Complaints Procedure
Balham Movers Complaints Procedure
Balham Movers is committed to providing a reliable and professional removals service for homes and businesses. We recognise that, on occasion, things may not go as planned. This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern, what you can expect from us in response, and how we aim to put things right.
Purpose of this complaints procedure
The purpose of this procedure is to give all customers a clear and fair process for reporting problems associated with our moving, packing, storage, and related services. It sets out how we will handle your complaint, the timescales involved, and the steps we will take to resolve matters wherever possible.
This procedure applies to all customers who have booked or received services from Balham Movers for domestic or commercial relocations, whether locally or to other parts of the United Kingdom.
What counts as a complaint
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about the standard of our removal services, the conduct of our staff or contractors, our communication before or after your move, or the way we have handled a previous concern. Complaints may relate to issues such as punctuality, handling of possessions, damage, loss, billing, or service quality.
We encourage you to raise concerns as soon as possible so that we have the best opportunity to resolve them quickly and fairly.
How to make a complaint
You can submit a complaint to Balham Movers in writing or by speaking to a member of our team. To help us understand and investigate your concerns efficiently, please provide the following information where possible:
The name used for the booking and your postal address
The moving date and the collection and delivery addresses
A clear description of what went wrong and when it happened
Details of any conversations you have already had with our staff about the issue
Any supporting information, such as inventories, photographs, or correspondence
Please tell us how you would like us to contact you regarding your complaint and if there is a preferred time or method for us to respond.
Stage one: initial review and acknowledgement
Once we receive your complaint, we will record it in our internal complaints log and allocate it to a member of our management team. We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days. Our acknowledgement will confirm that we have received your concerns, explain who is handling the matter, and set out the next steps in the process.
In some cases, we may ask you for further information or clarification if this is needed to understand the nature of your complaint or to identify the relevant move or booking reference.
Stage two: investigation of your complaint
A manager or senior team member who was not directly responsible for the original issue will review your complaint impartially. The investigation may include some or all of the following:
Reviewing your booking details, inventory, and service notes
Discussing the matter with the crew or staff involved in your move
Inspecting photographs, delivery reports, or damage reports
Assessing whether our procedures and service commitments were followed
We aim to complete our investigation and provide a full written response within twenty working days of acknowledging your complaint. If we are unable to meet this timescale, for example due to the complexity of the matter or the need to gather additional information, we will let you know and provide an updated timeframe.
Our response and possible outcomes
When we have completed our investigation, we will explain our findings in clear language. Our response will set out:
What we understand your complaint to be
The steps we have taken to investigate it
Whether we uphold the complaint in full, in part, or not at all
The reasons for our decision and any relevant terms or procedures
Any proposed remedies or next steps
Depending on the circumstances and subject to our terms and conditions, possible outcomes may include an apology, service explanation, practical remedies, service improvements, or financial remedies where appropriate.
If you are not satisfied with our response
If you remain unhappy after receiving our written response, you can ask for your complaint to be reviewed at a more senior level. Your request for review should explain why you disagree with our findings or outcome and whether you have any additional information you would like us to consider.
A senior manager will review the original investigation, any new information you provide, and whether our procedures were followed. We will then provide a final written response setting out our decision and the reasons for it.
Time limits for raising a complaint
To allow us to investigate effectively, we ask that complaints are raised as soon as practical and, in any event, normally within twelve months of the date of your move or the event giving rise to your concern. We may still consider complaints raised outside this period where there is a good reason for the delay, but our ability to investigate may be limited.
Fairness, confidentiality, and records
All complaints are handled in a fair and consistent manner. We will treat you with courtesy and respect and expect the same in return. Your complaint will not affect any ongoing or future services you receive from Balham Movers.
We will keep records of your complaint, our investigation, and the outcome in accordance with our internal policies and applicable legal requirements. Information will be handled with appropriate confidentiality and used only for managing your complaint, improving our services, or where we are legally required to share it.
Using complaints to improve our removals service
Balham Movers views complaints as an important opportunity to learn and improve the way we deliver professional moving and storage services. We regularly monitor complaints data to identify patterns, training needs, or procedural changes that could help prevent similar issues in the future and deliver a more reliable removals experience for all our customers.
We are committed to resolving concerns fairly, putting things right where we can, and continually improving the quality and reliability of our services.
