The short version
- You can complain by email, phone or post. You don't need to use any special words or form.
- We acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and aim to give you a full reply within 20 working days. If it will take longer, we'll tell you why.
- If you're not happy with our reply, you can ask us to review it. We'll look at it again with fresh eyes.
- Complaints are free to make, and nobody is treated unfairly for making one.
If someone may be at risk of harm
This is a safeguarding matter, not a complaint. Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger. Otherwise follow our Safeguarding Policy, or contact the older adult's local council adult safeguarding team directly.
1About this procedure
LivWell Companions ("LivWell", "we", "us") is an introductory agency. We find, vet and match independent, self-employed companions and introduce them to older adults and their families. We want you to have a good experience with us. If you don't, we want to know.
This procedure explains how to complain, what we will do, and how long it should take. It applies to:
- clients and their families, including people who have only asked us about our service;
- companions and people applying to become one; and
- anyone else who is affected by what we do.
It should be read with our Terms of Service, our Cancellation and Refund Terms, our Privacy Policy and our Safeguarding Policy.
2What counts as a complaint
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction with LivWell that you want us to look into. You don't have to call it a complaint, and you don't have to be certain that we did something wrong. If you are unhappy, tell us.
Examples include:
- how we handled your consultation, enquiry or application;
- how we vetted, matched or introduced a companion;
- delays, mistakes or poor communication from us;
- fees, invoices, refunds or cancellations;
- how we treated you, or something said or done by anyone acting for us;
- our website, or how we have used your information; and
- the conduct of a companion we introduced (see section 7).
3How to complain
Please complain as soon as you reasonably can, because it is easier to look into things while they are fresh. As a guide, we can deal best with complaints raised within 12 months of the problem, but we will always consider a later one if there is a good reason for the delay.
You can contact us in any of these ways:
- livwellcompanions@gmail.com, with "Complaint" in the subject line
- Phone
- [Phone number]
- Post
- [Registered business address]
If you can, please tell us:
- your name and how to reach you, and the name of the older adult if the complaint is on their behalf;
- what happened, and when;
- what you would like us to do about it; and
- any emails, messages or documents that help to explain.
Don't worry if you don't have every detail. We will ask if we need more.
4What happens next
| Step | What we do | When |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledge | We confirm we have your complaint, tell you who is dealing with it and check we have understood it correctly. | Within 5 working days |
| Investigate | We look at what happened, read the relevant records and messages, and speak to the people involved. We may ask you for more information. | As soon as possible |
| Reply | We write to you with our findings, what we are going to do about it and, if we disagree with you, why. | Aim: within 20 working days |
If we need longer than 20 working days, perhaps because we are waiting for information from someone else, we will tell you why, tell you when to expect our reply and keep you updated.
A working day is any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday in England.
Where a complaint raises a safeguarding concern, we deal with that first and fastest, under our Safeguarding Policy. We will carry on with the rest of the complaint alongside it.
5If you are not happy with our reply
If you think we have not understood your complaint, have missed something important or have not put it right, reply to us and ask for a review. Please do this within [28 days] of our reply, and tell us what you think we have got wrong.
We will:
- acknowledge your request within 5 working days;
- look at the complaint again from the beginning, and where we can, ask someone who was not involved the first time to do so; and
- send you our final reply within 15 working days, explaining our decision and the reasons for it.
After that, we will have done everything we can through this procedure. Section 11 explains where you can go next.
6How we put things right
Where we find that we got something wrong, we will say so plainly and, depending on what happened, we may:
- apologise and explain what went wrong;
- correct a mistake, or complete something we should have done;
- offer a rematch with another companion, including under our 30-day fit guarantee where it applies;
- refund a fee, in full or in part, where it is fair to do so or where the law requires, in addition to what our Cancellation and Refund Terms already provide;
- remove a companion from our network; and
- change how we do things so it doesn't happen again.
This does not affect your legal rights.
7Complaints about a companion
Companions are independent and self-employed. After an introduction, the family and the companion agree their arrangement directly and run it day to day. We do not supervise visits.
Even so, we want to hear about any problem with a companion we introduced, and we will take it seriously. When you tell us, we will:
- look at whether our own vetting, matching or introduction should have done better;
- speak to the companion and take what they say into account;
- decide whether the companion should remain in our network; and
- where it is part of your service with us, help you find another companion.
We cannot resolve private disagreements between a family and a companion about things such as rates, hours or payment, because those are matters between you and the companion. We will still listen, and help where we can.
Companions can also use this procedure, for example if they are unhappy with how we treated their application or how we have dealt with them. We will not treat a companion unfairly for complaining.
8Other routes: safeguarding, data and refunds
Safeguarding concerns
If someone may be at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation, please use our Safeguarding Policy. You can also contact the adult safeguarding team at the older adult's local council directly. You do not need to tell us first.
Personal information
If your complaint is about how we have handled your personal information, you can use this procedure. Section 14 of our Privacy Policy sets out the timings that apply to data protection complaints, and your right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office. Where those timings differ from this procedure, the Privacy Policy applies.
Fees and refunds
To ask for a refund or to cancel, please follow our Cancellation and Refund Terms. If you disagree with a decision about a refund, you can then complain under this procedure.
9Help with making a complaint
Many of our clients are older, and we want complaining to be easy. We can:
- take your complaint over the phone and send you a written copy to check;
- send our replies by post, in large print or by phone call, if you prefer;
- speak to you or write to you at a time and in a way that suits you; and
- take the complaint from a family member, friend, carer, solicitor or independent advocate who is acting for you.
If someone complains on behalf of an older adult, we will normally need the older adult's permission before we share their personal information with that person. Where the older adult may not be able to give it, we will act in their best interests, as the law requires.
Please tell us about any adjustment that would help you, and we will do our best to make it.
10Fairness, records and learning
- Fair treatment. Making a complaint will not affect how we treat you, your family or the companion you were introduced to, and nobody will be treated unfairly for raising a concern in good faith.
- Confidentiality. We share information about a complaint only with people who need it to deal with it, or where the law requires or allows.
- Records. We keep a record of each complaint, what we found and what we did. We keep these for 6 years after the complaint is closed, in line with our Privacy Policy.
- Learning. We look at our complaints regularly, and use them to improve our vetting, matching and service. We review this procedure at least once a year.
11If we cannot resolve it
We hope we can sort things out with you. If you have been through section 5 and are still unhappy, or if we have not replied within the times above, you are free to take your complaint elsewhere. Depending on your complaint, you may wish to contact:
- Citizens Advice consumer service, which gives free advice on consumer problems: citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer, helpline 0808 223 1133;
- the Information Commissioner's Office, for complaints about personal information: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, helpline 0303 123 1113;
- the older adult's local council adult safeguarding team, for safeguarding concerns; and
- the police on 101, if you believe a crime has been committed.
Alternative dispute resolution: [Name of the approved ADR provider LivWell uses, or a statement that LivWell does not currently use one].
You may also have the right to take legal action. If you are a consumer, nothing in this procedure affects your legal rights, and using it does not stop you going to court.
12Contacts
- Complaints contact
- [Name]
- livwellcompanions@gmail.com, with "Complaint" in the subject line
- Phone
- [Phone number]
- Post
- [Registered business address]
- Emergency
- 999
- Police, non-emergency
- 101