NCC Best Practice Guide for Leisure Vehicle Dealerships - Flipbook - Page 28
NCC BEST PRACTICE GUIDE
For Leisure Vehicle Dealerships
APPENDIX 1 – continued
NCC MEMBER DEALERSHIPS COMPLAINT HANDLING GUIDANCE NOTES
•
To log details of verbal complaints because a
•
To offer assistance in making their complaint
verbal complaint, if not acted upon, can
to those who are unable to do it unaided
quickly become a written complaint. It is
(e.g. because they are elderly or infirm,
therefore good practice to be alert to them,
vulnerable, or English is not their first
to treat them seriously, and to record them in
language). Complaints from a third party or
instances where, in a member’s judgement,
representative acting on the complainant’s
it could well be escalated by the customer or
behalf will also be accepted provided written
be indicative of likely future complaints.
permission from the complainant for the
third party to speak for them is secured. This
•
To maintain a complaints database/log
will also contribute towards the creation of a
to record pertinent information and provide
climate favourable to the informal resolution
details on request to the NCC, NCC IDRS or
of the complaint.
the ICE where appropriate. In particular, this
should record the dates when complaints:
Behavioural
(i)
Dealerships are encouraged to:
were received,
(ii) were acknowledged,
•
Recognise that “complaints” may arise from
(iii) received any initial response,
simple confusion, misunderstandings,
(iv) received a final decision letter
and consequent frustration, rather than
(v) were decided and what action was
malicious intent. A complaint may in reality
taken, and
be a ‘call for help’ – for an explanation or for
(vi) were finally closed.
a helping hand. This may particularly be the
case with vulnerable customers
•
To maintain well-ordered files which bring
together all correspondence relating to any
•
Focus on identifying the core issue, being
complaint, from inception through to the
positive about wishing to resolve it, and
provision of an initial response and/or final
offering a solution.
decision letter. Any further action (e.g. at
the end of all complaints and following an
•
investigation by ICE) should also be recorded.
Avoid potentially inflammatory language
(e.g. referring to taking legal action or
seeking to rebut threats of legal action) both
•
If the complaint relates to third parties used
orally and in writing.
by the member, to seek as much information
as possible from the third party, and to
•
Be ready to accept and admit that the
provide a clear and full explanation to the
member’s procedures and/or standards of
customer of any action taken by the third
work or behaviour may be unsatisfactory.
party.
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