Complaints Policy

Manchester Care and Repair Ltd is committed to being helpful and courteous to all those who use its services. We aim to provide good advice, support and assistance as well as speedy replies to any enquiries.

As part of our commitment to improving our services we welcome your views. Of course we hope and intend that you will have no cause to complain. However, we offer the following Complaints Procedure to ensure that any problem is dealt with properly and fairly.

The procedure is designed as a series of stages. If you are not satisfied, you should take your complaint to the next stage.

We want to try and bring any dispute to a speedy and friendly conclusion.

At all stages, we will be looking to reach an agreement.

Who can use the Complaints Procedure?

• Anyone who has approached Manchester Care and Repair for assistance.
• Someone representing the complainant.
• Contractors who work with Manchester Care and Repair.

At all stages of the procedure we will take into account any special needs you have in expressing your complaint. You may ask a friend to assist you.

What issues are covered?

The procedure is designed to cover complaints about any of our services. We aim to resolve most concerns speedily and informally. If we have not been able to, the complaints procedure shows the steps you can take.

Informal Contact

As a first step we ask you to contact the member of staff who has been working with you and explain your concerns. If that person is unable to resolve your concern they will ask their manager to discuss the matter with you to see if they can bring about a resolution. If you are still dissatisfied with the action taken, you can make a formal complaint following our step-by-step procedure.
If you don’t have a regular agency contact and would like to discuss your concern informally, please contact the Corporate Resources Director, who will direct you to the best person to solve your problems or failing that, will guide you through the complaints procedure. You can contact us by telephone 0161 872 5500 or you can write to us at Manchester Care and Repair, Unit 14, Empress Buildings, 380 Chester Road, Manchester, M16 9EA. Email: mail@careandrepair-manchester.org.uk

Stages in the Complaints Procedure

Stage 1
You can telephone, write or email your complaint to our Corporate Resources Director who will pass it to a senior manager to investigate. They may contact you for further details and, if you have not already done so, you may be asked to confirm the details of your complaint in writing. Your complaint will be acknowledged by letter or telephone and within 14 days you will be sent a letter explaining the outcome of the investigation or, if the matter is more complex, letting you know how the investigation is progressing and when you can expect an outcome. If your complain is about our Corporate Resources Director or another senior manager then move to stage 2.

Stage 2
If you are not satisfied with the response from Stage 1 you can write to our Chief Executive who will either investigate your complaint personally or arrange for a different senior manager to do so on their behalf. You will be sent a written response within 14 days. If your complaint is about the Chief Executive then you could move directly to Stage 3.

Stage 3
If you are still not satisfied then our Management Board will deal with your complaint, which should be addressed to Chair of Management Board and marked ‘Private and Confidential’, Unit 14 Empress Buildings, 380 Chester Road, Manchester, M16 9EA. The Chair will then appoint a Board member to investigate your complaint, and to present their findings and recommendations to the Board at the next Board meeting. You will be sent a written response and a progress report within 14 days of receiving your complaint, and you will be informed immediately the Board has made its decision.

Final Stage
If, having gone through the above stages you are still not satisfied you may write to Foundations, the national body for home improvement agencies. They can be contacted at Bleaklow House, Howard Town Mills, Glossop SK13 8HT or by telephone 01457 891909. If you are telephoning, ask for the regional officer for the North West area. Foundations might appoint someone else to investigate your complaint on their behalf.

Other ways to take up a complaint

Local advice agencies: such as Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CABs) can offer you independent support and advice.

Councillors: can also offer support and advice. However, they prefer to take on complaints after a complainant has followed up the complaint through the procedure of the organisation concerned.
Other organisations: depending on the nature of the complaint, other organisations may help you, such as Housing or Social Services staff at the council, doctors or solicitors.

Manchester Care and Repair is committed to the furtherance of equal opportunities in employment, service delivery and Board representation.