Complaints Code of Practice
At Lothian Broadband, we are committed to giving you the best service possible. If we’ve failed to meet your expectations, then it’s important to us that we put things right. If you feel that we’ve fallen short in the service we provide, please let us know.
This document is your guide on how to raise a complaint with us, what you can expect from the complaints process, and what steps you can take if we are unable to resolve your problem or you remain unsatisfied with our response. This procedure has been developed by Lothian Broadbands complaints handling team, following guidance from the Ofcom Code of Complaints Practice. We have a standard approach to handling complaints across the company, which complies with the OFCOMs guidance on a model complaints handling procedure and meets all of the requirements of the guidance given.
You can let us know about your problem through a few different channels. Once a complaint is received, it will be assigned to a specific staff member who will handle it for you.
By Phone. You can call us on 0330 236 9900. We will do our best to resolve your complaint on the call, but sometimes we will need to review things in more detail and get back to you with a resolution
By Email or Webform. You can email us on complaints@lothianbroadband.com, or complete via your online account. We will aim to give you a response within 7 days, but in some cases this could take up to 28 days.
By PostYou can write to us at:
Complaints, C/O Lothian Broadband
16 Young Street
Edinburgh EH2 4JB.
We will acknowledge receipt of your letter within 2 working days of receiving it. We will then aim to give you a response within 7 days, but in some cases it could take up to 28 days
If you are writing or emailing us, please include as much information as possible about your account to make sure we can find you on our system and get back to you as quickly as possible. This means including things like your account number, address, full name, and any additional information which ensures you would pass a data protection security check – but please don’t include any passwords.
Please let us know your preferred contact method for us to respond. If that is by phone and we are unable to get in touch after three attempts we will email you asking for a time that suits. If we still can’t reach you on the phone, we will email you (or write to you if needed) with the outcome.
Our complaints handling procedure aims to provide a quick, simple and streamlined process for resolving complaints early and locally by capable, well-trained staff. Our complaints process provides two opportunities to resolve complaints internally, and a final stage where it is reviewed independently. The table below outlines what is involved in these stages, and the timeframes we will always aim to work within:
| Complaint Type | EARLY RESOLUTION | INVESTIGATION | INDEPENDENT REVIEW – CISAS |
| Timeframe | 5 working days | 28 days | Approximately 6 weeks |
| Description | For issues that are straightforward and easily resolved, requiring little or no investigation | For issues that have not been resolved at the early resolution stage, indicate a more serious failure in our processes, or are complex in nature | For issues that cannot be resolved by Lothian Broadband, and require escalation to an independent adjudicator |
| What’s involved | On the spot apology, explanation or other action to resolve the complaint quickly but no longer than 5 working days or less unless there are exceptional circumstancesComplaints addressed by any member of staff or referred to the appropriate point for resolution | A definitive response provided within 28 days following a thorough investigationResponse signed off by a Senior Manager | Where you remain unsatisfied with our proposed resolution, or we are otherwise unable to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction, the complaint can be escalated to OFCOM |
In some instances, we may not be able to resolve your issue within the time frames noted above. Where that is the case, we will inform you of this, and outline when you can expect a resolution.
Once our response has been sent, your case will remain open for 28 days to make sure you have enough time to review our response and consider if you are satisfied. If you are happy with the response, let us know and we will close the case down. If we don’t hear back from you after 28 days, we will take this to mean that you are satisfied with our response.
We will always aim to address your complaint within 28 days. However, if we have not reached an agreed settlement within 8 weeks, or we notify you that we are unable to reach an agreement, we will send you a “Deadlock” letter or email confirming your right to refer your complaint to our Alternative Dispute Resolution Scheme Provider, CISAS. This service is available to you free of charge.
Here are their contact details:
Website: CEDR
Phone: 020 7520 3814
Email: cisas@cedr.com
Any decision they reach in relation to your complaint will be final.