Complaints Procedure at Marylebone Carpet Cleaners

Marylebone Carpet Cleaners is committed to providing a high standard of carpet, rug and upholstery cleaning for residential and commercial clients. We aim to deliver reliable, friendly and professional service on every visit. If something goes wrong, we want to know about it so we can put matters right and improve our services.

This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern about our cleaning services, how we will respond, and what you can expect from us at each stage.

1. Purpose of this Complaints Procedure

The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that any complaint is handled fairly, consistently and promptly. Our goals are to:

• Make it straightforward for you to tell us if you are unhappy with any aspect of our carpet, rug, upholstery or end of tenancy cleaning.
• Respond to your complaint in a timely and polite manner.
• Investigate all issues carefully and objectively.
• Offer clear explanations, appropriate remedies and follow-up where needed.
• Use the feedback we receive to improve our cleaning services and customer care.

2. What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether spoken or written, where you are unhappy with our service or conduct and would like us to respond. This may include concerns about:

• Quality or effectiveness of carpet, upholstery or hard floor cleaning.
• Missed or delayed appointments and timekeeping.
• Conduct, attitude or behaviour of cleaning operatives or office staff.
• Damage or alleged damage to property or belongings during a visit.
• Inaccurate or unclear information about services or pricing.
• Issues with invoicing, charges or payment arrangements.
• Health and safety practices during cleaning work.

If you are unsure whether your issue is a complaint, please still raise it with us so we can discuss it and decide on the best way forward.

3. How to Make a Complaint

You may raise a complaint in any way that is convenient for you, including by speaking with us or contacting us in writing. When you submit a complaint, please provide as much detail as possible, such as:

• Your full name and the address where the cleaning took place.
• The date and approximate time of the service.
• A clear description of what went wrong and how it has affected you.
• Any relevant photos, notes or supporting information you wish to share.
• What outcome or resolution you are seeking, if you have something specific in mind.

The more information you can give us at the outset, the easier it is for us to investigate the matter quickly and thoroughly.

4. Initial Resolution with Operatives or Office Team

In many cases, concerns can be resolved immediately or very quickly. If you feel comfortable, please raise the issue with the cleaning operative at the time of the visit, or contact our office as soon as possible afterwards.

We will listen carefully to your description of the problem, ask any necessary questions, and try to agree an immediate remedy if appropriate. This might include re-cleaning particular areas, arranging a revisit, clarifying charges or providing further information.

5. Formal Complaint Handling

If we cannot resolve your concern informally, or you prefer to make a formal complaint from the outset, your complaint will be passed to a senior member of our team for review.

Our formal complaints process generally follows these steps:

• Acknowledgement: We will acknowledge your complaint and confirm that we have received it.
• Review: A senior person not directly involved in the original work will review your complaint, any records we hold, and any evidence you have provided.
• Investigation: Where needed, we may speak with the cleaning operatives, supervisors or office staff involved, and may ask you for further details or clarification.
• Outcome: Once the investigation is complete, we will contact you to explain our findings and any actions we propose to take.

We aim to complete most complaint investigations within a reasonable timescale. If the matter is complex and requires more time, we will keep you informed of progress.

6. Possible Outcomes and Remedies

Depending on the nature and findings of the complaint, possible outcomes may include:

• A detailed explanation of what happened and why.
• An apology where service has fallen below our standards.
• A re-clean of the affected areas, where appropriate.
• Practical steps to prevent a similar issue in future, such as additional staff training or changes to our processes.
• Adjustments to an invoice or other financial remedy, where justified.

Our aim is to reach a fair and proportionate resolution that takes into account your experience, the evidence available and our terms of service.

7. Escalating a Complaint

If you remain dissatisfied after we have completed our investigation and shared our response, you may ask for your complaint to be reviewed again by a more senior manager, where available. In that case, we will re-examine the original complaint, our previous response and any new information you wish to provide.

Following this review, we will issue a final response, setting out our position and any further steps we are able to take.

8. Your Responsibilities When Making a Complaint

We ask that you help us to manage complaints effectively by:

• Raising any concerns as soon as reasonably possible after the issue arises.
• Providing accurate and honest information about what occurred.
• Treating our staff with courtesy and respect throughout the process.
• Allowing us a reasonable opportunity to investigate and resolve the matter.

We recognise that raising a complaint can be frustrating, and we will always strive to handle matters calmly and professionally.

9. Confidentiality and Data Protection

All complaints are handled in confidence. Information about your complaint will only be shared with those who need it to investigate and resolve the issue or to improve our services. We handle all personal data in line with applicable data protection requirements and retain complaint records only for as long as necessary.

10. Continuous Improvement

Feedback from our customers, both positive and negative, is essential to maintaining high standards in carpet and upholstery cleaning. We regularly review complaint outcomes and trends to identify areas for improvement in our training, equipment, products and procedures across our service area.

By following this complaints procedure, we aim to ensure that every concern is treated seriously, every customer is listened to, and every justified complaint leads to action that helps us deliver a better cleaning service for the future.