Complaints Procedure for Storage Chessington Customers
Storage Chessington is committed to providing a reliable, professional and well organised service for all storage and removals customers. We recognise that, on occasion, things may not go as planned. When this happens, we want to hear from you so that we can resolve the issue quickly, learn from it and improve our service. This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern and what you can expect from us at each stage.
Scope of this complaints procedure
This procedure covers complaints relating to our storage and removal services, including but not limited to collection, packing, transportation, handling, loading, unloading, storage of goods, customer service and administration. It applies to domestic and business customers who use our services. This procedure does not cover matters that fall outside our control, such as delays caused by third parties or events that could not reasonably have been foreseen, but we will still try to assist and explain what has happened.
Our complaints principles
We handle complaints in line with the following principles:
We treat every complaint seriously and with respect. We aim to respond promptly and keep you informed. We investigate fairly and objectively, listening to your account and reviewing relevant information. We seek a practical and reasonable resolution wherever possible. We use feedback from complaints to improve our removals and storage services.
How to make a complaint
You can raise a complaint verbally or in writing. You may contact us using your usual point of contact or by writing to our office. When making a complaint, please provide the following information so we can investigate efficiently:
Your full name and, where applicable, your company name. The service you used, such as home removal, office move, long term storage or a combined service. The date of the service and any relevant booking or reference numbers you may have received. A clear description of what went wrong, including times, locations and the people you dealt with where known. Details of any loss, damage or inconvenience you believe has occurred. Any steps you feel might help to resolve the matter.
If you have supporting documents, such as photographs, inventories or notes, please keep them available so that we can review them during the investigation.
Stage one: initial response
Once we receive your complaint, we will log it and acknowledge it as soon as reasonably possible. We will normally assign a member of our customer service or operations team to review your concerns, depending on whether the complaint relates to storage, removals or both.
During this stage we may contact you to gather further details or to clarify any points that are unclear. Our aim is to resolve most issues quickly, often within a few working days, especially where the matter relates to simple administrative errors, minor service problems or misunderstandings over arrangements.
At the end of stage one, we will explain our findings and any action we propose to take. This might include an apology, practical steps to put things right, a review of your booking, staff training or other service improvements.
Stage two: further investigation
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of stage one, you may ask for your complaint to be reviewed further. At this point, your complaint will usually be referred to a more senior member of our team, who was not directly involved in the original service wherever possible.
The reviewer will re-examine all the information available, which may include:
Your original complaint and any additional information you have provided. Notes, records and job sheets relating to the removal or storage service. Internal communications between our teams. Any relevant policies and procedures that applied at the time.
We will then provide you with a written outcome that explains what has been reviewed, our conclusions, and the reasons for our decision. Where appropriate, we will outline any further steps we intend to take to address the issue or prevent a similar problem in future.
Timeframes
We aim to acknowledge complaints promptly and to provide a full response as quickly as is reasonably possible, taking into account the complexity of the issues and the need to gather accurate information.
Some complaints, especially those involving potential damage, loss of items or complex removal arrangements, may require more detailed investigation. In these cases, we will keep you informed of the progress and let you know if additional time is required to reach a conclusion.
Complaints about damage or loss
If your complaint relates to damage or loss of goods during a removal or while in storage, it is important that you raise this as soon as you become aware of it. Please describe the items affected, the nature of the damage or loss, and provide any supporting evidence you may have, such as photographs, inventories or condition reports.
We will review how the items were packed, moved and stored, and we may ask for further details in order to assess the circumstances. Any assessment or offer we make will be in line with the terms and conditions agreed at the time of booking and any applicable cover or insurance arrangements.
Confidentiality and data protection
All complaints are handled in confidence. Information is shared only with those who need it in order to investigate or resolve your concerns. We retain records of complaints in line with our data protection obligations and internal policies. These records help us monitor performance, identify trends and improve our storage and removals services.
Continuous improvement
We review complaints regularly to identify patterns and areas where our service can be strengthened. Feedback from customers is used to refine our processes, staff training, communication and operational planning across both storage facilities and removal services. By raising concerns, you help us maintain high standards and develop better ways of working.
Alternative options
We hope that our internal process will resolve your complaint to your satisfaction. If, after following this procedure, you still feel that your concerns have not been fully addressed, you may seek independent advice about your options and any external avenues that may be available to you, depending on the nature of the complaint and the agreements in place.
Summary
Storage Chessington aims to handle every complaint promptly, fairly and with respect. We encourage customers to tell us when something has gone wrong so that we can investigate, respond appropriately and continue improving our storage and removals services. By following this procedure, you will know how to raise concerns and what to expect from us at each stage of the process.
