Complaints Policy
All definitions used in this Complaints Code are the same as in the Terms and Conditions.
Introduction
1.1. At Wessex Internet, we are committed to providing the best service we can to our customers. However, in the event that we get things wrong, please let us know. We take all complaints very seriously and we will always try to fix anything you are dissatisfied with as quickly as possible. Your feedback gives us a chance to make things right and the opportunity to improve how things are done.
1.2. In the event that you have an issue that needs resolution, this policy gives you the information you need to make a complaint.
How to contact us
1.3. If you wish to make a complaint, you can contact us via phone, email and post. The details you need to submit a complaint via each of these methods is set out below.
1.4. Submitting a complaint via phone
a) Please dial 0333 240 7997 to speak to Customer Support. Our lines are open Monday – Saturday 08:00 – 21:00 (excluding public holidays) or Sunday / Bank Holidays 10:00 - 16:00. For customers who require additional support when contacting us, please see our Vulnerable Persons policy.
b) This is the fastest way to make a complaint with us and we will always endeavour to resolve issues during the first call.
c) If you’d prefer a call-back, let us know when you first call, and we’ll arrange that.
d) If you call us using your Wessex Internet telephone service then there is no charge for the call. Otherwise, please note that calls to 0333 numbers are charged at a standard geographic call rate, and often included in your mobile telephone price plan at no extra charge. Please check with your provider for the relevant rates.
1.5. Submitting a complaint via email
a) Please address your complaint to complaints@wessexinternet.com. Please ensure that your email to us includes the following information:
i) Your full name or the full name of the person on whose behalf you are making the complaint;
ii) The date the problem(s) first started happening;
iii) A description of the problem (and which services are affected) in reasonable detail so we can investigate accordingly;
iv) The names of any Wessex Internet employees that you have previously dealt with; and
v) For security and identification purposes, the following:
- Your installation post code; and/or
- Your Wessex Internet account number.
b) You should receive an automatic acknowledgement that your e-mail has been received within 1 (one) hour. If you do not receive this, please call Customer Support on 0333 240 7997.
1.6. Submitting a complaint via post
a) Please address postal complaints to: Customer Support Department Wessex Internet The Old Laundry Ranston Blandford Dorset, DT11 8PU
b) Complaints submitted by post must include the same information as would be required in an email complaint. Please ensure you include the information listed at paragraph 1.5(a).
c) We recommend customers use recorded or tracked postage to ensure proof of delivery.
d) The postal system can be slow, so please allow 3-4 (three - four) working days for your letter to arrive with us. Within 2 (two) working days of us receiving your complaint, we will ensure that Customer Support gets in contact with you to confirm receipt of your complaint and advise you of next steps.
e) If you do not receive any contact from us within 10 (ten) working days of sending us your complaint, please call Customer Support on 0333 240 7997 and we will find out what has caused the delay, and commence the complaints process on your behalf.
How we will manage your complaint
1.7. All complaints will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, and against our Terms & Conditions and associated policies.
1.8. The processes and timeframes for how we manage complaints submitted via phone, email and post will vary slightly. We provide an overview of each complaints process below.
a) Complaints submitted by phone: during the call we’ll try to find out more about your complaint, whilst reviewing details on our system about you and the service provided to you. We will try our best to resolve your complaint whilst on the phone. Depending on the circumstances of the complaint, our customer service advisor may need to transfer you to another department or a manager. If we believe we cannot resolve your complaint on the call, we’ll let you know this as well as the reasons why, and what the next steps will be.
b) Complaints submitted by email: Upon receipt of your email, we will review your complaint in full, whilst reviewing details on our system about your account and the Service provided to you. We will ensure your complaint is sent to the correct department for review and progression. We will normally respond by phone to your complaint in the first instance so that we can try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. However, where we are unable to reach you by phone, we will reply to you via email and seek to arrange a time to set up a call. If you prefer all correspondence via email (or post), please let us know.
c) Complaints submitted by post: Upon receipt of your letter, we will review your complaint in full, whilst reviewing details on our system about your account and the Service provided to you. We will ensure your complaint is sent to the correct department for review and progression. We will normally respond by phone to your complaint in the first instance so that we can try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. However, where we are unable to reach you by phone, we will reply to you via email or post (depending on your designated preference) and seek to arrange a time to set up a call. If you prefer all correspondence via post or email, rather than by telephone, please let us know and we will adjust our method of communication accordingly.
1.9. When managing all complaints:
a) We will treat your complaint as a priority and do everything we can to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
b) We will contact you to tell you the outcome of our investigation into your complaint. We will always aim to do this within 10 (ten) working days, but depending on the nature of your complaint, this may not always be possible. Where an issue is complex, requires input from third parties or otherwise will take longer to resolve, we will let you know this, and advise you of the revised timetable.
c) Once we’ve been through the complaints process and advised you of the outcome, we will work on the premise that the complaint has been resolved to your satisfaction, unless you tell us otherwise. Where this is not the case, you will have 28 days to inform us of the fact that you consider the complaint remains unresolved. Please also refer to the section below: “What happens if you’re not satisfied with how we deal with your complaint”.
d) Where the phone has been your preferred means of communicating with us, you may request that we send you a written explanation of the outcome of our investigation either by email or via post.
e) We will retain electronic records of all information relating to your complaint for at least 12 (twelve) months.
What happens if you’re not satisfied with how we deal with your complaint?
1.10 If you are not satisfied with our original response to your complaint, you can ask for your complaint to be escalated to a manager.
1.11 If you consider that your engagement with the manager is not satisfactory, then you can write to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who will review the issues. In order to progress your complaint to the CEO, please make sure you have lodged the complaint with Customer Support, and gone through the escalation process described at paragraph 1.10 before attempting to escalate your complaint in accordance with this section. Our CEO’s details are as follows:
Hector Gibson Fleming Wessex Internet The Old Laundry Ranston Blandford Dorset, DT11 8PU
Email: complaints@wessexinternet.com (and please include in the email’s subject line ‘for the attention of the CEO’).
The CEO (or his appointed representative in his absence) will respond to any complaint received within 10 (ten) working days of receipt.
1.12 If following your engagement with the CEO you remain dissatisfied, then you may take your complaint to the Ombudsman Services, which is our Alternative Dispute Resolution (‘ADR’) provider. The Ombudsman Service website can be found at https://www.ombudsman-services.org. The Ombudsman Service offers you completely independent dispute resolution to our complaints process and any use of this service is completely free of charge.
1.13 Please note that this ADR service is only available to consumers and small business (those with 10 (ten) or fewer full-time employees/volunteers). For additional contact information for the Ombudsman service, please see our useful contacts section below.
1.14 To take your complaint to the Ombudsman Service, we will need to send you an ADR letter, which you will need to share with them. We will send an ADR letter to you:
a) where your complaint has been through every stage of our internal process and we have informed you of the outcome of that investigation, you have confirmed that you do not consider the proposed outcome to be satisfactory, and we have confirmed that we do not intend to take any further action with regard to the dispute; or
b) automatically, if after 8 (eight) weeks of lodging your complaint and us confirming receipt, it remains unresolved.
1.15 Noting paragraph 1.14, we will send you an ADR letter unless: a) your complaint is resolved, or we have genuine and reasonable grounds for considering that your complaint will be resolved in a timely manner and we are taking active steps to do so;
b) we reasonably believe your complaint to be frivolous or vexatious; or
c) the complaint is outside of the jurisdiction of the ADR scheme.
Useful information that may assist you when reviewing our Complaints Policy
1.16 If you would like to receive a PDF version of this Complaints Code, please email info@wessexinternet.com to request this.
1.17 If you require our complaints procedure in a larger or more accessible format, please call Customer Support on 0333 240 7997 or complaints@wessexinternet.com to request this.
1.18 This policy should be read alongside our Code of Practice, as amended from time to time, and the latest terms and conditions that apply to customers are available on our website at https://www.wessexinternet.com/terms/. If you are unable to download the latest terms and conditions, we shall make available to customers a hard copy which will be posted upon request at no charge to you. Please contact Customer Support to request this.
Useful contacts
Ombudsman Services:
Website: https://www.ombudsman-services.org/communications.html
Phone: 0330 440 1614
Fax: 0330 440 1615
Textphone: 0330 440 1600
Postal address:
Ombudsman Services:
Communications
PO Box 730
Warrington
WA4 6WU
Document control Wessex Internet will review this policy on an annual basis.
Version 1.1
Date of review April 2024