The CRE works hard to provide the best possible service, but things can sometimes go wrong. This page explains how you can make a complaint if you are not satisfied with the service we have provided.

What is a customer complaint?

A customer complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not.

Our complaints procedure covers complaints about:

• the standard of service provided by the CRE
• the behaviour of CRE commissioners or staff
• any action or lack of action by commissioners or staff affecting an individual or group.

Our complaints procedure does not cover:

• dissatisfaction with the CRE’s policies or decisions about individual cases or grants
• matters that have already been fully investigated through this complaints procedure
• anonymous complaints

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Who can make a complaint?

Our customer complaints procedure is open to anyone who has received or has asked for any of our services.

• We will attempt to deal with all complaints informally in the first instance, seeking a quick and satisfactory resolution.
• Any information you give us will be treated in the strictest confidence and in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. Any information relating to a third party will also be treated in confidence and in accordance with the Act. The information provided will only be used for the purposes of dealing with complaints and for monitoring.
• Please let us know if you need an interpreter to make your complaint or if you require assistance of any other kind. Please give us at least seven working days’ notice of such requests.

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How to make a complaint

Stage one (informal complaint)

If you are unhappy with any aspect of the service you have received or requested, you should speak or write to the relevant manager or the officer of the section concerned. If you need assistance in obtaining the name of the manager, please speak to any member of staff. The manager will investigate the complaint and will try to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. The manager will keep you informed of how long the investigation is likely to take.

Stage two (formal complaint)

If you are unhappy with the outcome of the investigation you may wish to make a formal complaint. You should use the complaint form (see below) to make a formal complaint. The form should be sent to the Director of Corporate Affairs at the CRE (the address is given on the form).

Once your complaint form has been received, the Director of Corporate Affairs will:

• let you know, within three working days, that we have received your complaint
• tell you who will look into your complaint
• tell you when you will receive a reply to your complaint.

You will normally receive a reply to your complaint within eight working days, telling you:

• whether we uphold your complaint
• what we plan to do about the issues raised in your complaint
• if we do not agree with your complaint, why not
• how you can appeal if you are unhappy with our decision

If your complaint is particularly complex, this may take longer. We will keep you informed of the reason for any delay and when you can expect a full reply.

Stage three (your right of appeal)

If you are unhappy with the response you receive, you can ask to have your complaint looked into by the CRE's chief executive (the letter you will have received from us will tell you how to do this). You will normally receive a reply from the chief executive within eight working days.

As far as the CRE is concerned, the chief executive’s decision is final. If you are not happy with this decision, you can ask the Parliamentary Ombudsman to look into the matter (the chief executive’s letter will tell you how to do this).

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Customer complaints form

The CRE's customer complaints form is available from CRE offices (click on the link below for details of these), or to download as a Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file:

• CRE customer complaints form (pdf, 430kb)
• CRE offices

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