Complaints Policy

This complaints policy was last updated July 2022.

UK Parking Control:

will take seriously any concern or complaint and will investigate it promptly, for resolution as quickly as possible
recognises that the public:
have the right to raise concerns or complaints about our services
have access to clear information on how to voice complaints and concerns
confirm that the complaints procedure is open to everyone who have any interaction with UKPC
will produce this policy and procedure which will be on display and available to anyone who asks for it
will deal with complaints in line with this policy
will keep a register of all complaints in line with regulations
confirm that the complaints procedure will be part of the process of monitoring the quality, effectiveness and non-discriminatory nature of UKPC’s services

1. Introduction

UKPC strives for high standards in service delivery and welcomes feedback from individuals and users of our services on all aspects of our services. Such feedback is invaluable in helping us evaluate and improve our work.

The objectives of UKPC’s complaints policy and procedures are to:

Ensure everyone knows how to make a complaint and how a complaint will be handled
Ensure that complaints are dealt with consistently, fairly and sensitively within clear time frames
Provide individuals with a fair and effective way to complain about our work and services
Ensure that complaints are monitored to improve our services and processes.

UKPC will ensure that we:

Listen carefully to complaints and treat complaints as confidential, where possible
Record, store and manage all complaints accurately and in accordance with the Data Protection Act and other Regulations UKPC need to adhere to
Investigate the complaint fully, objectively and within the stated time frame
Notify the complainant of the results of the investigation and any right of appeal or escalation
Inform the complainant of any action that will be implemented in order to ensure that there is no re-occurrence.

2. Definition of a complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction by an individual, whether justified or not. An individual may make a complaint if they feel UKPC has:

Failed to provide a service or an acceptable standard of service
Made a mistake in the way the service was provided
Failed to act in a proper way
Provided an unfair service

This policy and procedure relate only to complaints received about UKPC and its services.

3. Confidentiality

All complaints will be treated in confidence. We will only share the identity of the individual or the details of the complaint with a third party with the individual’s consent, or if required by regulatory bodies and legislation.

4. Making a complaint

It is important to note; the complaints policy and procedure cannot be used as a channel for complainants to appeal their Notice of Parking Charge (NoPC). Matters relating specifically to parking contraventions must be made via the correct appeal method as stated on UKPC’s notices and website.

UKPC have a dedicated Complaints mailbox for all complaints – complaints@ukparkingcontrol.com

A complaint can arrive in the following way:

Directly to the Complaints inbox (via the UKPC website) managed by UKPC’s Complaints Team;
Written correspondence submitted against a parking charge through UKPC’s web portal;
Written correspondence submitted by post, addressed to UKPC in the form of a letter;
Complaints made by proxy to the client, who will forward the complaint to the appropriate account manager or to the Sales inbox;
Queries raised via email to the DPO inbox;
Complaints raised by email to a member of the Senior Management Team or C-Suite;
Disputes raised directly to the British Parking Association in the first instance or any other association;
Directly to a Warden whilst patrolling a site.

5. Type of complaints UKPC receives

Site/Signage complaints
Health and Safety complaints
Data Subject Rights complaints
Generic/NoPC complaints regarding how an appeal was dealt with or how a Parking Attendant interacted with a member of the public

6. Complaints Procedure

Complaints should be sent directly to complaints@ukparkingcontrol.com or write to us at UK Parking Control Limited, Union House, 111 New Union Street, Coventry, CV1 2NT.

There are three stages to the complaint’s procedure:

Stage One – The Complaint/Investigation
Stage Two – Further Investigation (if not resolved in Stage One)
Stage Three – External Escalation Process

Stage One

Upon receiving a complaint, the Case Management Team will record the complaint on UKPC’s Complaints Log.

An acknowledgement email will be issued to the complainant within 14 days of its receipt unless exceptional circumstances apply, in which case the complainant will be informed.

As a general rule, the acknowledgement will confirm we have received the complaint and it has either been issued to the relevant department to resolve or is being handled by the Case Management Team who will respond within 28 days of its receipt.

If UKPC cannot respond within this timescale, i.e. further investigation needs to be conducted, we will inform the complainant of the delay and give an indication of when a full response will be sent to them.

The Case Handler will assess the content of the complaint, providing a response that will contain:
- Notice of Parking Charge (NoPC) timeline to date;
- Explanation of the steps UKPC has taken to reach this stage and addressing all the points raised within the complaint;
- Copies of any relevant documentation to assist in adding clarity to the complaint;
- Outline any proposed rectifying actions/outcomes to the complaint;
- Provide information in relation to next steps that are to be taken if complainant is unsatisfied with our response.

Please be advised that at any time during this stage, the Case Management team might request some form of identification to ensure that the complainant is the authorised recipient of the relevant information.

Stage Two

If the complaint cannot be resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction by the Case Handler, or if the Case Handler feels that the complaint is of a very serious nature, the complaint will then be passed to the Case Manager who will review the complaint and respond appropriately.

The Case Handler who dealt with the original correspondence at Stage One will be kept informed of the ongoing investigation and will update the Complaints Log accordingly.

The complaint at Stage Two will be responded to within 28 days of receipt of the complainant’s dissatisfied response to us. If this is not possible, i.e. further investigation needs to be conducted, we will inform the complainant of the delay and give an indication of when a full response will be sent to them.

Whether or not the complaint is upheld, the response to the complainant will detail the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken internally because of the complaint.

The decision taken at this stage is final unless the Case Manager decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.

Please be advised that at any time during this stage, the Case Management team might request some form of identification to ensure that the complainant is the authorised recipient of the relevant information.

Stage Three

If the complainant is dissatisfied with the response from the Case Manager at Stage Two, the third and final step is for UKPC to advise the complainant to make a formal complaint with the British Parking Association (BPA) who will investigate the matter. How to lodge a complaint with the BPA can be found here: https://portal.britishparking.co.uk/compliance/LogComplaint

Please note, a complaint submitted to UKPC and the BPA are considered as two different complaint procedures and will not be dealt with simultaneously.

7. Anonymous Complaints

Complaints received anonymously will be recorded and considered, but action may be limited if further information is required to ensure a full and fair investigation.

8. Monitoring and record-keeping

To ensure UKPC can learn from complaints, the following data will be collected:

a) the date of complaint;
b) a copy of the complaint;
c) a copy of all correspondence;
d) the outcome; and
e) the details of any corrective action required

Complaints information will be reviewed on a regular basis by the Head of Operations, regularly audited by the Compliance Team and will be reported on a monthly basis to the C-Suite.

As per the requirements set out by the BPA, and for audit purposes, we will retain a record of all complaints for 36 months, and this record will be made available on request to authorised bodies.