Complaints and Appeals

BESCA strives to learn from any dispute, complaint, or appeal, and update our schemes accordingly as part of our commitment for continuous improvement. We value all feedback from our members to ensure that we continue to provide a positive user-friendly service.

BESCA’s Complaints and Appeals process is also open to our members’ customers, who wish to make a complaint against a member or the outcome of a service delivery.

Documents supporting a complaint may be requested in hard copy from the BESCA Quality Management Officer, your legal rights are not affected by participating in BESCA’s complaints process.

Complaints

BESCA’s complaints policy and procedures ensure that when things go wrong, all complaints are managed fairly and effectively. Complaints may be received from any source

• Clients
• Customers
• Building Regulation control officers
• planning departments
• environmental control officers
• Trading Standards departments
• insurance companies
• client’s customers

Complaints should be addressed to the BESCA Quality Management Officer and may be referred to BESCA’s Complaints and Appeals Panel where appropriate, in all cases the independent and impartial BESCA Schemes Board will be informed. Complaints are recognised as, but not limited to the following:

• a failure to comply with BESCA’s rules, terms and conditions
• a disregard of the requirements of the building regulations
• an act or omission may have, or has, endangered life
• misleading or false information being given to BESCA

Before a complaint is brought to BESCA’s attention, installers must be given the opportunity to resolve the complaint themselves through their own complaints procedures. BESCA understands it is not always possible to gain a resolution during a complaint with an installer, BESCA’s complaints process assures an in depth review of complaints discussing matters with the installer and arranging a site inspection to gather evidence for BESCA’s records.

All findings will be documented to support any outcome and discussed with the installer to work towards a resolution. If proposed resolution is deemed satisfactory to BESCA, this would then be discussed with the complainant to agree restoration works. BESCA will monitor works throughout and would seek evidence of completion and satisfaction (or if appropriate attend site again to verify satisfactory completion) before closing the complaint. 

Complaints Process

A formal complaint must be submitted to the BESCA Quality Management Officer in writing using the complaints form.

In order to ensure that the process is transparent and that all complaints are treated appropriately it is important to follow the complaints process. Further details may be requested before a complaint can be considered if sufficient evidence has not been provided.

BESCA will acknowledge the receipt of a complaint within 7 days. An appropriate manager will investigate and respond in full within 28 days of the complaint being received.

Complaints should be sent for the attention of:

BESCA Quality Management Officer
Old Mansion House
Eamont Bridge
Penrith
Cumbria
CA10 2BX

Appeals

BESCA strives to ensure a satisfactory resolution to all complaints in line with our Complaints Procedure. In instances where the complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome, they are invited to appeal the decision to the BESCA Quality Management Officer.

In those instances, the BESCA Quality Management Officer will obtain necessary information from all of the parties involved. The appeal will then be referred to the BESCA Complaints and Appeals Panel and the BESCA Schemes Board will be informed of the outcome.

An appeal should be made within 20 days of BESCA’s original decision, in writing and contain the following information:

• The decision that is appealed
• The requested change
• Name, address, and telephone number of the appellant.

The BESCA Complaints and Appeals Panel will consider any grounds for the appeal; why the previous decision was made; and any additional information that may have become available since then the decision was made.

Where the appeal is unsuccessful, the business or the individual will be given the reason(s) why the appeal has failed. They will also be given details of how they can further appeal against the decision to an arbitrator, appointed by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, should they wish to do so.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

A complainant may wish to use Alternative Dispute Resolution, in instances where a complaint has not be resolved to their satisfaction.

ADR offers a range of options that support the parties in dispute for an easier, quicker and more cost effective approach to resolution, compared to the courts or other formal methods. BESCA members may have TrustMark registration, which provides a mechanism for a further impartial review of a complaint. BESCA will provide a findings report to all parties concerned, in support of any application to ADR where requested.

Further information can be found here TrustMark - Alternative Dispute Resolution

Appeals should be made in writing and sent for the attention of:

BESCA Quality Management Officer
Old Mansion House
Eamont Bridge
Penrith
Cumbria
CA10 2BX