Complaints Procedure of 316 Startups Ltd UK

Publicised Contact Details for Complaints:

Written complaints may be sent to 316 Startups Ltd, at Office 9, Dalton House, 60 Windsor Avenue, London, United Kingdom, SW19 2RR or by e-mail at [email protected]. Verbal complaints may be made by phone to +44 (0) 204 519 5208 or in person to any of 316’s staff or at the same address as above or at any of our trading addresses.

Receiving Complaints

Complaints may arrive through channels publicised for that purpose or through any other contact details or opportunities the complainant may have, such as social media. Complaints received by telephone or in person need to be recorded.

The person who receives a phone or in person complaint should:

• Write down the facts of the complaint
• Take the complainant’s name, address and telephone number
• Note down the relationship of the complainant to 316 Startups UK, e.g. Business or Trader
• Tell the complainant that we have a complaints procedure
• Tell the complainant what will happen next and how long it will take
• Where appropriate, ask the complainant to send a written account by post or by email so that the complaint is recorded in the complainant’s own words

Resolving Complaints

Stage One – Administrative Level

In many cases, a complaint is best resolved by the person responsible for the issue being complained about. If the complaint has been received by that person, they may be able to resolve it swiftly and should do so if possible and appropriate. Whether or not the complaint has been resolved, the complaint information should be passed to the 316 Director within five business days.

On receiving the complaint, the Director records it in the complaints Logbook. If it has not already been resolved, they delegate an appropriate person to investigate it and to take appropriate action. If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a fair opportunity to respond.

Complaints should be acknowledged by the person handling the complaint within five working days. The acknowledgement should say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply. A copy of this complaints procedure should be attached. Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within a month. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given.

Whether the complaint is justified or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint.

Stage Two – Senior Managerial Level

If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved at Stage one, they can request that the complaint is reviewed at senior managerial level.

At this stage, the complaint will be passed to a senior manager. The request for a senior manager level review should be acknowledged within five working days of receiving it. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case and when the complainant can expect a reply.

The dedicated senior manager will investigate the facts of the case themselves. This may involve reviewing the paperwork of the case and speaking with the person who dealt with the complaint at Stage One. The person who dealt with the original complaint at Stage One should be kept informed of what is happening.

If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a further opportunity to respond. Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within a month. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given. Whether the complaint is upheld or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint. The decision taken at this stage is final, unless the Board decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.

Stage Three – Board Level

If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved at Stage two, they can request that the complaint is reviewed at Board level.

At this stage, the complaint will be passed to the Board of board of directors. The request for Board level review should be acknowledged within five working days of receiving it. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case and when the complainant can expect a reply.

The Board of directors may investigate the facts of the case themselves or delegate a suitably senior person to do so. This may involve reviewing the paperwork of the case and speaking with the person who dealt with the complaint at Stage one and two. The people who dealt with the complaint at Stages one and two should be kept informed of what is happening.

If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a further opportunity to respond. Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within a month. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given. Whether the complaint is upheld or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint. The decision taken at this stage is final, unless the Board decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.

Stage Four - External Stage

We are committed to ensuring all complaints are fairly addressed.

However, if you are still unhappy with the outcome of our full and final response, or if the timeline has passed and we have been unable to respond, you have the following options:

• If you prefer, or if you feel you have additional information to support your complaint, let us know as we would welcome the opportunity to help resolve the matter in full.
• Alternatively, you may choose to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service for an impartial review and would need to do so within 6 months of our final response.

Variation of the Complaints Procedure

The Board may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, a complaint about a senior manager should not also have the senior manager involved as a person leading a Stage Two review.

Monitoring and Learning from Complaints

Complaints are reviewed annually to identify any trends which may indicate a need to take further action.