Our approach to complaints

Our approach to how you can make a complaint and what you can expect from us.

Intro

We welcome feedback from you on our activities and how we work. We hope that you never have cause to complain about anything that we do. However, if you feel that your experience interacting with us has fallen below the standard you consider acceptable, this page describes our approach to how you can make a complaint and what you can expect from us.

Making a complaint will not affect, in any way, the level of service you receive from us nor will it affect your chances of working with us in the future.

What is a complaint?

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction or disappointment about the standard of service provided by us to you.

What can I complain about?

You can make a complaint about our organisational activity, our services or contact you have had with members of our team.

You can complain if you think that:

  • Any of our activities are not being conducted in line with our statutory obligations;
  • Information provided on our websites and social media channels is not accurate;
  • Events or sales missions organised by us do not reach a satisfactory standard;
  • We have not administered a grant application process correctly;
  • There is an issue with a service you purchased through the VisitBritain Shop;
  • One of our VisitEngland Assessment Schemes properties is not up to the standard stated;
  • We have discriminated against you or not treated you fairly;
  • We have failed to give you access to information you have a right to request access to, or have given you incorrect advice or information;
  • Our organisation might be involved in fraudulent activity.

What can I not complain about?

There are some things we cannot deal with through our complaints handling procedure. We also cannot legally intervene in a dispute to which we are not party.

These include, but are not limited to:

  • Services not provided by us, for example:
    • An issue with a business who is not part of our VisitEngland Assessment Schemes;
    • Issues with visas or entry to the UK;
    • Problems with transport within the UK;
    • Information provided on websites or social media channels that we do not run or own;
    • Our decision on a grant funding application if we have followed our decision-making process correctly;
    •  UK Government policies on tourism:
      • If you want to comment on any UK Government policy on tourism please contact:
        Department for Culture, Media & Sport, 100 Parliament Street, London, SW1A 2BQ
         
      • Email: [email protected] 
        Phone: 020 7211 6000

As a general rule you should make a complaint directly to the business or entity that is responsible for the information or provided you this service.

How do I complain?

For general feedback or a complaint about VisitBritain/VisitEngland you can contact us through our enquiry and feedback form. If your enquiry refers to a product you have purchased from the VisitBritain Shop you can contact the team via their dedicated enquiry form.

When contacting us please ensure you share the appropriate information so we can identify the issue you are referring to.

When complaining via our online form please tell us:

  • Your full name and contact details;
  • As much as you can about the complaint; and
  • How you want us to resolve the matter.

What happens when I complain?

We aim to acknowledge all responses through our enquiry and feedback form within two working days of being contacted and provide a full response within 28 working days. Please note all complaints relating to purchases from the VisitBritain Shop must be made using the dedicated enquiry form. The below applies for all other complaints.

Process for general complaints and enquiries

Stage one

We will respond to you via email to acknowledge receipt of your complaint or enquiry. This response will include information on how we will be taking your complaint forward.

Your complaint or enquiry will be processed internally, we will contact the relevant team members to respond and deal with the issue. We will either respond to you directly from our [email protected] email or you will hear from a member of our team who is best placed to answer your question or address the specific issue.

Our response might be an explanation and apology and immediate action to resolve the problem, or a response detailing how we have taken your complaint forward.

After we have replied, unless we state we will be taking further action we will consider this issue closed.

Process for complaints and enquiries about services purchased from the VisitBritain Shop

Our shop team work from Monday to Friday. They will aim to reply to your email within two working days of receiving it. If you would like to speak to the team about any complaints or enquiries they can be reached by calling 0151 805 0395 (between 9am to 5.30pm UK time ~ standard call charges apply).

Stage one

If you are requesting compensation for a service purchased through the VisitBritain Shop the following procedure will be followed:

  • We will acknowledge receipt of your email and internally the team will request authority to process compensation from the Head of eCommerce.
  • If the compensation is authorised you will be informed via email and will receive the compensation within 30 days into your nominated bank account.  
  • If your compensation is not authorised, you will be informed via email with an explanation of why and any other options available to you.
  • Other options may include a standard discount on VisitBritain Shop.

If you are requesting a refund for a service purchased through the VisitBritain Shop the following procedure will be followed:

  • We will acknowledge receipt of your email and internally the team will assess if the refund is granted based on the terms and conditions of the specific product or service purchased.
  • If the refund is appropriate under the terms and conditions you will be informed via email and will receive the money back within 5 to 10 working days into your nominated bank account. 
  • If your refund is not authorised, you will be informed via email with an explanation of why and any other options available to you.
  • Other options may include a standard discount on VisitBritain Shop products

Once we have processed your compensation, refund or replied with a resolution to your complaint or enquiry we will consider the matter closed.

Process followed for complaints about our VisitEngland Assessment Schemes

The VisitEngland Assessment Scheme is operated on behalf by an appointed supplier. They, on our behalf, respond to complaints directly. Any complaints we receive we share with them directly.

Stage one

For complaints about properties which are members of the schemes:

  • We initially check to see whether the property is a participant in the assessment scheme. If they are a participant in the scheme, we will respond to you to acknowledge receipt of your complaint within two working days and a full response within 28 working days with the further action being taken.
  • Your feedback will be passed onto an assessor to determine the most appropriate course of action, including investigation at their next scheduled assessment visit. If they have already had their annual assessment visit and the case is severe, a repeat visit will be arranged. All feedback is noted internally for our records.
  • If the complaint is about a property no longer in the scheme, but has been previously and is still displaying VisitEngland signage, we contact the property to request they remove it immediately.
  • If the issue is with a property which is not and has never been part of the scheme, you should make a complaint directly to the business responsible for the service.

Process for complaints from VisitEngland Assessment scheme participants

If we receive a complaint from a scheme participant we will respond within the timeframes detailed above. Your complaint or enquiry will be processed internally,

  • The relevant team member will deal with the issue and respond to you detailing the resolution or further action being taken.
  • If the complaint is regarding an assessment visit and a participant is requesting an appeals’ visit this will be raised with the assessor as well as the Lead Assessor to investigate the issue further.

Once we have responded explaining the actions that are being taken or what we have done to resolve this issue we will consider the matter closed.

Process for complaints on grant funding or the grant-funding process

Stage one

We aim to acknowledge complaints within two working days of being contacted and provide a full response within 28 working days.

If you have a complaint to make about the way we are managing a live grant we follow the formal dispute mechanism set out by Cabinet Office for grant funding:

  • The Parties will use all reasonable endeavours to resolve in good faith any dispute that arises during the term of the grant agreement.
  • All disputes and complaints (except for those which relate to the Authority’s right to withhold funds or terminate the grant agreement) shall be referred in the first instance to the Grant Manager and the Project Representative.
  • If the dispute cannot be resolved between the Grant Manager and the Project Representative within a maximum of 15 working days, then the matter will be escalated to a formal meeting between the Parties’ Escalation Contacts.
  • If you have been unsuccessful with a recent grant application, please refer to your notification letter you received, the letter provides the reasons why you were unsuccessful. If this is not satisfactory please email the team using the relevant email address detailed on the letter to request a direct feedback meeting with us.
  • If you are unhappy during the application window, please contact the team via the email address provided in the prospectus for a call with a member of the grant team.

Once we have responded explaining the actions that are being taken or what we have done to resolve this issue we will consider the matter closed.

Stage two for all complaints

  • If you are dissatisfied with the response you receive at stage one, you can take it further by emailing [email protected]
  • You must do this within four weeks of receiving our response to stage one. Within five working days of receiving your complaint we will contact you to say that we have received it.

In most cases, you will receive a reply within 15 working days. If we cannot give a full reply in this time, we will tell you why and when you are likely to receive it.

Your personal information

All personal information will be treated in line with our responsibilities under current data protection legislation. We will do our best to keep all complaints confidential. However, we may need to release limited information so we can investigate the issues you have raised.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, we may also have to release certain information if we are asked for it. You can get information on the Freedom of Information Act from the Information Commissioner’s Office. Its contact details are:

Information Commissioner’s Office:

Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

Email: [email protected] 

Phone: 0303 123 1113

Website: www.ico.org.uk

Or access its live chat service