Always keen to take ideas from the world of commerce and business and apply them to local government I was interested to experience how a modern high tech company deals with customer complaints. The first step is don't deal direct. Your complaint isn't with us it's with your provider. There is an obvious parallel here with adult social services. Your complaint about your home help is not with the Local Authority but with the home care agency. This communications company have taken this approach to it logical conclusion which is you can not contact us directly by phone, text, email, snail mail or Facebook you must speak to your providers call centre who will listen politely and explain that they can't speak directly to your supplier either but vie their computer they can access your case to inform you of its status. The status will tell you what you are getting or a date for when you will get it but mostly that it is to be reviewed meaning no one knows if you will ever receive the service. Understandably you will want to complain. The call centre operator will be very sympathetic, share your frustration but tactfully explain that all they can do is read off the screen and put a note on file. Your complaint after all is not with them. Being experienced in navigating complaints processes you know the magic short cut is to email the chief executive of the company direct. More significantly a friend as told you of a website where you can get the name and email address of every chief executive of every large private sector organisation based in the UK. You fire off an email short and to the point making a , "formal" complaint and expressing your frustration at your attempts to have the matter addressed so far. The next day you get an email from the chief executive saying they have passed your complaints on to your provider! And that's the way you abolish complaints.
