Complaints

However, it may happen that some customers are unhappy with the way that Apex's staff handled a particular issue or perhaps are not satisfied with the outcome of their enquiry. In this case the customer may wish to have the matter further investigated by lodging a complaint with Apex Housing.

For a formal complaint to be recorded and dealt with in accordance with the Complaints Policy, it must be made in writing to the Personnel Manager on Apex's Official Complaint Form.

Examples of reasons for wishing to make a complaint might include:

Failure to take action on a timely basis in accordance with approved procedures.
Failure of Apex Housing's employees to adhere to its policies or procedures.
Failure of Apex Housing's employees to demonstrate appropriate behaviour in their dealings with a customer.
A customer's dissatisfaction with the outcome of a situation or problem that has been dealt with in accordance with Apex Housing's policies or procedures.

Key Principles Of The Complaints Procedure

The complaints procedure will ensure that:

Apex treats all its customers who make a complaint fairly and objectively.
Apex endeavours to resolve problems bought to its attention to the customer's satisfaction wherever possible.
Apex learns from the complaints received and uses the knowledge gained from investigating and resolving them to improve its services.

Stages

1. Investigation & Response

If you make a complaint, an acknowledgement letter will be sent to you within 5 working days of the complaint being received informing you of who will carry out the investigation. A full response will be provided within 20 working days by the investigation director of their representative, unless an outside organisation is involved.

2. Internal Appeal

If you are not satisfied, you can appeal the decision within 20 working days from the date of the response, using the 'Complaints Appeal Form'. An acknowledgement letter will be sent to you within 5 working days of the appeal being received. A full response will be issued by the Chief Executive within 20 working days, unless an outside agency is involved.

3. Internal Appeal - 'Final Stage'

If you remain dissatisfied, you may re-apply to the Chairperson of Apex Housing's Board of Management, within 20 working days of the date of the first stage appeal response, using the 'Complaints Appeal Form'. This is the final stage of Apex Housing's internal complaints procedure. An acknowledgement letter will be sent to you within 5 working days of the appeal being received. The Chairperson will respond, giving Apex Housing's final decision on the complaint within 20 working days of receipt of the final appeal form. *If the Chairperson requires to meet with you, this will be organised within 30 working days and you will be advised of the outcome within 10 working days of this meeting.

If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you have the right to complain to the Commissioner for Complaints for Northern Ireland (The Ombudsman). His office can be contacted for advice by writing to:

The Ombudsman
Freepost BEL
1478 Belfast
BT1 6BR

You can also contact the Ombudsman on the Freephone 0800 343 424.

It should be noted that the Ombudsman normally expects that a customer will have exhausted all of the Apex Housing's internal complaints procedure before bringing a complaint. A leaflet explaining this procedure is available on request.

How Do I Make A Complaint?

Apex Housing hopes that you will not have any reason to complain about the service that you receive.