It is the policy of Borthwick Group (Energy) Limited to provide a high quality service to everyone we deal with. In order to do this we need you to give us any comments about our service, and to tell us when we get things wrong.

We want to help you resolve your complaint as quickly as possible. We treat any complaint as an expression of dissatisfaction with our service which calls for a response. We listen to your complaints, treat them seriously, and learn from them so that we can continuously improve our service.

What is a complaint?

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not. Our policy covers complaints about:

• the standard of service we provide
• the behavior of our staff, and
• any action or lack of action by staff affecting an individual or group

Our complaints policy does not cover

• comments about our policies or policy decisions
• dissatisfaction with our policies or decisions about individual cases
• matters that have already been fully investigated through this complaints procedure
• anonymous complaints

Our standards for handling complaints

We treat all complaints seriously, whether they are made by telephone, by letter, or by email.

Customers will be treated with courtesy and fairness at all times

We will treat all complaints in confidence within the company

We will deal with customer complaints promptly:

• We will acknowledge receipt of a complaint within seven working days (and inform the customer of our Complaint Handling Procedure and any additional procedures)
• We will send you a full reply within eight weeks of receipt
• If we cannot send a full reply within eight weeks of receipt we will tell you the reason why and let you know when we will be able to reply in full

We will not treat customers less favourably than anyone else because of their:

• sex or marital status: this includes family status, responsibility for dependents, and gender (including gender reassignment, whether proposed, commenced or completed)
• sexual orientation
• colour or race: this includes ethnic or national origin or nationality
• disability
• religious or political beliefs, or trade union affiliation, or
• other unjustifiable factors, for example language difficulties or age

Third party reporting

Complainants may wish to have a third party act on their behalf.

A third party is any person or organisation acting on behalf of or making enquiries for the complainant.

Representatives may include:

• advice organisations
• professionals such as social workers, community psychiatric nurses or doctors, solicitors, family members or friends
• MP’s and elected members of a local council. Customers’ own MP’s and elected members are assumed to have consent to act and information can be disclosed in response to their enquiries
• Solicitors are legally empowered to act on behalf of the complainant and consent to disclose information is not required.
• Where a third party is helping a complainant with a particular complaint and written authority is held to that effect, if the representative asks to be kept informed of progress on the complaint all possible steps will be taken to ensure that this happens

Confidentiality

All complaints received will be dealt with confidentially and in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Statutory Rights

Our complaints policy does not impair your statutory rights.

Vulnerable Customer

We will take account of the needs of vulnerable customers, those with additional needs or special access requirements, when handling a complaint.

When dealing with vulnerable customers we will:

• Give choice and access – complaints can be raised in writing via the following methods:

Online Form (Preferred)

By Post: Complaints Department, Borthwick Group (Energy) Limited, Penny Stock House, Brenda Road, Hartlepool, TS25 2BW

 Email complaints@borthwickheating.co.uk

• Recognise vulnerability – when a complaint is raised we will make every effort to establish if the customer is vulnerable, and adjust our process accordingly
• Provide advice and support – take extra time to ensure the customer understands what they are applying for and how ECO works. If needs be, offer to talk the plan through with a third party with their permission

How to complain

You can make a complaint in a number of ways as listed above. Complaints can also be made in writing by email or letter.

If you are a customer of Borthwick Group (Energy) Limited our contact details are:

26 Burn Road, Hartlepool, TS26 1PL

Telephone: 01429 296222

Email: complaints@borthwickheating.co.uk

If you have received an installation via the ECO scheme

In the first instance your should contact the energy company who has provided the funding or Ombudsman Services: Energy if your complaint has not been resolved within 8 weeks, or if you are not happy with our response.

Ombudsman Services: Energy

You can call them on 0330 440 1624

Or visit their website: www.ombudsman-services.org

Timescales

Within 8 weeks

• Make reasonable endeavours to investigate and resolve the complaint
• Notify the customer of our decision in writing, giving reasons
• Where the complaint is made against one of our Installers or Assessors, we will obtain all necessary information from them and notify in writing their Certification Body
• Ensure the Installer or Assessor co-operate in the investigation
• Notify the customer in writing as soon as practicable if we believe the complaint should be handled by another Green Deal Organisation
• Provide the customer with details of the Ombudsman Services: Energy or Certification Body
• If you are not satisfied with our decision, you may refer the complaint to the Green Deal Ombudsman service, and we will assist you to do so, including referring the complaint to that ombudsman if the customer requests

Extending time limits

We aim to complete all complaints within the timescales above; however, if a complaint is very complex it may occasionally be necessary to extend the time limit. If this is the case we will keep the complainant informed of progress with the investigation, the reasons for the delay, and inform them of the new deadline.

We recommend you print out a copy of these terms and conditions for your future reference.