Complaints Procedure

Man and Van Balham Complaints Procedure

Man and Van Balham aims to provide a reliable, professional and friendly removal service for every customer. We recognise, however, that occasionally things may go wrong or expectations may not be fully met. This Complaints Procedure explains how you can raise a concern with us, what we will do in response, and the standards you can expect throughout the process.

Our commitment to resolving complaints

We treat every complaint seriously and view feedback as an opportunity to improve our removal and man and van services. We are committed to:

Listening carefully to your concern, treating you with respect and courtesy, and dealing with your complaint in a fair and impartial way. We will investigate promptly, keep you informed of progress, and aim to resolve matters as quickly as reasonably possible. Where we are at fault, we will explain what went wrong, apologise where appropriate, and outline any steps we will take to put matters right and prevent similar issues in the future.

What counts as a complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our service, whether it relates to the quality of a removal, the conduct of our staff, damage or loss of items, punctuality, communication, pricing concerns, or any other aspect of your experience with Man and Van Balham.

You do not need to use specific wording to make a complaint. If you tell us that you are unhappy and would like us to look into an issue, we will treat this as a complaint and follow this procedure.

Raising a complaint

You can raise a complaint with us verbally or in writing. It is helpful to contact us as soon as possible after the issue arises so that we can investigate while events are still fresh and evidence is easier to obtain.

When submitting a complaint, please provide the following information where possible:

Your full name and the address where the service was carried out, the date of your move or booking, a clear description of what went wrong and how it has affected you, details of any conversations you have already had with our team about the issue, and any supporting information such as photographs, inventories or receipts relating to the complaint.

Stage one: Initial review and acknowledgement

Once we receive your complaint, we will log it and carry out an initial review. We will acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable time and confirm that it is being investigated. Where necessary, we may contact you to clarify details, request further information, or better understand the nature of your concern.

During this stage, many straightforward issues can be resolved quickly, for example by providing an explanation, correcting an error, or taking immediate practical steps to address your concern. If we are able to resolve your complaint at this early stage, we will confirm the outcome to you and explain any action we have taken.

Stage two: Investigation and response

If your complaint cannot be resolved immediately, it will be passed to a responsible member of our management team for a more detailed investigation. This may include reviewing booking records and job sheets, speaking with the removal team involved, checking any relevant photographs or documentation, and assessing our terms and conditions and agreed scope of work.

Once the investigation is complete, we will provide you with a written response. This will set out a summary of your complaint, the steps we have taken to investigate, our findings, and our decision. Where appropriate, we will outline any proposed remedy, which may include an apology, corrective action, or other proportionate measures depending on the circumstances and in line with our contractual obligations.

If you remain dissatisfied

If you are unhappy with the outcome at stage two, you may ask for your complaint to be reviewed again. When doing so, please explain why you remain dissatisfied and what you believe would be a fair resolution. We will consider whether a further review is appropriate, for example where new information has come to light or where you believe there has been a misunderstanding.

Where a further review is carried out, it will usually be handled by a senior member of our team who was not directly involved in the original decision. They will look again at the complaint, the evidence available, and the reasoning behind the previous outcome. We will then write to you with our final position and any further steps we are able to take.

Timescales

We aim to deal with complaints as promptly as possible, while still carrying out a thorough and fair investigation. Actual timescales may vary depending on the complexity of the matter, the availability of staff and information, and whether we need to inspect any items or locations relevant to your move.

Where we anticipate that an investigation will take longer than we would normally expect, we will keep you informed and let you know when you can expect an update or a final response.

Fairness and confidentiality

All complaints are handled confidentially and in accordance with applicable legal and data protection requirements. Information is shared only with those who need to know in order to investigate and resolve your complaint. We will treat you with respect throughout the process and expect the same courtesy towards our staff.

Our approach is to consider each complaint on its individual facts, taking into account the evidence available, the agreed scope of the removal service, and any relevant contractual and legal obligations. We do not discriminate against anyone who makes a complaint in good faith, and raising a concern will not affect any ongoing or future services you receive from us.

Using complaints to improve our services

We regularly review complaints and feedback to identify patterns, training needs and opportunities for improvement. This may involve updating our procedures, providing additional guidance or training for our teams, improving communication with customers, or making practical changes to the way we plan and carry out removals.

By following this Complaints Procedure, Man and Van Balham aims not only to resolve individual concerns fairly, but also to strengthen the overall quality, safety and reliability of our moving and transport services.