Complaints Procedure
Westminster Movers Complaints Procedure
Westminster Movers is committed to providing a reliable, professional removals and relocation service. We recognise that, on occasion, things may not go as planned. When this happens, we want to hear from you so that we can put things right where possible, learn from your experience, and improve our service for future customers.
Purpose of this Complaints Procedure
This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern about any aspect of our moving and relocation services, how we will handle your complaint, and the timescales and outcomes you can expect. It covers all customers who use our services, including home moves, office relocations, packing services, storage arrangements, and related activities we provide.
What We Class As A Complaint
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether written or verbal, about the standard of our removals service, our staff, our vehicles or equipment, our communication, or how we have handled a particular situation. Examples may include delays, damage to property or belongings, missed collections or deliveries, conduct or behaviour of team members, or concerns about how your booking or payment has been managed.
If you raise a concern with us that can be resolved immediately and to your satisfaction, we may treat this as a service issue rather than a formal complaint. However, you are always entitled to request that your concern is logged and managed as a formal complaint under this procedure.
How To Make A Complaint
You can make a complaint through any reasonable method, including in writing or by speaking with a member of our team. To help us deal with your complaint efficiently, please provide the following information where possible:
• Your full name and contact details
• Your booking reference or move date
• The address where the removal service took place or was due to take place
• A clear description of what went wrong, including dates and times where known
• Details of any immediate action taken by our team on the day
• Any evidence that may help us investigate, such as photographs or inventory notes
• How you would like us to resolve the matter, if you have a preferred outcome
If your complaint relates to damage or loss, please keep the items and any packaging in their current condition until our investigation is complete, as this may help us to assess what has happened.
Who Will Handle Your Complaint
We aim for complaints to be handled by a responsible person who was not directly involved in the issue you are complaining about. This will usually be a manager or senior member of our team. Their role is to review what has happened, gather any necessary information from staff and records, and provide you with a clear response.
Our Complaints Handling Stages
Stage One: Acknowledgement
Once we receive your complaint, we will acknowledge it as soon as reasonably possible. In this acknowledgement, we will confirm that we have logged your complaint, explain the next steps, and give you an estimated timescale for our investigation and response.
Stage Two: Investigation
The manager responsible will review all available information relevant to your complaint. This may include your booking details, correspondence with you, inventory lists, photographs, driver logs, and reports from our removals team. Where necessary, we may contact you to ask for further details or clarification.
We aim to complete our investigation within a reasonable period. If it becomes clear that more time is needed, we will update you and explain why there is a delay, together with a revised timescale for our response.
Stage Three: Response And Outcome
Once our investigation is complete, we will provide you with a clear, written response. This will normally include:
• A summary of your complaint
• The steps we have taken to investigate
• Our findings and conclusion
• Any corrective action we propose to take
Where your complaint is upheld, in full or in part, we will explain any remedy being offered. Depending on the circumstances, this may include an apology, corrective work, a service adjustment, or, where appropriate and subject to our terms and conditions and any applicable insurance cover, a financial settlement.
Complaints About Damage Or Loss
Concerns about damage or loss during a removal are treated with particular care. To help us investigate effectively, please notify us as soon as you become aware of any issue, and provide photographs and a description of the damage wherever possible. We will then review the circumstances in line with our terms and conditions and any insurance arrangements that apply to your move.
Our aim is to reach a fair and reasonable outcome based on the information available. In some cases, we may need to inspect items or request additional evidence before confirming our decision.
Escalating Your Complaint
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint at the first stage, you may ask for it to be reviewed by a more senior manager. When you do this, please explain which parts of the original decision you disagree with and why. The reviewing manager will consider the previous handling of your complaint and may decide to carry out further investigation before providing a final response.
Confidentiality And Data Protection
All complaints are handled in confidence. Information will only be shared with team members who need it in order to investigate or respond to your complaint. We handle your personal data in line with our wider privacy practices, and we retain complaint records for an appropriate period in case they are needed for reference or to demonstrate how we have handled a matter.
Using Complaints To Improve Our Service
We treat every complaint as an opportunity to improve the way we deliver removals and related services. Trends and recurring issues are monitored so that we can update our procedures, improve staff training, and invest in better tools, vehicles, and packing materials where needed. By raising a complaint, you help us to identify areas where our service can be strengthened for all customers.
Reasonable Behaviour And Expectations
We recognise that moving home or business premises can be stressful and that problems can cause frustration. Our team will always aim to be polite, respectful, and constructive in our dealings with you, and we ask that you communicate with us in the same spirit. We reserve the right to take appropriate steps if behaviour towards our staff becomes abusive, threatening, or otherwise unreasonable.
Review Of This Procedure
This complaints procedure is reviewed periodically to ensure it remains clear, fair, and effective. Any updates will apply to future complaints and to complaints that are still in progress at the time of the change, where appropriate. You are encouraged to read this procedure before submitting a complaint so that you know what to expect from us at each stage.
