Customer Complaints Policy and Procedure

A fair, consistent two-stage complaints process for business and consumer customers, with consumer rights, the new ADR information duties and DMCC Act compliance built in.

Editable Word document
15
10pages
Guidance notes included
aml consultancy solutions

Sales & marketing

Customer Complaints Policy and Procedure

About this document

What it’s for

A complete complaints policy and internal procedure for a small business. It sets out how customers can complain, who deals with it, the timescales, how to investigate and put things right, what you must tell consumers about alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and how to learn from complaints. A customer-facing summary, record form and log are included.

When to use it

  • For any business that sells to consumers, businesses or both
  • To show customers, insurers, trade bodies and regulators that you handle complaints fairly
  • Alongside the Customer Complaint Response Letters in this pack

What’s inside

The document is laid out in the sections below. Each one comes with a plain-English guidance note explaining what it does and what to change.

  1. Purpose
  2. Scope
  3. Definitions
  4. Our commitments
  5. Roles and responsibilities
  6. How customers can complain
  7. The complaints procedure
  8. Timescales at a glance
  9. Investigating fairly
  10. Putting things right
  11. Unfair commercial practices
  12. Alternative dispute resolution and other options
  13. Unreasonable behaviour and persistent complaints
  14. Complaints made online and on social media
  15. Records and data protection
  16. Learning from complaints
  17. Training
  18. Monitoring and review
  19. Related documents

Also included

  • How to complain
  • What happens next
  • If you are still unhappy

How to complete it

  • Fill in names, roles and contact details, and set timescales you can meet
  • Choose the ADR wording in section 12 that matches your position
  • Publish the Appendix 1 summary on your website and in your terms
  • Train staff, then review the policy at least once a year

Key points to check

  • Regulated firms (e.g. FCA, legal, energy, telecoms) must follow their regulator’s complaint rules instead
  • Never mislead customers about their legal rights

Our templates are professionally structured starting points for UK businesses, not legal advice. For anything complex, unusual or high-value, have your final version checked by a solicitor.

Included in the pack

Sales & marketing

£20

for every document in this category

Editable Microsoft Word files

Guidance notes in every document

Written for UK businesses

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