Complaints

Legal/Regulatory Requirements

This policy and its related procedures exist to ensure that Bath Abbey Music Society (BAMS) adheres to the Fundraising Regulator Complaints Handling Guidance. 

Policy statement 

BAMS is committed to providing the best service we can and to being excellent in all that we do but we recognise that our practices can always be improved. When we fall short of the high standards we set for ourselves, we want to hear about it. We take all feedback seriously – both good and bad – and treat it as an opportunity to improve.

BAMS aims to meet its commitments to this by:

  • Acknowledging complaints promptly
  • Taking complaints seriously and investigating them properly
  • Dealing with complaints confidentially and fairly
  • Responding to complaints proportionately and appropriately
  • Learning from complaints

Responsibilities

The Board of Trustees is responsible for:

  • Approving the policy and subsequent amendments to it.
  • Monitoring performance and taking assurance that this is satisfactory.

The Secretary is responsible for:

  • Reviewing this policy and recommending appropriate amendments.
  • Coordinating the application of the complaints procedures.
  • Investigating and responding to breaches of the policy and its related procedures.
  • Providing assurance to the Board of Trustees that the policy and procedures in place remain fit for purpose.

All Trustees are responsible for:

  • Ensuring they comply with this policy, its procedures and any guidance issued in relation to it.

Arrangements

The arrangements for this policy will be recorded within procedures which alongside this policy will be reviewed to ensure that they are kept up to date. 

Any substantive changes to the procedures or anything that requires a change to the policy itself will need to be approved by the Board of Trustees. 

Review of Policy 

This policy will be reviewed every three years, or sooner if warranted by internal or external events or changes and any amendments proposed submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval

What to do if you want to make a complaint 

Please bring your complaint to the attention of the relevant member of BAMS who will aim to resolve the matter by informal discussion. You should make it clear that you have a complaint and outline what you consider would remedy the situation. Should an appropriate informal resolution be proposed and accepted, the complaint shall be considered closed.

If the complaint cannot be resolved through informal resolution, please contact the Secretary on [email protected], marking your e-mail with the word “Complaint”.

If you have a suggestion for how best to resolve the issues in your complaint, please also let us know. We want to reach the best possible outcome, and therefore we value your ideas as to how to achieve this.

What we will do to investigate 

We will acknowledge your complaint within 10 working days and will send a formal response within 20 working days of the acknowledgement.

From time to time, we may receive complaints about matters that we are not able to comment on (for example, matters that do not relate directly to BAMS or our work). Additionally, there may be very rare occasions when we will choose not to respond to a complaint (for example, where the person making the complaint is being abusive or offensive in their correspondence). We are a Charity and we have limited resources, and we have to be mindful of this at all times in responding to complaints.

Communicating the outcome of your complaint 

The Secretary will commission or carry out an independent review of your concerns and provide you with a formal response which summarises any findings.

What to do if you’re unhappy with the outcome of your complaint

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your complaint:

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