Complaints Policy
1. Introduction
Fire & Rescue Indemnity Company Ltd (“FRIC”) is committed to providing the highest quality of service to everyone it protects. We recognize that occasionally the high expectations Members have of us will not be met. Therefore, we wish to make it as easy as possible for Members to comment on our service and tell us when we get things wrong.
We treat every complaint as an expression of dissatisfaction with our service to which a complete response must be given. We will listen to complaints, treat them seriously and learn from them, so that we can improve our service and not repeat mistakes or errors of judgement. We also aim to resolve complaints as quickly as possible.
2. Who may make a complaint?
We will consider service complaints from any Member and any person to whom we provide a service in the performance of our obligations under our discretionary cover and/or a contract of insurance. We will not consider service complaints from any other person, such as a person making a claim against a Member.
We will consider conduct complaints from any person.
3. What types of complaint will we consider?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not. We will consider complaints which are about the standard of service we provide, the behaviour of our directors or the Managers and any action or lack of action by us which affects an individual.
4. What standards do we apply to handling complaints?
We will:
- Treat all complaints seriously
- Treat complainants fairly and with courtesy at all times
- Treat all complaints in confidence and in accordance with the requirements of data protection regulations
- Deal with all complaints promptly
- Comply with our complaints process for Members
- Provide our Regulators with statistical information on complaints we receive
5. What remedies will we provide when we uphold a complaint?
When we uphold a complaint, we will accept responsibility, explain what went wrong, and explain what changes will be made to improve our service and ensure we do not make the same mistake again.
We will provide a remedy which is proportionate and appropriate to the harm caused by the failure in our service. We expect that an apology and explanation will normally be sufficient, but occasionally other remedies may also be required. There is no prescriptive list of remedies that may be provided, but they could include any of the following:
- A sincere and meaningful apology
- Reviewing or changing a decision
- Providing a service demanded by the complainant
- Implementing changes to procedures
- Additional or refresher training
- Disciplinary action
- Financial compensation
6. How do we record and report complaints?
We will keep a record of all complaints received on secure servers. Complaints will be stored in accordance with our Privacy Notice and in line with the requirements of data protection legislation and financial regulations.
We will provide anonymized details of complaints and decisions in respect of them to our Board of Directors, and provide statistical information about complaints to our Regulators, together with any other information about complaints which they may lawfully require of us.
7. Learning from complaints
Complaints can provide a valuable source of feedback, thereby helping us to drive improvements and maintain positive relationships with our Members.
An essential aspect of our complaints management process is identifying whether any lessons can be learned, with a view to reducing the possibility of a complaint reoccurring. We will use ‘root cause analysis’ to identify any recurring issues or themes; looking beyond the circumstances of individual complaints to consider whether improvements can be made, based on issues identified during the complaint investigation.
As part of our complaints management process, the person managing the Complaint will provide the Compliance Officer with a summary of action taken and any future preventative measures to be adopted. This preventative action will also be communicated to relevant personnel and captured within control documentation such as Policies and Procedures.
8. Review
This Policy is subject to review by the Audit & Risk Committee every three years, or outside this review cycle whenever any material changes are made.
How to make a complaint
Complaints about the service provided by FRIC should be sent to the Chief Executive Officer of FRIC by post to 90 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 4ST or by e-mail at info@fric.org.uk . It should set out the full details of the complaint. The complaint will be investigated and we will thereafter respond in accordance with our Complaints Policy.