We’re improving our complaints process

10 May 2024 - Services
We aim to provide a great service to our customers, but we know our complaints handling process isn’t as good as it could be.
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We’ve listened to your feedback, and recognise we need to be more responsive and to improve how we communicate with you.

That’s why we’re changing how we manage your complaint.

We’ll respond more quickly and let you know what we’re doing to investigate and resolve it.

We’ve taken the following actions:

  • Bolstered our complaints team with the recruitment of 3 new case workers

  • Introduced trained champions across the organisation. They are experts who investigate complaints and develop action plans to put things right

  • Made it easier for you to report a complaint in different ways, including in-person, online, letter or by phone

  • Launched a new system to help us monitor and track your complaint better and spot when there is a delay

  • Developing a new policy for how we assess and award compensation payments

  • Working on an improvement plan which will set out the changes we’re making following your feedback

We’ve changed how we manage your complaint

We’ve introduced new timescales for resolving complaints and we’ve made the process easier to navigate. This is especially important when it comes to your right to refer an issue to the Housing Ombudsman Service.

When you report your complaint or concern, we’ll:

  • Acknowledge it within 5 working days

  • A member of our team will contact you so we can better understand the issue

  • Discuss options on how we can reasonably resolve it with you

  • Explain the next steps

  • Aim to respond and put your complaint right within 10 working days (unless we need more time to investigate)

  • Do all we can to resolve your complaint first time.

Why haven’t you responded to my existing complaint? 

Please bear with us if you’ve made a complaint and are waiting for a response.

We’ve been training new staff and embedding the complaints system to make sure we’re able to make these changes and improve your experience of reporting a complaint to us.

Please be reassured, we’re working through the backlog of complaints and will respond to you soon.

Antonia Phillips, A2Dominion’s Interim Head of Complaints and Resolution, said:

“We’ve listened to your feedback and put in place some changes to our complaints handling process.

“The first step has been the expansion of our complaints team with the recruitment of new case workers and complaints champions.

"We’re also investing in training for more of our staff to help ensure speedy resolutions and a better customer experience.

"We’re using your ongoing feedback to learn from our mistakes to improve the services we provide to you. We know it’s important that we say sorry when we get things wrong and put it right as quickly as we can.

“If you’re overdue a complaints response from us, we’re sorry and understand it is frustrating. We want to reassure you that now the new system is in place we’re working through the backlog of complaints as a priority."

The Housing Ombudsman Service

These changes are being rolled out after carrying out a review of our services as part of the Housing Ombudsman Service's new Complaint Handling Code.

The Housing Ombudsman Service is set up by law to look at complaints about housing organisations registered with them. The service is free, independent and impartial. It seeks to resolve disputes involving the tenants and leaseholders of social landlords (housing associations and local authorities).

Find out how to make a complaint on our dedicated customer Help page