All complaints are handled in a confidential and respectful manner. Information about your complaint will only be shared with staff who need it to investigate and respond, or where we are required to share information by law, for example in connection with insurance or legal proceedings. We handle personal information in line with data protection principles and only keep it for as long as is necessary for the purposes of handling your complaint and meeting our legal and regulatory obligations.

Policy Review

This complaints procedure is reviewed regularly to ensure it remains clear, fair, and effective for our customers and staff. Updated versions may be issued from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or best practice in the removals industry.