At Sutton Valence Cars we endeavour to deliver a premium experience to every single customer, as our vision is to deliver 100% customer and colleague satisfaction.
Whilst we aim to achieve a high level of service, sometimes things do go wrong. That’s why we have a complaints procedure. We want to learn from our mistakes and help improve our service for you and other customers.
This policy sets out our intent and objectives for how we handle complaints. It covers:
- What is a complaint?
- Our standards
- How to make a complaint
- How we will investigate and respond to your complaint
- Our timescales for dealing with complaints
- What to do if we are unable to resolve your complaint
- How Sutton Valence Cars will record, monitor and analyse your complaint
What Is a Complaint?
We define a complaint as ‘any expression of dissatisfaction (oral or written) with our service or products, whether justified or not, which alleges that the complainant has suffered (or may suffer) financial loss, material distress or material inconvenience.’
Sometimes a problem can be resolved quickly, simply by speaking to a member of our staff or a manager in the relevant department. However, if we’re not able to immediately satisfy your concerns or feel that a more substantive review is required to respond to the issues raised, or if your complaint is about a finance and/or insurance product, your complaint will be considered under the formal complaint procedure outlined below.
Our Standards
- We treat all complaints seriously, objectively and in an unbiased manner, however they are received
- You will be always treated with respect and courtesy
- We will deal with your complaint promptly
- We will keep you updated with the progress of your complaint
- When we get things wrong, we will accept responsibility, explain what happened and why and seek to put things right
- We will handle your information confidentially and in line with Data Protection legislation
- We will learn from complaints and use complaints data to help drive business improvement
How To Make a Complaint
Should you wish to make a complaint, where possible, we ask that you do so in writing - either online or via post. This will help ensure that the details of the complaint are clear and complete. Please be assured that any complaints received via other means will also be accepted and dealt with under the same procedure.
You can submit the details of your complaint either;
- via our website - https://www.suttonvalencecommercials.co.uk/
- by emailing us at [email protected]
- by telephone on 01622 842299
- or by writing to us using the details below:
Customer Feedback
Sutton Valence Cars
Headcorn Road
Sutton Valence, Maidstone, Kent
ME17 3EH
Please provide us with the following information:
- Your name and contact details
- Vehicle registration, make and model, if applicable
- Explanation of the complaint including dates and times, where known
- Copies of any supporting documentation, if available
How We Will Investigate and Respond to Your Complaint
Following receipt of your complaint, we will conduct a full and thorough investigation, considering all information relevant to your complaint. We will then decide whether the complaint should be upheld and, if so, what remedial action or redress (or both) may be appropriate.
When we get things wrong we promise to:
- accept responsibility
- explain what went wrong and why
- strive to put matters right
The general principle we follow to put matters right is that you should, so far as possible, be put in the position you would have been in, had things not gone wrong. An apology is usually appropriate, but we will also consider whether any other action should be taken. This may include, for example:
- taking remedial action (such as reviewing or changing a decision on the service provided)
- putting things right (for example changing procedures to prevent similar issues in future)
- training or supervising staff
- offering financial compensation
Our Timescales for Dealing With Complaints
We want to help you resolve your complaint as quickly as possible.
We will acknowledge your complaint in writing (by letter or email) within 5 working days of receiving your complaint. We will automatically provide you with a copy of this complaints procedure.
We will fully investigate your concerns and then provide a written response to you (by letter or email). We have up to 8 weeks to send the Final Response Letter to you. However, we will respond to you as quickly as possible and aim to do so within 28 days of receiving your complaint.
We will class your complaint as closed once this Final Response Letter has been issued.
What To Do If We Are Unable to Resolve Your Complaint
If we are unable to respond to your complaint fully and in writing within 8 weeks of the we received it, or you are dissatisfied with the response we have provided, you may be able to refer your complaint elsewhere for another opinion.
If your complaint relates to a finance or insurance product, you may be able to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge. If your complaint falls within their jurisdiction, we will explain this in your Final Response Letter. For more information about the Financial Ombudsman Service you can visit their website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
If your complaint relates to something else, you may be able to refer your complaint to The Motor Ombudsman. The Motor Ombudsman are certified as an ADR (alternative dispute resolution) provider by the Chartered Trading Standards institute. For more information, you can visit their website at https://www.themotorombudsman.org/. Alternatively, you can call them on 0345 241 3008.
Hendy also subscribe to the Alternative Dispute Resolution Scheme offered by National Conciliation Service. Further details regarding this scheme can be found on their website: www.nationalconciliationservice.co.uk
How Sutton Valence Commercial Will Record, Monitor and Analyse Your Complaint
At Sutton Valence Commercial we are dedicated to improving our performance, services and functions. We log all complaints that we receive so we can monitor and analyse the types of problems our customers are experiencing, how we can resolve them and how long we are taking to handle complaints. Where trends or gaps are identified, we will put corrective actions and mitigating solutions in place as soon as possible.
All complaints are handled confidentiality and in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation.
